Test Engineer, Hardware and Systems
Owns hardware validation for military power systems (batteries, inverters, DC-DC converters, ECUs) at Chariot Defense — designing and automating test stations/ATE, running electrical, thermal, mechanical, and environmental tests, and building data pipelines with Python/LabVIEW. Onsite in San Bruno, CA.
- Compensation
- $120K–$160K / yr
- Location
- San Bruno, California, United States
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 2+ years
- Category
- Qa
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or related field
- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent work experience
- Experience in an immersive system design project, research study/thesis, or collegiate project teams (e.g. FSAE, BAJA, Solar Vehicles)
- 3+ years of hands-on hardware test and validation experience (electronics/ECUs, power electronics, Lithium-ion batteries, or high-density embedded hardware)
- Proficiency with electrical test equipment: oscilloscopes, power supplies, DAQs, multimeters, function generators, electronic loads
- Experience designing or contributing to automated test equipment (ATE) or test station development
- Proficiency in Python, LabVIEW or other automated test platforms for test automation, data acquisition, and post-processing
- Solid understanding of mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls first principles and fundamentals
- Familiarity with CAN, SPI, I2C, LIN, UART, or other embedded communication protocols for test and debug
- Experience working safely with high-voltage systems
- Minimum 2+ years in a technical engineering, design, or product role in a professional setting
- Proven 3D CAD skills (SOLIDWORKS preferred), CAE/FEA experience, and high-quality 2D drawings complying with industry standards (GD&T, ASME)
- Strong engineering fundamentals in structures, materials, fluids and aero, thermal, controls, mechanics/dynamics, system modeling, and physics
- Manufacturing knowledge & experience with machine shops (sheet metal, CNC, lathe, sand casting, forging, die-casting)
- Rapid prototyping background (structures/electronics/software) & 3D printing knowledge
- Hands-on prototyping skills (machining, shop tools, welding, soldering) and fabrication
- Familiarity with MIL-STD, DO-160, or other automotive, defense, and aerospace standards
- Onsite in Chariot Defense's San Bruno, CA office
- Willingness to support 10% domestic and international travel, plus extended and weekend hours when necessary
- Able to work on your feet for extended periods in a shop setting
- Able to lift and carry 50 lbs
Nice to have
- Top-notch engineering intuition and first-principles thinking toward designing complex products
- Able to independently identify critical information/priority gaps and make sound, swift decisions with imperfect data
- Persistent root-cause analysis; not satisfied by superficial explanations or band-aid engineering
- Breaks down information silos through rigorous collaboration and knowledge sharing
- Owns tests from requirements to execution without waiting for others to define the problem
- Communicates effectively across hardware, firmware, and systems teams
- Builds defense-grade test coverage where "good enough" isn't a concept
Full description
About Us
Chariot Defense is a defense technology company that designs and manufactures a family of power products for the U.S. military and its allies. We believe that credible deterrence of armed conflict and winning if deterrence fails, requires more than just the best drones, sensors, weapons, electronic warfare systems, and command & control capabilities. Those critical components will require sustained electric power in austere and resource-constrained environments. Moreover, military units must be able to turn off the trucks and generators that generate this power to hide and survive. In other words, power generation must be decoupled from power consumption. Chariot Defense’s products enable exactly this capability, allowing U.S. and allied militaries to be more lethal and survivable. We hope you will join us on this mission.
About the Role
Chariot Defense is looking for a Test Engineer to own hardware validation across our power systems across mechanical, electrical, thermal, power electronics and controls, performing component-level all the way to full system integration testing in environmental and operational conditions. You'll sit at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and systems engineering, building the test infrastructure and executing the validation strategy that gets Amphora and future cutting-edge products in energy and power storage, and mobility, from prototype to fielded.
Our team comes from Tesla, Anduril, Apple, Archer, and the U.S. military. We build hardware that operators depend on in the field — and we validate it like lives depend on it, because they do. We emerged from stealth in 2025, are already fielded across DoD exercises, and are backed by General Catalyst, a16z, and DCVC. This is a high-ownership, high-impact, hands-on role. You'll write the test plan, build the fixture, develop the electronics, controls, and firmware, run the test, triage the failure, and close the loop with design.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, build, instrument, and automate test equipment for electrical, mechanical, thermal and environmental validation of hardware — batteries, inverters, DC-DC converters, controllers/ ECUs, distribution units, and integrated Amphora systems
- Own hardware unit-level test station development: design specialized automated test equipment (ATE), write test scripts, and maintain test coverage as hardware evolves
- Execute component, subsystem, and system-level validation across electrical, thermal, and mechanical dimensions — including high-voltage characterization and fault injection
- Develop and run environmental test programs per MIL, energy, and automotive specs: temperature cycling, vibration, shock, ingress, corrosion etc.
- Collaborate with firmware engineers to validate embedded control logic, power management algorithms, and system behavior under real and edge-case conditions