Hardware Test Engineer, Reliability & Manufacturing

About the company

Efference provides high-performance perception and compute infrastructure for training and deploying robot models in the cloud. Our vision is to make robotic deployments scalable with shared compute.

We approach the problem by owning the entire path from the image sensor to the datacenter GPU. We shrink the load at the sensor, fix the uplink so robot traffic is fast and reliable, and clock synchronize the system so observations arrive time-aligned, ready for inference.

About the role

You'll develop the tests that establish whether Efference hardware meets its requirements and whether each manufactured unit is ready to ship. You'll work across development reliability testing and production test, translating failure mechanisms into better designs, fixtures, and acceptance limits.

What you’ll do

• Create validation plans for boards and assembled devices covering power, thermal behavior, interfaces, sensors, and the operating conditions defined for each product.
• Design and automate test fixtures with programmable supplies, loads, data acquisition, interface boards, and device-control software.
• Run temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, power-cycle, and endurance testing as appropriate to the product, recording exposure and failure evidence.
• Develop production tests for programming, calibration verification, connectivity, and functional performance with the RF, camera, and manufacturing teams.
• Validate measurement repeatability, fixture correlation, and test limits so stations detect real defects without unnecessary false failures or excessive cycle time.
• Investigate failures from validation, production, and returns; maintain traceable results and verify corrective actions with design engineers and suppliers.

What we are looking for

• Experience developing hardware validation, reliability, or manufacturing tests for electronic products.
• Strong electrical fundamentals and practical skill with schematics, oscilloscopes, power supplies, loads, and data-acquisition equipment.
• Proficiency in Python or a comparable test-automation language and experience controlling instruments and devices programmatically.
• Understanding of failure analysis, measurement uncertainty, repeatability, and the difference between design qualification and production screening.
• Experience working with technicians, manufacturers, and design engineers to deploy test equipment and resolve recurring failures.

Nice to Have

• Experience testing cameras, RF devices, embedded compute, or robotics electronics.
• Work on fixture PCB design, boundary scan, environmental chambers, accelerated testing, or EMC pre-compliance.
• Experience with statistical test-limit development, gauge repeatability studies, MES integration, or contract-manufacturer test deployment.