Hardware Reliability & Test Engineer

Rune; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Rune is seeking a Hardware Test Engineer to lead reliability, validation, and verification testing across mechanical, electrical, and compute systems for the RELIC platform in Mountain View, CA. You will translate design failure modes into test plans, build fixtures and instrumentation, develop test procedures in Python or LabVIEW, and deliver data-driven failure reports to design teams.

Travel up to 20% and in-office five days a week.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or Reliability Engineering.
• 4–7 years in hardware test and product validation engineering on energy storage, power electronics, grid-tied equipment, or electromechanical hardware.
• Hands-on experience building test fixtures, harnesses, instrumentation, and data acquisition for bench testing.
• Experience with environmental and reliability stress testing per ASTM standards.
• Proficient in Python or LabVIEW for automation and data analysis.
• Familiar with bench instrumentation including oscilloscopes, DAQ, multimeters, and loads.
• Able to perform failure analysis and contribute to DFMEA and design reviews.
• Knowledge of energy storage and power electronics failure mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Translate DFMEA findings into test plans, sample sizes, stress levels, and acceptance criteria.
• Design and build test fixtures, harnesses, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.
• Develop test procedures and automation scripts in Python or LabVIEW.
• Specify chambers, loads, sensors, and bench equipment for campaigns and keep calibrated.
• Execute reliability tests: HALT, HASS, accelerated life, thermal cycling, vibration, humidity, shock, burn-in.
• Validate performance from battery to enclosure across EVT, DVT, and PVT builds.
• Run compute/GPU reliability tests with telemetry-based failure detection.
• Collect and analyze data using statistical methods and life-data analysis.
• Perform failure analyses and root-cause investigations across mechanical/electrical/firmware.
• Produce test reports with data, evidence, and design recommendations.
• Maintain test labs and manage external test-house partnerships and calibration history.
• Support field failure investigations and corrective actions.

Skills

Hardware test

Test automation

Python or LabVIEW

Data acquisition

Failure analysis

DFMEA input

Energy storage

Power electronics

Field work

Communication skills

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Reliability Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

Oscilloscopes

Data acquisition systems

Multimeters

Bench equipment

Job description

Rune is seeking a Hardware Test Engineer to lead reliability, validation, and verification testing across mechanical, electrical, and compute systems for the RELIC platform in Mountain View, CA. You will translate design failure modes into test plans, build fixtures and instrumentation, develop test procedures in Python or LabVIEW, and deliver data-driven failure reports to design teams.

Travel up to 20% and in-office five days a week.