Hardware Test & Integration Engineer

Quartermaster; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Quartermaster is seeking a Hardware Test & Integration Engineer to maintain and grow our HITL test bench at our Virginia HQ, integrating hardware, configuring software, and writing automated tests as part of a hands-on role. You will evaluate new sensor types and produce clear results for product decisions.

Field validation testing will occur aboard vessels in the DC/MD/VA area and other US sites as needed, with strong cross-functional collaboration across engineering and product teams to ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, Robotics/Mechatronics, Test Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 4–12 years of hardware testing and bench-building experience, including integration of mixed hardware.
• Experience building or maintaining test benches or infrastructure with COTS instrumentation and networking.
• Strong documentation and cross-team collaboration abilities with traceability.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, operate, and maintain HITL test infrastructure at DC-area office and deployment sites.
• Develop and execute manual and automated test procedures for current and candidate hardware.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to evaluate sensors and inform development decisions.
• Coordinate scheduling, logistics, and configuration of shared test infrastructure across sites.
• Keep test data, equipment, and procedures organized, secure, and traceable.

Skills

Hardware testing

Test benches

Cross-team collaboration

Field testing

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

3D printing

COTS integration

Hand/power tools

Job description

About Us:

Quartermaster is building the world's most comprehensive maritime intelligence platform. Our SmartMast™ system transforms commercial and civilian vessels into a persistent, distributed sensing network—combining HD video, AI, radar, RF sensing, and AIS to deliver real-time maritime domain awareness at global scale. With 600+ sensors deployed across 25+ countries and more than 400,000 vessels identified outside of AIS, we are setting a new standard for what ocean surveillance and safety can look like. We are a mission-driven, high-velocity team building dual-use technology for defense agencies, coast guards, and commercial maritime operators. If you want your code to run on vessels crossing every ocean on earth, this is the place.

Job Description:

We're hiring Hardware Test & Integration Engineers to keep our test infrastructure running and growing as fast as our sensor roadmap does. You'll help maintain and expand our hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) test bench at our Virginia HQ, integrating hardware, configuring software, and writing the occasional automated test script (this is a hands‑on integration role, not a software development role). You'll use that infrastructure to evaluate new sensor types and produce clear test results that inform product decisions. You'll take the same rigor out into the field, testing hardware on vessels predominantly in the DC/MD/VA area but at other US sites as needed. Throughout, you'll work cross‑functionally with engineering to keep test data and test work secure, efficient, and productive.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, build, operate, and maintain test infrastructure at our DC-area office and future remote/vessel deployment sites
• Develop, refine, and execute manual and automated test procedures to evaluate current and candidate pieces of hardware
• Work cross-functionally across engineering and product teams at Quartermaster to prioritize and accelerate the evaluation of new sensor models and modalities to accelerate and inform the engineering organization’s development road
• Use and contribute to shared physical and digital test infrastructure across multiple sites and disciplines — coordinating scheduling, logistics, and configuration with the teams that depend on them
• Keep test data, equipment, and procedures organized, secure, and well‑documented so results are trustworthy, traceable, and reusable across teams
• Execute field validation testing aboard vessels in the broader DC area and at other US sites as needed, adapting bench procedures to real-world maritime deployment conditions

Qualifications (Required):

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, Robotics/Mechatronics, Test Engineering, or a related hands‑on technical field — or equivalent experience
• Hardware and testing expertise: 4–12 years of experience building and maintaining test benches, including proficiency with hand/power tools, 3D printing, integration of mixed custom and COTS hardware, and execution of manual/automated testing procedures.
• Demonstrated experience building or maintaining test benches or infrastructure — integrating COTS instrumentation, computers, sensors, and ensuring network access for remote engineers
• Cross-team collaboration: A proven ability to work effectively across multi‑disciplinary engineering and product teams while maintaining strong documentation and traceability habits.
• Operational initiative: Desire to conduct field testing in maritime environments and travel as needed to meet project goals. Ability to independently drive projects forward through ambiguity, resource limitations, and tight deadlines.
• US citizenship and valid driver's license required; current security clearance or ability to obtain one is preferred.