Lab Operations Engineer

Experis; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Experis in Redmond, WA is seeking a Lab Operations Engineer to support hardware development, validation, and lab operations across silicon, systems, networking, and infrastructure programs.

You will partner with engineering, lab operations, system integration, and IT to deploy, maintain, troubleshoot, and scale development lab environments. Strong hands-on hardware skills, scripting, automation, networking, and datacenter operations experience are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience supporting hardware development labs, datacenters, or validation environments.
• Experience with server hardware, rack integration, bring-up, deployment, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with serial communications, UARTs, console access, and low-level system debug.
• Experience scripting with Python, Bash, PowerShell, or similar languages.
• Knowledge of networking fundamentals including switching, VLANs, subnets, routing, and connectivity troubleshooting.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to work effectively across engineering, operations, and infrastructure teams.

Responsibilities

• Instrument prototype servers and development platforms using serial consoles and debug ports.
• Install, configure, cable, and validate servers, racks, networking equipment, and lab infrastructure.
• Support hardware bring-up activities, system integration, and validation testing.
• Assist engineering teams in diagnosing platform, firmware, and hardware issues throughout the product lifecycle.
• Perform break-fix activities, preventative maintenance, and system sustainment support.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts to deploy, validate, inventory, and run tests.
• Create tools to simplify deployment, validation, inventory tracking, test execution, and operational workflows.
• Assist engineering teams with troubleshooting and log analysis workflows.
• Assist with datacenter and laboratory operations: rack deployment, hardware installation, cable management, equipment moves.
• Manage lab inventory, consumables, spare components, and test equipment.
• Ensure laboratory environments remain operational and ready to support programs.
• Assist with network deployment, subnet troubleshooting, switch configuration, and connectivity validation.
• Work with networking and IT teams to resolve connectivity issues and validation activities.
• Partner with hardware, firmware, silicon, security, validation, and infrastructure teams.
• Drive issue resolution across organizations and contribute to documentation and process improvements.

Skills

Hardware troubleshooting

Scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell)

Networking fundamentals

Server hardware bring-up

Datacenter operations

Cross-functional collaboration

Root-cause analysis

Serial interfaces

Inventory management

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Protocol analyzers

Logic analyzers

Lab instrumentation

Job description

The Lab Operations Engineer is responsible for supporting hardware development, validation, and lab operations across silicon, systems, networking, and infrastructure programs. This role partners closely with engineering, lab operations, system integration, and IT teams to deploy, maintain, troubleshoot, and scale development lab environments. The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on hardware skills with scripting, automation, networking, and datacenter operations experience. The role aligns closely with SPARC Lab Operations responsibilities including system integration, bring-up support, inventory management, test equipment support, and lab sustainment activities.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware Integration & Bring-Up

• Instrument prototype servers and development platforms using serial consoles, UART interfaces, debug ports, and other engineering tools.
• Install, configure, cable, and validate servers, racks, networking equipment, and lab infrastructure.
• Support hardware bring-up activities, system integration efforts, and validation testing.
• Assist engineering teams in diagnosing platform, firmware, and hardware issues throughout the product lifecycle.
• Perform break-fix activities, preventative maintenance, and system sustainment support.

Automation & Tool Development

• Develop and maintain automation scripts using Python, Bash, PowerShell, or similar scripting languages.
• Create tools to simplify deployment, validation, inventory tracking, test execution, and operational workflows.
• Support automation of repetitive lab processes and data collection activities.
• Assist engineering teams with troubleshooting and log analysis workflows.

Datacenter & Lab Operations

• Assist with datacenter and laboratory operations, including rack deployment, hardware installation, cable management, equipment moves, and maintenance.
• Support space planning, rack preparation, power validation, and environmental readiness activities.
• Manage lab inventory, consumables, spare components, and test equipment.
• Ensure laboratory environments remain operational, organized, and ready to support engineering programs.

Networking & Infrastructure Support

• Assist with network deployment, subnet troubleshooting, switch configuration, and connectivity validation.
• Help identify and isolate networking, infrastructure, or system integration issues.
• Work closely with networking and IT teams to resolve connectivity and configuration problems.
• Support lab network validation and ongoing operational readiness activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with hardware, firmware, silicon, security, validation, and infrastructure engineering teams.
• Drive issue resolution by coordinating across multiple organizations and stakeholders.
• Ask the right technical questions, identify blockers, and work proactively to move projects forward.
• Contribute to documentation, process improvements, operational readiness reviews, and lessons learned activities.

Safety, Security & Compliance

• Maintain compliance with lab safety requirements, ESD controls, operational procedures, and security processes.
• Support lab access management and operational security requirements.
• Ensure development hardware and test assets are handled according to established procedures.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience supporting hardware development labs, datacenters, manufacturing labs, or validation environments.
• Experience with server hardware, rack integration, bring-up, deployment, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with serial communications, UARTs, console access, and low-level system debug.
• Experience scripting with Python, Bash, PowerShell, or similar languages.
• Knowledge of networking fundamentals including switching, VLANs, subnets, routing, and connectivity troubleshooting.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to work effectively across engineering, operations, and infrastructure teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting silicon development or platform validation programs.
• Familiarity with Linux administration and hardware validation environments.
• Experience using oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, or other engineering instrumentation.
• Experience supporting large-scale cloud, server, AI, or datacenter hardware platforms.
• Experience with inventory management systems, automation frameworks, or lab operation tooling.