Lead Development Test Engineer

Pow.bio; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pow.bio is seeking a Development Test Engineer based in Torrance, California. The role involves ensuring products are best-in-class through rigorous testing, working closely with various engineering disciplines.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, relevant testing experience, and strong problem-solving skills. Compensation ranges from $140,000 to $180,000 with competitive equity grants.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience running multidisciplinary testing within a fast paced engineering environment.
• Strong engineering fundamentals and ability to solve problems through first principles thinking.
• Familiarity with standard test equipment including thermocouples, strain gauges, load cells.

Responsibilities

• Validate Neros products through various forms of testing.
• Operate Neros test equipment and procure tools as needed.
• Design and execute test plans across product qualification campaigns.

Skills

Mechanical Engineering

Problem-solving

Hands-on fabrication skills

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

Solidworks

Python

Job description

Who we are

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America’s drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We’re hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

What you will be doing

As a Development Test Engineer, your role is to ensure Neros products are best‑in‑class by acting as the gate through which engineering designs are validated, refined, and qualified for production. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, and other engineering disciplines to ensure designs function as intended, even under the most rigorous and extreme battlefield conditions. You will also leverage your experience to help accelerate Neros’s pace of innovation by testing and collecting data on brand new technologies and architectures in early stage development.

The Development Test Engineer will help build the foundation for new team within a rapidly growing company. The position offers the opportunity to be creative and scrappy for fast‑paced testing, while also being given significant freedom and resources to build Neros’s internal test capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Validate Neros products across many forms of testing, including but not limited to: static and dynamic structural, shock and vibe, thermal, liquid/particle ingress, and environmental/corrosion
• Operate Neros test equipment (thermal chamber, tensile tester, vibe table, data acquisition setups etc.) and procure equipment and tools as needed
• Work with engineers to design and execute test plans ranging from early stage, single component risk‑reduction testing to full‑product qualification test campaigns. Help standardize appropriate test cases across the product suite.
• Design test rigs and fixtures. Create CAD models and drawings as needed to get parts fabricated.
• Process data to interpret results, and clearly document and present these results to the team
• Participate in and lead root cause analysis on test items as well as product field failures

You should have the following

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 5+ years of experience running multidisciplinary testing within a fast paced engineering environment
• Strong engineering fundamentals and ability to solve problems through first principles thinking
• Hands‑on fabrication and assembly skills
• Experience with a CAD software such as Solidworks or NX
• Familiarity with the usage of standard test equipment including thermocouples, strain gauges, load cells, IMUs/accelerometers

Nice to haves

• Direct experience operating test equipment including: vibe tables, thermal chambers, tensile testers, battery testers
• Understanding of practical electrical fundamentals and experience integrating actuators and sensors into test setups
• Experience testing batteries
• Python or Matlab skills for automation and data processing
• Experience qualifying products to MIL-STD-810H or similarly rigorous test standards
• Experience creating high‑quality engineering drawings
• Experience with Teamcenter

US Salary Range

$140,000-$180,000

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.