Repair Technician

Cognizant; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 82,656,000 - 99,187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Paid Holidays and PTO

401(k) plan

Disability Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is hiring a Repair Technician in Palo Alto to build, test, deploy, and maintain imagery hardware and sensors for a high-profile Geo Data Operations project. You will work onsite under HSE leadership, performing diagnostics, board swaps, and soldering as needed.

The role requires precision, strong troubleshooting, and adherence to manuals and test procedures, with collaboration across hardware, service, and management teams.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent or a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (preferred).
• 1-3 years of experience in various testing techniques
• Familiarity with various testing techniques and great hardware troubleshooting skills
• Hardware troubleshooting, installation and warehouse management
• Familiarity with vehicle parts, computer parts , camera parts, PCB etc
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to component-level repair.
• Ability to follow complex technical instructions and checklists with high accuracy.
• Good collaborative and communication skills to sync effectively with the HSE and management teams.
• Strong problem-solving abilities for initial hardware fault isolation.
• Knowledge of Linux, Windows, and other OS environments for hardware diagnostics and system testing.
• Experience with command-line interface (CLI) in Linux for debugging hardware-related issues.
• Familiarity with firmware flashing, debugging, and programming.
• Ability to troubleshoot boot issues, hardware compatibility problems, and OS-related failures.
• Ability to build, repair, and maintain Golden Samples.

Responsibilities

• Inspect, debug, and perform root-cause failure analysis on returned hardware, assemblies, and field-returned units using diagnostic software, schematics, and standard test procedures.
• Validate repaired subassemblies and finished units through functional test, firmware flashes, and specialized diagnostic routines to ensure strict adherence to OEM performance specifications.
• Perform board swaps, cable-to-cable wiring/pin replacements, and occasional basic soldering.
• Log repair steps, swapped parts, and test results in our tracking system so the team has accurate repair histories.
• Synchronize directly with the HSE team for all technical hardware repair escalations.
• Perform basic troubleshooting and diagnostic steps as guided by the service manuals or via direct instruction from the HSE.
• Align with the HSE to follow operational instructions regarding the guidance and management of external vendors within the service center's scope.
• Follow all immediate daily instructions provided by the HSE, Tech Lead, or Ops Lead.
• Proactively identify gaps in the repair process and elevate them to HSE by filing bugs, tickets, or email notifications.

Skills

Hardware troubleshooting

Testing techniques

Soldering

Root-cause analysis

Linux CLI

OS diagnostics

Documentation

Team collaboration

Electrical knowledge

Electronics repair

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Bachelor's degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering

Tools

Diagnostic software

Firmware flashing

Schematic reading

Hardware test equipment

PCB repair

Job description

Cognizant is a large IT consulting firm that uses modern technologies to transform a variety of business operations. Our Hardware Operations team is seeking a new Repair Technician to assist with building, testing, deploying and maintaining imagery hardware and sensors used on different platforms. Hardware Operations is a part of a high-profile client project that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It comes under the purview of Geo Data Operations (GDO). The Repair Technician will be responsible for systematically testing, repairing, and reporting on all hardware parts and components flowing through the Service Center. Operating under the technical guidance of the Hardware Support Engineer (HSE) and leadership teams, this role requires precision hand-tool skills, strong troubleshooting abilities, and strict adherence to established manuals and test procedures.

Please note that this role is fully onsite in Palo Alto. Only local candidates will be considered.

Core Responsibilities & Technical Execution

• Inspect, debug, and perform root-cause failure analysis on returned hardware, assemblies, and fi eld-returned units using diagnostic software, schematics, and standard test procedures.

• Validate repaired subassemblies and fi nished units through functional test, fi rmware fl ashes, and specialized diagnostic routines to ensure strict adherence to OEM performance specifications.

• Perform board swaps, cable-to-cable wiring/pin replacements, and occasional basic soldering.

• Log repair steps, swapped parts, and test results in our tracking system so the team has accurate repair histories.

HSE Collaboration

• Synchronize directly with the HSE team for all technical hardware repair escalations.

• Perform basic troubleshooting and diagnostic steps as guided by the service manuals or via direct instruction from the HSE.

• Align with the HSE to follow operational instructions regarding the guidance and management of external vendors within the service center's scope.

• Follow all immediate daily instructions provided by the HSE, Tech Lead, or Ops Lead.

• Proactively identify gaps in the repair process and elevate them to HSE by filing bugs, tickets, or email notifications.

Desired Skills & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent or a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (preferred).
• 1-3 years of experience in various testing techniques
• Familiarity with various testing techniques and great hardware troubleshooting skills
• Hardware troubleshooting, installation and warehouse management
• Familiarity with vehicle parts, computer parts , camera parts, PCB etc
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to component-level repair.
• Ability to follow complex technical instructions and checklists with high accuracy.
• Good collaborative and communication skills to sync effectively with the HSE and management teams.
• Strong problem-solving abilities for initial hardware fault isolation.
• Knowledge of Linux, Windows, and other OS environments for hardware diagnostics and system testing.
• Experience with command-line interface (CLI) in Linux for debugging hardware-related issues.
• Familiarity with firmware flashing, debugging, and programming.
• Ability to troubleshoot boot issues, hardware compatibility problems, and OS-related failures.
• Ability to build, repair, and maintain Golden Samples.

Salary and Other Compensation

The hourly rate for this position is $32 per hour.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The hourly rate, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

LA County (only)

Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment.

Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring company sponsorship now or at any time in the future.