Robotics Hardware Validation Engineer

Skild; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Skild is seeking a hands-on Electrical Hardware Validation Engineer in San Mateo to define validation strategies for complex PCB designs used in robotics. You will work with Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, and Systems teams on board bring-up, tests, and failure analysis, plus developing test fixtures and validation setups.

The role emphasizes troubleshooting, lab work, and collaboration to improve robustness and future hardware designs, including battery safety testing and verification, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
• Hands-on experience with PCB debugging or embedded electronics.
• Proficiency with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, electronic loads, and logic analyzers.
• Familiarity with power electronics, DC-DC converters, embedded systems, sensor interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, Ethernet), and lithium battery systems.
• Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to read schematics, wiring diagrams, and interpret datasheets.
• Experience with robotics systems or autonomous platforms.
• Experience with PCB design tools such as Altium, KiCad, or Cadence.
• Experience with lithium battery testing or battery management systems (BMS).
• Experience developing test automation scripts using Python or similar languages.
• Understanding of Design for Testability (DFT) principles.
• Experience with fixture design, pogo-pin interfaces, or functional test systems.
• Experience testing wire harnesses, connectors, or electromechanical assemblies.
• Exposure to EMI/EMC, thermal, vibration, or environmental testing.
• Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive validation and test plans for new PCB designs and embedded electronic systems.
• Define functional, electrical, thermal, and reliability test procedures for robotics hardware.
• Execute board bring-up, debugging, and characterization activities in the lab.
• Validate subsystems including power distribution and protection circuits, DC-DC converters and power sequencing, embedded computing hardware, sensor interfaces and communication buses, and high-speed digital and analog circuits.
• Perform lithium battery safety and validation testing, including charge/discharge characterization, protection circuit verification, thermal behavior evaluation, and failure-mode analysis.
• Develop and execute wire harness reliability and characterization tests, including continuity, insulation resistance, strain relief, vibration and flex-cycle, and connector retention validation.
• Design, build, and maintain hardware test fixtures and validation setups.
• Support debugging and repair of existing robotic systems and deployed hardware.
• Investigate hardware failures, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, and Systems Engineers to improve testability, manufacturability, robustness, and serviceability of designs.
• Collect, analyze, and document test data, failure reports, validation procedures, and engineering findings.
• Communicate technical issues, test results, and root cause findings across cross-functional engineering teams.
• Support automation of repetitive validation and diagnostic tasks using scripting tools where appropriate.
• Support prototype builds, integration activities, and system-level testing.
• Maintain lab equipment, calibration records, and validation documentation.

Skills

Electrical troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

Lab measurement

Schematic reading

PCB debugging

Team collaboration

Python scripting

Test planning

Robotics knowledge

DFT understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Course work in PCB design and embedded electronics

Tools

Altium

KiCad

Cadence

Oscilloscopes

Multimeters

Logic analyzers

Power supplies

Electronic loads

CAN interface tools

Job description

Skild is seeking a hands-on Electrical Hardware Validation Engineer in San Mateo to define validation strategies for complex PCB designs used in robotics. You will work with Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, and Systems teams on board bring-up, tests, and failure analysis, plus developing test fixtures and validation setups.

The role emphasizes troubleshooting, lab work, and collaboration to improve robustness and future hardware designs, including battery safety testing and verification, with