Robotics Test Engineer

Rhoda AI; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Rhoda AI is building generalist robots and seeking a Robotics Test Engineer to validate the robot across hardware, firmware, and software. You will create scalable test systems, automate validation, and drive reliability through data-driven insights.

The role bridges hardware, firmware, and software, offering high ownership within a small team. You’ll shape the validation approach and help ensure product readiness for real-world use.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in test engineering or robotics or related field.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++.
• Experience with embedded systems and comms protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART).
• Hands-on lab equipment experience (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters).
• Experience with Git and collaborative development workflows.
• Strong systems thinking and cross-domain debugging abilities.
• Excellent communication of technical findings to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain automated test frameworks to improve validation coverage across hardware, firmware, and software.
• Build hardware-in-the-loop and system-level validation environments that reflect real operating conditions.
• Identify and help resolve complex multidisciplinary failures before milestones or deployments.
• Maintain traceability between requirements, tests, and validation results across programs.
• Generate high-quality performance and reliability data to inform engineering decisions.

Skills

Python

C++

Embedded systems

Git

Systems thinking

Test automation

Job description

At Rhoda AI, we're building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality.

We're looking for a Robotics Test Engineer to build the systems that validate the robot. You'll develop the infrastructure, automation, and processes that ensure the robot performs reliably across a wide range of operating conditions - working at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and software to create test systems that uncover issues early, provide actionable data, and accelerate development across the robotics stack.

What You'll Do

• Develop and maintain automated test frameworks that improve validation coverage and reduce manual testing effort across hardware, firmware, and software systems
• Build scalable hardware-in-the-loop and system-level validation environments that accurately represent real-world operating conditions
• Identify, reproduce, and help resolve complex multidisciplinary failures before they impact product milestones or deployments
• Maintain traceability between product requirements, test execution, and validation results across development programs
• Generate high-quality performance, reliability, and characterization data that informs engineering decisions and product readiness

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of experience in test engineering, robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• Programming proficiency in Python, C++, or both
• Experience working with embedded systems, microcontrollers, and communication protocols such as CAN, SPI, I2C, or UART
• Hands-on experience using laboratory equipment including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and power supplies
• Experience using version control systems such as Git in collaborative engineering environments
• Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to understand interactions across hardware, firmware, software, and robotics subsystems
• Excellent debugging and root-cause analysis skills grounded in data and experimentation
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly present technical findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Nice to Have (But Not Required)

• Experience developing and maintaining automated test frameworks and validation infrastructure
• Experience with Linux-based development environments and real-time operating systems
• Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop testing, robotic systems validation, or electromechanical product testing
• Experience designing test fixtures using CAD tools

Why This Role

• Your test infrastructure directly gates what ships - the confidence engineering teams have in the robot's performance runs through the systems you build
• Rare opportunity to work across hardware, firmware, and software on a single platform, with direct visibility into how issues get caught, root-caused, and fixed before they reach the field
• High ownership in a small team - you'll shape the validation methodology itself, not just execute a pre-defined test plan