Test Engineer

Orbital Industries; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity & competitive salary

Flexible paid time off

Health, dental & vision insurance

Regular offsites

Job summary

Orbital is seeking a hands-on operator for its next-generation Direct-to-Chip test rigs, running tests, troubleshooting hardware, and turning outputs into actionable data for engineers. You will lead tray and rack level rigs from design through commissioning, sourcing components and coordinating with suppliers.

The role emphasizes practical troubleshooting, wiring of sensors, and collaboration with mechanical and electrical leads to ensure test integrity and system efficiency.

Qualifications

• Experience operating test rigs or lab hardware, ideally in thermal, fluids or electronics cooling.
• Confident with data, able to spot bad readings and structure output for analysis.
• Comfortable with low-voltage wiring, thermocouples and sensor signals.
• Practical troubleshooter who works the problem on the rig.
• Able to size and specify components and manage procurement.
• Hands-on capability with 3D printers, CNC or workshop tooling is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Operate day-to-day of tray and rack level test rigs; plan and execute test campaigns against requirements.
• Review test data for quality; feed data into analysis pipelines; report findings and flag anomalies.
• Contribute to final design of tray and rack level rigs; size and procure key components; build and commission rigs.

Skills

Test rig operation

Data analysis

Thermocouples & sensors

Low-voltage wiring

Procurement & suppliers

3D printing / CNC

Tools

3D printers

CNC

Workshop tooling

Job description

Orbital is an AI-first industrial company building hardware from the atoms up. Our goal is to lead an industrial renaissance to advance critical technologies and secure our planet for generations to come.

We’re starting with critical hardware for AI data centers to make them more performant and sustainable. Every Orbital product is invented with our AI platform — uniting AI-automated hardware engineering with AI-designed material science to achieve breakthrough real-world performance.

We have an ambitious mission and need excellent people in all our teams - AI research, operations, advanced materials, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and manufacturing.

Working at Orbital means working in tightly integrated, vertically integrated teams. We’re looking for people who have a love of physical technology, curiosity in AI and a desire to learn.

Role Overview

You’ll own the day-to-day operation of Orbital’s next-generation Direct-to-Chip test rigs — running the tests, troubleshooting the hardware, and turning raw rig output into data the engineering team can act on. Starting with the final design of our tray-level test rig, you’ll take it through component selection, build and commissioning, then do it again with a full rack-scale validation unit.

Key Responsibilities

Test Rig Operation

• Lead day-to-day operation of our tray and rack level engineering test and validation rigs
• Plan, set up and execute test campaigns against engineering requirements
• Troubleshoot rig faults and drive them to resolution

Data Review and Analysis

• Carry out preliminary review of test data for quality and validity
• Feed clean, well-structured data into our analysis pipelines
• Report findings back to the engineering team and flag anomalies early
• Propose next steps to drive system efficiency

Rig design, Build and Commissioning

• Contribute to the final design of tray and rack level test rigs
• Size, identify and procure key rig components, managing suppliers and lead times
• Build and commission rigs, including leak checks and function testing

Instrumentation and Electrical

• Install and wire thermocouples, sensors and signal instrumentation
• Support mechanical and electrical builds, including control panels, under the guidance of our mechanical and electrical leads
• Verify sensor calibration and signal integrity before test

What We’re Looking For

• Experience operating test rigs or lab hardware, ideally in a thermal, fluids or electronics cooling context
• Confident with data — able to spot bad readings, sanity-check results and structure output for downstream analysis
• Comfortable with low-voltage wiring, thermocouples and sensor signals
• Practical troubleshooter who works the problem on the rig rather than from a desk
• Able to size and specify components and see procurement through to delivery
• Hands‑on capability with 3D printers, CNC or workshop tooling is a genuine bonus

Why Join Orbital?

• Competitive salary and equity package - the ability to own part of Orbital as we grow
• Flexible and generous paid time off
• Excellent health, dental and vision insurance plan
• Regular company offsites
• The experience of working in a cutting‑edge organisation dedicated to a better future

Orbital is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.