Lab Test Automation Engineer

Location: 100% onsite in Las Vegas, NV (relocation available). Duration: 6+ months with potential conversion to full-time.

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Lab Test Automation Engineer to build and maintain the hardware validation test suite used at a network hardware staging/warehouse facility. You will design scripted, repeatable test flows that warehouse technicians can execute with minimal engineering support, and progressively automate them as lab infrastructure matures. This is a dedicated, multi-quarter engagement requiring on-site presence at a warehouse/partner facility within a constrained-network environment (escort requirements may apply).

Responsibilities

• Build a scripted test harness that technicians can run from a laptop or console server against a rack, with a low skill floor and deterministic pass/fail output.
• Automate the Rack Level Test (RLT) flow: BOM verification, port mapping, PRBS, insertion loss, and snake test.
• Develop per-platform script variants across a multi-vendor network device matrix.
• Define a structured, machine-readable results schema (e.g., JSON) capturing pass/fail, measured values, device serials, and operator/timestamp metadata.
• Implement results export to cloud object storage without assuming interactive corporate-network connectivity.
• Produce technician-facing SOPs, runbooks, and troubleshooting guides.
• Normalize and document test cases so the suite is portable across sites; repeatability is a hard requirement.
• Deploy and configure a standalone Linux-based factory-validation server (PXE-boot provisioning, dual-NIC isolated device-under-test and management segments).
• Migrate the test suite into a PXE-driven workflow for parallel, at-scale execution.
• Automate management-path access (tunnel / VPN / jump-host patterns).
• Build results telemetry, logging, and a metrics pipeline.
• Perform capacity/throughput engineering and queueing design for large-scale rack validation.
• Support lab network onboarding requirements as the connectivity model is finalized.
• Maintain source in company repositories, participate in code review, and support knowledge transfer.

Required Skills

• Scripting/automation: Strong Python; test-framework experience (e.g., pytest); network-automation libraries (Netmiko / Scrapli / Nornir / Ansible).
• Network operating systems: Hands-on experience with at least one enterprise/data-center network operating system; familiarity with open or white-box network OSes and vendor diagnostic OSes strongly preferred.
• Console/serial automation: Serial and console-server-driven workflows; out-of-band access patterns.
• Linux/provisioning: Linux (CentOS) administration; PXE / DHCP / TFTP boot-provisioning chains.
• Physical layer & optics: Practical understanding of PRBS, insertion loss, port mapping, breakout, DAC/AOC, and transceiver types.
• Network fundamentals: L1/L2/L3, data-center fabric topology, structured cabling, LLDP.
• Documentation: Ability to write SOPs consumable by non-engineer technicians.
• Working model: Comfortable in a warehouse/partner environment with constrained network access.

Deliverables

• Technician-executable test suite covering the full RLT flow, per platform.
• Structured results schema and artifact-export pipeline.
• Technician SOP, runbook, and troubleshooting guide.
• Portability documentation for redeploying the suite at other sites.
• Deployed and integrated factory-validation environment with management-path automation and results telemetry.
• Throughput/capacity model for large-scale rack validation.