Staff Electrical Test Development Engineer - NPI

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, and Schneider Electric.

The core values that ground our work, guide our decisions, and connect us together: Pragmatic Optimism, Excellence without Ego, and Proactive Collaboration.

About the role

Are you a hardware-software hybrid who thrives on designing complex, automated testing architectures? Do you prefer the challenge of driving rigorous manufacturing test strategies and leading root-cause analysis on complex yield issues over routine, single-domain design tasks? This is a high-impact engineering position where you will design sophisticated electro-mechanical test fixtures and lead complex technical escalations with our top-tier contract manufacturers. Working alongside a specialized team of expert test engineers, you will have the execution autonomy to establish rigorous test coverage standards, build custom test hardware from the ground up, and directly elevate the reliability of our revolutionary power generation fleet.

Responsibilities

• Establish Mainspring’s overall test strategy for circuit boards and electrical assemblies
• Develop test requirements and translate them into a variety of testers, from manual screening tests to fully automated testers
• Design and integrate complex hardware test fixtures, including mass interconnect solutions and swappable bed-of-nails systems
• Determine which projects to insource and which to outsource; manage external partners developing and building testers
• Deploy test systems at our manufacturing partners’ facilities to capture quality issues earlier in the build process
• Drive test coverage improvements and manage technical escalations with contract manufacturers (e.g., optimizing Flying Probe, ICT, and AOI test coverage)
• Collaborate with product design engineers to improve designs for manufacturability (DFM), testability (DFT), and cost reduction
• Validate test systems and production yields using statistical data analysis tools (e.g., GR&R, Cpk, SPC)

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 4+ years of experience with a Master's degree, in Electrical Engineering or a related field
• Hands-on experience as an electrical engineer or new product introduction (NPI) engineer developing and realizing electrical testers for manufacturing
• A strong understanding of I/O types, analog, digital, and communication buses
• Advanced experience with AOI, flying probe, and ICT testing methods
• Experience developing test system documentation, including test requirements, schematics, and coverage analysis
• Proven competency in a physical hardware lab environment setting up test benches, instrumenting hardware under test, and maintaining clean, safe laboratory testing practices
• Software programming and development skills for automating electrical testers
• A “collaborate-first” mindset with successful experience communicating across diverse teams and personalities

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience implementing mass interconnect solutions, bed of nails fixtures, and electro-mechanical fixtures
• Familiarity with design validation testing, including developing test plans and executing testing
• Proficiency in test automation programming and scripting languages (e.g., LabView, LabWindows, TestStand, and/or Python)

Mainspring is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment. If you are interested in helping transition the world to clean and affordable electricity but don’t meet all posted requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $150,000 to $200,000 per year. The level of pay within this range will depend on factors such as location, relevant prior experience, education, and specific skills or expertise. New hires typically start within the base pay range, with opportunities for salary increases based on skill development, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

Benefits

• Pre-IPO stock options
• Comprehensive benefits package

Schedule

• Hybrid position (onsite + remote) based at Mainspring’s Menlo Park HQ, requiring onsite presence for testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturing support
• 10% to 15% domestic and international travel to support manufacturing partners