Test Engineer, Hardware and Systems

We need to output only HTML fragment, no html/body tags. Use

for section headings: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. We must include sections only if posting has real specific content. We have content for About the Role (the "About the Role" paragraph). Responsibilities: list of key responsibilities. Requirements: there is "What We're Looking For" which includes required items. Qualifications: there is a separate "Qualifications" section with required and preferred. Skills: maybe we can combine some? The instructions: Use headings for those categories if content exists. We have "What We're Looking For" which is basically requirements. Then "Qualifications" separate. There's also "Role Requirements" which includes location, travel, physical requirements, salary estimate, etc. That could map to Pay, Schedule, Benefits? There's salary range given: $120k-$160k annually. That's Pay. Benefits: mention early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans. Schedule: maybe not explicit; there is willingness to support 10% travel, extended/weekend hours when necessary. That's schedule? Could be considered schedule. But we should only include Schedule if posting actually states them. It mentions willingness to support 10% travel, extended and weekend hours when necessary. That's schedule info. So we can include Schedule heading with that info. Benefits: early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans. That's benefits. Pay: salary range. We also have "About Us" but that's not a heading we need; we already have About the Role. The "About Us" could be considered part of About the role? Probably not needed as separate heading; we can ignore. We must not repeat job title as heading. No Job ID. We must remove boilerplate: EEO, unsolicited resumes note, etc. Also remove navigation/legal etc. So we will omit those. We need to preserve all substantive information. So we need to include all responsibilities, requirements, qualifications, role requirements (location, travel, physical, salary, benefits, etc). Also maybe include "About the Role" paragraph. We need to use

• for any list of duties/requirements/benefits, and

  for prose. We need to decide which content goes under which heading. Let's outline:

  About the Role

  Chariot Defense is looking for a Test Engineer to own hardware validation across our power systems across mechanical, electrical, thermal, power electronics and controls, performing component-level all the way to full system integration testing in environmental and operational conditions. You'll sit at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and systems engineering, building the test infrastructure and executing the validation strategy that gets Amphora and future cutting-edge products in energy and power storage, and mobility, from prototype to fielded. Our team comes from Tesla, Anduril, Apple, Archer, and the U.S. military. We build hardware that operators depend on in the field — and we validate it like lives depend on it, because they do. We emerged from stealth in 2025, are already fielded across DoD exercises, and are backed by General Catalyst, a16z, and DCVC. This is a high-ownership, high-impact, hands-on role. You'll write the test plan, build the fixture, develop the electronics, controls, and firmware, run the test, triage the failure, and close the loop with design.

  That's the prose.

  Responsibilities

  • Design, build, instrument, and automate test equipment for electrical, mechanical, thermal and environmental validation of hardware — batteries, inverters, DC-DC converters, controllers/ ECUs, distribution units, and integrated Amphora systems
  • Own hardware unit-level test station development: design specialized automated test equipment (ATE), write test scripts, and maintain test coverage as hardware evolves
  • Execute component, subsystem, and system-level validation across electrical, thermal, and mechanical dimensions — including high-voltage characterization and fault injection
  • Develop and run environmental test programs per MIL, energy, and automotive specs: temperature cycling, vibration, shock, ingress, corrosion etc.
  • Collaborate with firmware engineers to validate embedded control logic, power management algorithms, and system behavior under real and edge-case conditions
  • Interface with design engineers to identify failure modes early, generate DVP&R entries, and drive design changes based on test findings
  • Build and maintain DAQ systems; automate data collection and post-processing pipelines in Python, LabVIEW, Matlab/ Simulink or similar tools.
  • Support HIL/SIL validation setups; correlate bench test data with simulation models to close the loop on design confidence
  • Help establish Chariot's test lab infrastructure — equipment selection, calibration processes, safety protocols, and documentation standards

  Requirements

  We have "What We're Looking For" which includes required items. Let's list them as
  . Required: - BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or related field - Experience in an immersive system design project or research study/ thesis, in collegiate project teams (e.g.: FSAE, BAJA, Hyper-mileage/ Solar Vehicles), other extracurricular participation, or professional settings. - 3+ years of hands-on hardware test and validation experience — electronics/ ECUs, power electronics and power systems, Lithium-ion based batteries, or high-density embedded hardware - Proficiency with electrical test equipment: oscilloscopes, power supplies, DAQs, multimeters, function generators, electronic loads - Experience designing or contributing to automated test equipment (ATE) or test station development - Proficiency in Python, LabVIEW or other automated test platforms for test automation, data acquisition, and post-processing - Solid understanding of mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls first principles and fundamentals - Familiarity with CAN, SPI, I2C, LIN, UART, or other embedded communication protocols and the ability to use them for test and debug - Experience working safely with high-voltage systems We'll put those in
  .

  Qualifications

  We have a separate "Qualifications" section with required and preferred. We'll list required items as
  and maybe preferred as another
  under same heading? The instruction: use
  • for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. So we can have multiple lists. Qualifications Required: - BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent work experience. - Experience in an immersive system design project or research study/ thesis, in collegiate project teams (e.g.: SAE, FSAE, BAJA, others), other extracurricular participation, or professional settings. - A minimum of 2+ years of experience in a technical engineering, design, or product role in a professional setting. - Proven 3D CAD skills (any platform, but SOLIDWORKS preferred), as well as CAE/ FEA experience, and the ability to produce high-quality engineering 2D drawings that comply with common industry standards (e.g.: GD&T, ASME standards etc.) - Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals in structures, materials, fluids and aero, thermal, controls, mechanics/ dynamics, system modeling, and fundamentals of physics. - Manufacturing knowledge & experience with machine shops (sheet metal, CNC, lathe, sand casting, forging, die-casting etc.). - Rapid prototyping background (structures/electronics/software) & 3D printing knowledge. - Proficient in hands-on prototyping (machining, shop tools, welding, soldering), and demonstrated hands-on fabrication skills. - Familiarity with MIL-STD, DO-160, or other automotive, defense, and aerospace standards. Preferred: - Top-notch engineering intuition and first principles thinking toward designing complex products - Able to independently identify critical information or priority gaps and apply effort toward closing those gaps. - Undaunted by imperfect, incomplete or absent datasets or information, and capable of making sound, comprehensive, and swift first-principled decisions. - Not satisfied by superficial explanations of a problem or "band-aid engineering"; seeks persistently to find the specific root cause - Gratified by helping your peers succeed, building a robust team culture, and propagating deep camaraderie amongst your peers. - Seeks to break down information silos by collaborating rigorously with others to solve problems, share knowledge, and provide input - Owns your test from requirements to execution — you don't wait for someone else to define the problem - Effectively communicates across hardware, firmware, and systems teams without needing a translator - You understand that in defense hardware, "good enough" isn't a concept — and you build your test coverage accordingly We'll put these as two lists under Qualifications heading, maybe with a

    indicating Required and Preferred? But we can just have two

    sequentially; that's fine.

    Pay

    A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $120,000-$160,000 annually.

    Benefits

    • Early-stage equity
    • Access to company-sponsored benefit plans

    Schedule

    • Onsite role based in Chariot Defense's San Bruno, CA office
    • Willingness to support 10% travel, domestically and internationally
    • Ability to work extended and weekend hours when necessary
    • Able to work on your feet for extended periods in a shop setting
    • Able to lift and carry 50lbs
    We also have location info; we included in Schedule. Could also be under Requirements but schedule is fine. We must not include boilerplate like "All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. We do not discriminate..." etc. So omit. Also omit "Any unsolicited resumes..." etc. Now ensure we didn't miss any substantive info: The "About Us" paragraph at start: we might want to include some of that as part of About the Role? The instructions: "Do NOT repeat the job title as a heading (the page already shows it) and do NOT put Job ID / requisition numbers as headings — fold minor metadata into a short

    or drop it." The About Us is not a heading; we could incorporate into About the Role paragraph? But we already have About the Role paragraph that includes some of that. The About Us includes mission statement about power generation decoupled etc. That is substantive and not repeated elsewhere. Should we include it? The About the Role paragraph we wrote didn't include that mission. We could add a short

    under About the Role that includes the mission description. Or we could create a separate heading "About Us"? Not in allowed headings list. The allowed headings are About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. So we must fold About Us content into About the role paragraph (or maybe into a

    under About the role). Let's adjust About the role paragraph to include the mission description. Thus About the role paragraph: combine the given About Us description plus the role description. Let's craft:

    Chariot Defense is a defense technology company that designs and manufactures a family of power products for the U.S. military and its allies. We believe that credible deterrence of armed conflict and winning if deterrence fails requires more than just the best drones, sensors, weapons, electronic warfare systems, and command & control capabilities. Those critical components will require sustained electric power in austere and resource-constrained environments. Moreover, military units must be able to turn off the trucks and generators that generate this power to hide and survive. In other words, power generation must be decoupled from power consumption. Chariot Defense's