Staff Hardware Validation Engineer

1743 - This position is in Austin, Texas.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Board-Level Hardware Validation Engineer to define and execute the validation and verification of complex electronic systems throughout the product lifecycle. This role is responsible for defining validation strategies, developing test plans, executing hands-on testing, analyzing failures, and working directly with ODM partners to ensure products meet performance, reliability, quality, and compliance requirements before mass production.

The ideal candidate combines strong electrical engineering fundamentals with practical lab expertise and is comfortable personally performing validation activities while coordinating with cross-functional teams and manufacturing partners.

Key Responsibilities

Validation Strategy & Planning

• Define comprehensive board-level and inter-board validation plans based on product requirements, design specifications, and customer use cases.
• Develop validation methodologies covering functional, electrical, thermal, power, signal integrity, reliability, and stress testing.
• Establish test coverage, acceptance criteria, qualification requirements, and release gates.
• Review hardware architecture, schematics, component specifications, and interface topologies to identify validation risks early in the design cycle.
• Define incremental validation and regression coverage for component substitutions, design changes, and firmware updates.

Hands-On Validation Execution

• Develop, automate, and execute validation tests on prototype and production-intent hardware.
• Perform board bring-up, functional verification, electrical characterization, and system-level integration testing.
• Validate communication interfaces, control signals, and timing requirements.
• Verify power sequencing, reset behavior, leakage current, and recovery across operating states.
• Execute temperature and voltage corner testing against approved operating limits.
• Use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power analyzers, TDRs, VNAs, environmental chambers, and other laboratory equipment as applicable.
• Collect and analyze waveforms, measurements, and logs to demonstrate compliance with acceptance criteria.
• Develop custom test fixtures, scripts, and tools to improve test efficiency, coverage, and repeatability.

Firmware Validation & Automation

• Validate firmware builds on applicable hardware before qualification or release.
• Verify boot, initialization, interface functionality, power-state transitions, fault recovery, and features affected by each release.
• Maintain regression coverage for previously resolved hardware and firmware defects.
• Automate firmware deployment, functional checks, power cycling, measurement collection, and reporting.
• Develop reusable test suites to accelerate validation following hardware revisions and firmware changes.

ODM & Manufacturing Collaboration

• Work directly with ODM partners to align validation plans, test procedures, and qualification activities.
• Review ODM validation reports and ensure consistency with internal quality standards.
• Drive issue resolution across ODM, design engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams.

Debug & Root Cause Analysis

• Investigate hardware failures and validation escapes through systematic root-cause analysis.
• Review designs and customer use cases to identify potential failure conditions.
• Develop controlled failure-injection tests to evaluate fault detection, error handling, and recovery.
• Track validation defects from discovery through corrective action and verified closure.
• Validate fixes and assesses their impact on related functions.
• Maintain failure-analysis and troubleshooting documentation, including symptoms, diagnostic steps, root causes, corrective actions, and lessons learned.
• Incorporate resolved issues into regression testing where practical.

Documentation & Reporting

• Author test plans, validation procedures, test reports, and qualification summaries.
• Ensure traceability between requirements, test coverage, results, and defects.
• Maintain accurate records of hardware revisions, firmware versions, test configurations, and supporting evidence.
• Track validation progress, coverage gaps, risks, defects, corrective actions, and release readiness through dashboards and status reports.
• Present validation results, recommendations, and readiness assessments to engineering leadership and stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years (or appropriate level) of board-level hardware validation experience.
• Strong understanding of digital and mixed-signal electronic systems.
• Experience validating high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, USB, Ethernet, DDR, MIPI, SPI, I2C, UART, or similar technologies.
• Hands-on experience with laboratory instrumentation and measurement techniques.
• Experience working with ODMs, contract manufacturers, or external engineering partners.
• Strong hardware debugging and root-cause analysis skills.
• Experience developing test automation using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or similar tools.
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.
• International and domestic travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with server, networking, embedded, AI/ML hardware, or datacenter platforms.
• Experience supporting NPI and manufacturing ramp activities.
• Experience with schematic review and PCB design fundamentals.
• Ability to read and interpret component datasheets to identify electrical specifications, timing requirements, operating limits, and validation criteria.

Key Competencies

• Ownership and accountability
• Strong analytical and debugging skills
• Hands-on laboratory expertise
• Cross-functional collaboration
• ODM/vendor management
• Data-driven decision making
• Attention to detail
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution

USA Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future. Our benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), disability and life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, commuter benefits, wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.