Junior Electronic Hardware Test Engineer (Characterization Engineer)

SUMMARY:
A leading semiconductor technology company based in Paarl, Western Cape is seeking a Junior Electronic Hardware Test Engineer (Characterization Engineer) to join its specialist IC development team.

POSITION INFO:
This exciting opportunity is ideal for an electronics engineer who enjoys hands-on hardware testing, data analysis, embedded development, and problem-solving. The successful candidate will play a key role in the testing and characterization of integrated circuits, including microcontrollers, analog sensors, magnetic sensors, capacitive sensors, light sensors, and LED driver technologies.
Working closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, you will be responsible for developing test hardware and firmware, performing detailed characterization activities, analysing results, and supporting the development of cutting-edge semiconductor products. 

Education:

• BEng Electronic Engineering
• MEng Electronic Engineering advantageous
• 2-5 years' practical engineering experience 

Job Experience & Skills Required:

• Experience with embedded microprocessor development (Microchip PIC, STM8, STM32). 
• PCB design and layout experience.
• Programming experience in C and C++. 
• Python scripting experience. 
• Knowledge of integrated circuit technologies.
• Experience with analog simulation using SPICE-based simulators.
• FPGA development experience advantageous.
• VHDL and Verilog experience advantageous.
• Exposure to version control systems such as Git advantageous.
• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS). 
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Well-organised with strong time-management skills. 

Duties:

• Perform characterization and testing of electronic hardware and integrated circuits.
• Validate product performance against design specifications and industry standards.
• Develop and debug hardware characterization test programs. 
• Design supporting electronic hardware and firmware for testing activities. 
• Analyse test results and prepare detailed characterization reports. 
• Identify root causes of hardware-related failures and performance issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges relating to hardware designs.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure successful hardware integration.
• Maintain engineering documentation and comply with established design processes.
• Support ongoing product development and engineering initiatives where required.