{"id":4145612,"url":"https://alion.io/job/optivolt-hardware-test-engineer","title":"Hardware Test Engineer","company":{"id":3862560,"name":"Optivolt","domain":"optivolt.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/optivolt","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Francisco, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":210000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":210000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-20T05:21:25Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-20","last_verified_at":"2026-11-12T06:55:37Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":23,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":23},"description":"About Optivolt\nOptivolt’s mission is to overshoot humanity’s energy supply by reimagining solar.\nAmerica is at an inflection point. We need reliable energy fast. The grid is aging. And solar, the only technology that deploys quickly enough, is still constrained by technology frozen in time.\nTo close this gap, we build intelligent solar systems that think and adapt to real world conditions. Optivolt solar systems understand the sun, the weather, shading, harsh conditions, and optimize energy flow in real time. Every Optivolt panel is designed with an aerospace power electronics brain sealed inside to make solar more powerful and cost effective than ever in any condition.\nThe next step is putting it everywhere. In the home as Optivolt Home Solar and in the field as Optivolt Solar Fields. Hyper performant, controllable, reliable solar that works for everyone, everywhere.\nOur Team & Traction\nOptivolt is a team of some of the best builders and doers in the world, drawing from incredible talent pools in aerospace, electrical engineering, design-led organizations. We ultimately will win by designing and building the world’s best solar energy products.\nBut chiefly important, our organization is a lab for those devoted to solving some of the toughest problems in energy. Everyone is expected to contribute to the mission meaningfully. Clear communication, rapid iteration, and strong work ethic is the floor for anyone on our team.\nTo date we’ve shipped over 20,000 units and have companies worth billions of dollars relying on our solar architecture.\nWhy we are looking for you\nAs a Hardware Test Engineer at Optivolt, you will build the test infrastructure and validation systems that allow us to develop reliable, high-performance solar products quickly.\nYou will own hands-on electrical and system-level testing, from prototype characterization to automated regression, field validation, and production test development.\nWhat you’ll do\nBuild test systems that engineers rely on. Design and maintain test benches for Hub, power electronics, and integrated solar systems.\n\nAutomate repetitive validation work. Develop automated test scripts, fixtures, instrumentation interfaces, and data collection systems.\n\nMeasure what matters. Characterize electrical performance, efficiency, communications, thermal behavior, and protection functions.\n\nFind the edge cases early. Run functional, environmental, stress, and firmware/hardware regression testing.\n\nMake failures reproducible. Build hardware-in-the-loop or other automated system validation where useful.\n\nTurn measurements into answers. Analyze data, reproduce failures, isolate root causes, and partner with engineers on fixes.\n\nWork across hardware and firmware. Write repeatable test plans, acceptance criteria, procedures, and concise reports.\n\nBring validation into production. Support certification testing, outdoor trials, and end-of-line manufacturing test.\n\nWhat we’re looking for\nYou have tested real hardware. 3+ years of hands-on hardware test, validation, or electrical engineering experience.\n\nYou know how to measure electrical systems. Strong electrical fundamentals and ability to read schematics and debug circuits.\n\nYou can write useful test automation. Experience with oscilloscopes, power analyzers, electronic loads, DAQs, and bench instrumentation.\n\nYou are comfortable with lab equipment. Python proficiency for automation, analysis, and instrument control.\n\nYou can debug across disciplines. Experience building test fixtures and repeatable validation processes.\n\nYou know how to build repeatable tests. Ability to distinguish hardware, firmware, communications, and system-level failure modes.\n\nYou own problems through resolution. Strong experimental rigor, documentation, and ownership.\n\nPreferred skills\nExperience with DC-DC converters, solar, batteries, or embedded controllers.\n\nFamiliarity with environmental chambers and accelerated reliability testing.\n\nExperience with SCPI, LabVIEW, CAN, UART, SPI, or similar interfaces.\n\nExperience building production test equipment and dashboards.\n\nAdditional requirements\nWillingness to work extended hours as needed to support critical milestones\n\nEveryone at Optivolt is required to participate in on call support for customers\n\nMust be based in San Francisco, CA\n\nPay and benefits\nThe estimated starting base salary range for this role is $150K-210K depending on level, location and experience, plus a generous pre-IPO equity package\nOther benefits include comprehensive health coverage, unlimited PTO, plus extra fun perks!","description_format":"text","description_chars":4568,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Solar Energy"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-12T06:55:37Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":56,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.741,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":23,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:0","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-11-12T07:37:37Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":210000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/optivolt-hardware-test-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/optivolt-hardware-test-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-12T07:37:37Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":15292,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3862560},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3862560"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Foptivolt-hardware-test-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Foptivolt-hardware-test-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Foptivolt-hardware-test-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/optivolt-hardware-test-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Foptivolt-hardware-test-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4145612}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"optivolt.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4145612},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}