Hardware Test Infrastructure Technician

Role: Hardware Test Infrastructure Technician

Location: Palo Alto, CA (Onsite)

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Install, configure, and maintain embedded hardware platforms and server infrastructure used for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing.
• Monitor the overall health of test devices and infrastructure; perform basic network/power troubleshooting, maintain device logs, and escalate complex hardware issues.
• Configure and manage embedded devices via Linux CLI, following technical playbooks to execute multi-step provisioning sequences.
• Install, configure, and maintain test infrastructure, including server racks, custom test fixtures, Ubuntu-based test servers, managed network switches, and verifying Ethernet cabling and ssh connection status.
• Coordinate the fabrication and rework of custom wiring harnesses and electro-mechanical assemblies with supporting lab technicians.
• Verify and document software-to-hardware mappings (e.g., matching device IP addresses or configs to physical ports and power switches) to ensure accurate device routing and power control.
• Operate lab tools (multimeters, bench power supplies, networked power controllers) to verify power, measure voltage, and safely manage remote device power states.

Daily Monitoring & Proactive Triage (~40% of time)

• Proactive Health Monitoring: Actively monitor test run dashboards and results to identify offline or failing test devices before engineers report them.
• First-Line Triage: Diagnose and resolve common test bench blockers, such as performing remote power cycles, clearing disk partitions, and verifying physical connections.
• Device Health Verification: Run basic checks (e.g., verifying system services, ping diagnostics, and checking local status logs) to confirm a device is healthy and ready for testing before releasing it back to the fleet.
• Remote Power Management: Verify that the logical power control address aligns exactly with the target physical hardware to avoid disrupting adjacent setups during troubleshooting.
• Issue Escalation: Log and escalate persistent failures to engineers, including relevant telemetry and logs.

Provisioning & Fleet Onboarding (~30% of time)

• Fleet Expansion: Coordinate the physical setup and initial provisioning of new test devices to support a near-term onboarding push.
• Initial Inception: Perform initial device inception in backend systems using standard SOP's through the Linux CLI.
• Mapping Verification: Verify physical-to-logical mappings (matching target device IDs to specific host interfaces and power ports) to prevent accidental disruption of neighboring test runs during triage.
• Host & Tool Configuration: Maintain local host configurations, including updating helper scripts and shell alias configuration files.

Physical Lab Support & Infrastructure (~20% of time)

• Rack & Fixture Assembly: Install server racks, mount test devices to fixtures, and manage physical lab space to accommodate new hardware.
• Cabling Coordination: Define requirements and coordinate with supporting technicians for custom serial, power, and coaxial harness fabrication.

Documentation & Maintenance (~10% of time)

• Setup Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of test setups, network cabling layouts, and physical device mappings.