Hardware Test Engineer

Job Description

About Vale
==========

At Vale, our goal is to make magic and bring the real benefits of matcha to a billion people. We are a group of fun-loving, matcha enthusiasts who believe that a good idea can come from anywhere. Vale is a Seattle startup making magic through cutting-edge technology, automation, and world class hospitality experiences. We are a dynamic and highly cross functional team with a wealth of experience in food service, food automation, software engineering, aerospace, and consumer electronics. We have come together to develop the Matcha experience of the future --- whether that's in a cafe, your neighborhood park, or at home.

### About you

You are someone who is enthusiastic about matcha, obsessed with innovation, and loves being a part of a dynamic team.

* **Enthusiastic about matcha.**The world of matcha is huge, so you should be curious about its benefits, flavor profiles, and methods of preparation.
* **Detail Oriented.**Take pride in your craft and ensure Vale's products are consistent, repeatable, and of the highest quality.
* **Versatile.**Bringing matcha to a billion people is dynamic work! You should be comfortable sharing your expertise in one area, but capable of owning something new in another.
* **A bar raiser with proven experience.** You don't just meet the standard --- you raise it. You bring deep, hands-on expertise that elevates everyone around you and sets a new benchmark for what great looks like.
* **Excited to be a part of a growing team.**Vale is a growing company and we want you to grow with us.
* **An adversarial thinker with an engineer's mindset.** You find problems before customers do and make the products you test measurably better.

### The role

As a Hardware Test Engineer, you will design and execute test strategies that validate Vale's hardware products against requirements and ensure they are ready for real-world deployment.

* Develop and execute comprehensive hardware test plans covering functional, environmental, and reliability testing
* Design and build automated test fixtures and test equipment (ATE) for production and engineering use
* Identify failures, document defects, and collaborate with design engineers on root cause analysis
* Define acceptance criteria and manage hardware qualification programs
* Develop and maintain test documentation including procedures, reports, and traceability matrices
* Partner with Manufacturing on production test strategy and yield improvement
* Continuously improve test coverage, efficiency, and speed of the validation process

### Qualifications

* Legally authorized to work in the United States
* 4+ years of hardware test engineering experience in a product development environment
* Hands-on experience designing test fixtures and automated test systems
* Proficiency in Python or LabVIEW for test automation
* Strong understanding of electronics fundamentals and measurement techniques
* Experience with environmental testing (thermal, vibration, IP testing) a plus

### Compensation

$95,000 -- $135,000 per year

### Benefits

* Company funded ORCA card
* Medical, dental, and vision benefits
* Annual bonuses
* Joining a fun startup in Seattle