Test Engineer, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

Nimble Ai

South San Francisco, United States

October 07, 2025

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Test Engineer, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

South San Francisco, CA
Systems Integration and Testing /
Full Time /
On-site
Role Summary
You will be taking on a critical responsibility for ensuring the reliability and functional safety of our core robotics control software and firmware. This role sits at the intersection of development and manufacturing, focusing on validation across the software development lifecycle. You will bridge the gap between engineering design and production quality, ensuring that ECUs and sub-assemblies are robust before they reach the final assembly line.

Key Responsibilities
- Firmware and Software Validation: Design, develop, and execute comprehensive test plans for robotics control software, real-time operating systems (RTOS), and embedded firmware (e.g., motor drivers, sensor interfaces, communication handlers). This includes Integration Testing of low-level robotics modules.  
- HIL System Design and Operation: Develop and maintain the HIL test environment, combining physical hardware (ECUs, sensors, motor controllers) with simulated dynamics and environments to assess real hardware responses under stress and failure injection.  
- Test Fixture Development: Oversee the development and calibration of HIL test benches used to perform functional checks and electrical safety tests on sub-assemblies, ensuring consistency and high-speed throughput.  
- Data Acquisition and Diagnostics: Integrate high-speed data acquisition (DAQ) systems and cloud infrastructure to capture and analyze sensor readings, power metrics, and communication bus traces (CAN, I2C), providing deep diagnostic capabilities for hardware and firmware failures.  
- Regression Management: Collaborate with software and electrical engineering teams to implement validation procedures for new firmware releases, ensuring compatibility and verifying that new features do not introduce regressions into established hardware functions.  

Essential Qualifications
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Robotics.
- 1-3 years of professional experience in validating embedded systems, control software, or robotics firmware/middleware (e.g., experience with ROS/ROS2, custom control frameworks is a plus).  
- Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation and test methodologies.
- Strong programming skills in Python, or Rust for developing automated test scripts and analysis tools.
- Deep understanding of electrical testing, digital and analog I/O, and communication protocols common in robotics (CAN, Ethernet, USB, Serial).  
- Familiarity with test planning principles, requirements traceability, and formal defect management processes.  

$100,000 - $150,000 a year
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