Hardware Reliability & Test Engineer (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)
On-siteSouthbank, Victoria, Australia
Job Summary
Own verification, validation, and reliability testing plans for assigned hardware subsystems, mapping requirements to measurable test methods and pass/fail criteria. Design, build, and maintain test fixtures, harnesses, instrumentation, and procedures for functional, performance, durability, and reliability testing. Plan and execute hardware testing across prototype, EVT, DVT, production-intent, and manufacturing sustaining phases, including cycle testing and long-duration operation. Develop practical test automation and data-collection workflows that improve repeatability, throughput, and visibility of hardware performance. Establish and track manufacturing metrics, including first-pass yield, failure modes, production test coverage, confidence levels, and trends. Establish and track reliability metrics, including failure rates, fault modes, confidence levels, and trends across a deployed robot fleet. Partner with mechanical and electrical engineers on design reviews, FMEA, risk reduction, design margins, component selection, and reliability improvements. Work closely with software and firmware teams to distinguish hardware, software, integration, and system-state failure modes, and to validate fixes do not introduce regressions. Produce clear test plans, reports, failure analyses, and release evidence that support technical reviews and hardware release decisions.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, Reliability Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 3–7 years of experience testing, validating or improving complex hardware products such as robotics, autonomous systems, industrial equipment, vehicles, medical devices or other electromechanical products
- Cross domain abilities, generalist capabilities across both hardware and software
- Strong hands-on capability with laboratory instrumentation, data acquisition, sensors, motors, actuators and electromechanical systems
- Experience designing or using test fixtures, harnesses and automated test setups
- Experience designing cycle testing in manufacturing environments as part of Quality Assurance
- Strong failure-analysis and root-cause investigation skills, including the ability to reproduce intermittent or field failures and turn evidence into design actions
- Experience with reliability methods such as statistical analysis, FMEA, fault-tree thinking, accelerated or cycle testing, life testing, environmental testing, derating, etc
- Ability to define requirements-based Test cases, clear pass/fail criteria and traceable evidence for engineering decisions
- Experience working cross-functionally across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, manufacturing, quality and safety teams
- Strong technical writing and communication skills, with the ability to explain Test results, risks and recommendations clearly
- A proactive, first-principles approach and the judgement to balance Test rigour, engineering risk, schedule and practical constraints
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with robotics, humanoids, mobile robots, autonomous vehicles or other products operating around people
- Experience with Python or another language for Test automation, instrumentation, data analysis or reporting
- Experience with thermal, vibration, shock, ingress, transport, environmental, EMC or long-duration reliability testing
- Experience supporting xVT and manufacturing ramp activities
- Experience with production Test, incoming inspection, quality systems or supplier corrective actions
- Familiarity with requirements-management, issue-tracking or Test-management tools
- Experience working with safety, regulatory or standards-driven product development
- Mentoring experience or a demonstrated willingness to help level up others in the team
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