The Role

As Span’s first full-time hardware test engineer, you will take a lead role in defining and implementing our strategies for hardware reliability and safety. Working with our mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering teams, you’ll define how to test our hardware and take the lead on making it happen.

As our first and lead hardware test engineer, we will look to you to be the voice of product safety and reliability. You will have broad leeway to take ownership of hardware test, decide what to focus on, manage projects, and build out the team over time. Span is fast-moving but cares deeply about product safety, so this role will put you in a key decision-making position. We will lean on your expertise to help steer our product strategy and guide us toward our goal of rapidly deploying advanced renewable energy technology that is trustworthy, and safe.

Responsibilities

• Define test plans for environmental/reliability, pre-compliance, and hardware design verification
• Plan out what we can run in our lab and what to outsource, coordinate with external test labs to outsource tests, and manage project timelines
• Build test setups and take data in our office
• Root-cause analyze hardware failures from the field and factory
• Serve as primary technical point of contact with certification agencies

As we are a startup, this list should be considered neither exhaustive nor complete. We are excited for people to explore responsibilities outside their normal areas of expertise if the need or interest arises.

About You

• 3+ years of experience in a hardware test role
• Deep understanding of environmental/reliability test procedures, accelerated life testing, and risks posed to hardware products in the field
• Hands-on experience building test setups and using instrumentation
• Ability to understand and discuss the electromagnetism, electronics, and material physics fundamentals underlying hardware reliability and safety
• Ability to understand and explain complex problems simply and effectively

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience having shipped real hardware products into the field
• Experience taking hardware products through UL or similar certification processes
• Experience with scripting languages, particularly Python
• Educational background in electrical or mechanical engineering

Life at Span

Span is a startup based in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. We are a small, diverse team of creative thinkers. We value open communication, teamwork, and a make-it-happen attitude - no job is too big or too small. We strive to make change by imagining what the future could be and building a product to complete that vision. We are looking to grow our team with talented people who are on the same mission to shape the future of energy.

Impacting the future as a small, agile team means putting in a lot of hard work and elbow grease so we work to make sure you are happy, healthy, and you look forward to coming to work. Working at Span, you can expect:

• Competitive compensation at a well-funded, venture-backed company
• Comprehensive benefits including a choice of medical plans; dental, vision, life and disability insurance
• A sunny, airy office located close to BART and Caltrain public transit
• Regular team lunches, brown bag learning opportunities, board games nights, and other opportunities to connect with teammates - in-person and now virtually
• Equity grants at a quickly-growing startup
• Flexible hours and vacation time - we simultaneously work hard and make space for the important stuff
• To be a part of a team and culture that is hard-working, has a good sense of humor, values collaboration, and is just a little bit nerdy 

Span embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.