Test Engineer

Job Title: Test Engineer Job Description
This Test Engineer role focuses on supporting the development, validation, and production testing of power electronics products within a growing engineering test team. You will design and maintain test systems, execute validation and lifecycle testing, and troubleshoot both products and test equipment. After training and gaining familiarity with the product portfolio and processes, you will play an integral role in new product development, engineering and manufacturing support, automation initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute detailed test procedures for mechanical and electrical components to validate performance and reliability.
- Select appropriate wire sizes and components based on ampacity and voltage requirements to ensure safe and compliant designs.
- Perform thermal, electrical, and software feature testing of products, including cooling systems (air and liquid), inverter components, and inverter controls.
- Conduct HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Testing) and lifecycle testing on current and new products to assess durability and robustness.
- Troubleshoot and determine root causes of mechanical failures in production equipment and returned materials (RMA).
- Participate in design development and validation activities, providing test feedback to improve product performance and quality.
- Contribute to documentation for manuals, processes, engineering change orders (ECOs), and procedures to support consistent and repeatable testing.
- Support production teams and customers on an as-needed basis, both directly and in collaboration with customer support.
- Design and build PCB test fixtures and industrial test systems to support production and validation testing.
- Develop and execute electrical test procedures for production and validation of PCB assemblies and high-voltage systems.
- Perform testing of power electronics products using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, DAQ systems, and high-voltage test equipment.
- Utilize data acquisition and measurement tools to capture, analyze, and interpret test data for engineering and quality review.
- Support and enhance LabVIEW-based automated test systems to improve test coverage and efficiency.
- Troubleshoot product failures, test equipment issues, and manufacturing defects through structured root cause analysis.
- Conduct thermal, environmental, lifecycle, and stress testing of products to validate performance under varying operating conditions.
- Generate clear test reports, document results, and maintain up-to-date testing procedures and records.
- Support manufacturing and engineering teams with troubleshooting, product validation, and production testing activities.
- Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing test coverage, efficiency, and overall product quality.
- Collaborate with a team of engineers to share best practices and ensure consistent testing methodologies.
- Travel occasionally (less than 10%) to support testing, validation, or customer-related activities as required.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 37+ years of electrical test engineering experience.
- 3+ years of experience using lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters (DMMs), function generators, power supplies, and data acquisition (DAQ) systems.
- Hands-on experience testing electrical systems and power electronics products.
- Experience with PCB testing, including troubleshooting PCB assemblies.
- Experience developing, executing, or supporting electrical test systems in a lab, manufacturing, or validation environment.
- Ability to develop and execute test procedures for mechanical and electrical components.
- Experience creating wiring diagrams using AutoCAD Electrical.
- Experience with electrical wiring diagrams and circuits.
- Experience writing technical documentation, test procedures, manuals, and test reports.
- Experience working in a lab environment and supporting production testing or validation activities.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills for product failures and test equipment issues.
- Experience with National Instruments tools and environments.
- Interest in working with power electronics and high-voltage systems (600V+).
- Ability to support LabVIEW-based automated test systems.
- Experience supporting manufacturing, production testing, or validation environments.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- LabVIEW experience for automated test development and maintenance.
- NI TestStand experience for managing and executing automated test sequences.
- Test automation experience, including design and implementation of automated test systems.
- Design validation testing experience for new and existing products.
- High-voltage testing experience, particularly at 600V and above.
- AutoCAD Electrical experience for creating and maintaining wiring diagrams and test-related schematics.
- Altium experience for PCB-related design and documentation.
- Experience conducting environmental, HALT, lifecycle, and thermal testing.
- Experience building electrical panels, control cabinets, or custom test fixtures.
- Experience with power electronics products, including inverters and high-power systems.
- Experience with thermal and cooling system testing, including air and liquid cooling solutions.
- Experience participating in continuous improvement initiatives related to test processes and product quality.
- Ability to collaborate effectively within a team of engineers and cross-functional stakeholders.
Work Environment
You will work in a laboratory and manufacturing-support environment focused on power electronics testing and validation. The role involves frequent use of lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, function generators, power supplies, data acquisition systems, and high-voltage test equipment. You will design and use PCB test fixtures, industrial test systems, and automated test setups, including LabVIEW-based and NI TestStand systems. The position requires close collaboration with engineering and manufacturing teams in a hands-on setting that includes test labs, production areas, and validation facilities. Testing activities may include thermal, environmental, HALT, lifecycle, and high-voltage testing, requiring careful adherence to safety procedures and best practices. Occasional travel of less than 10% may be required to support testing, validation, or customer-related activities. You will join a team of approximately seven engineers and report into an engineering leadership structure, working in a professional, collaborative, and continuous-improvement-focused environment.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Poway, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $50.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Poway, CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Oct 31, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Poway,CA. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without
regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,
sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected
by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or
adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,
please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants
with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a
condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law
shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,
including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications
and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you
acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.