Hardware Test Lead

Title: Hardware Test Lead Location: Santa Clara, CA

About Maven

Maven Robotics designs, builds, and deploys intelligent robotics for logistics and manufacturing. Maven is building the first general-purpose robotics system for industrial work. Our mission is to activate autonomous labor at scale and build toward infinitely elastic industrial capacity. We’re a team of engineers, researchers, and operators who have spent our careers working on the hardest problems in AI, robotics, engineering, and autonomous systems. We work at the intersection of advanced research and real-world engineering, turning ideas into prototypes and deployed systems.

At Maven, we build around the realities of industrial work. The robots are designed from first principles for complex physical environments and rigorous commercial standards. They master real tasks that deliver immediate impact, industrial-grade reliability, and intelligence that compounds at scale. We’re growing an ambitious team of people who think in systems, move quickly, and are builders at heart.

About the Role

In this role, you will own hardware testing at Maven from high-level test strategy development through fixture design and test execution. You will work collaboratively with other teams to define, architect, and execute hardware tests at the subsystem and full-robot level.  Hardware testing will include design verification, functional and reliability testing, life and environmental testing, and safety verification.

What You’ll Do

• Own the test strategy for robot subsystems. Work with the product development team to define what needs to be tested, why, and at what cadence
• Take test plans and fixtures from concept through execution. Design the test fixture hardware and translate data into recommendations to improve product design
• Guide cross-functional engineering and technical efforts to build, verify, and execute testing
• Develop accelerated reliability test plans and methods to correlate the resulting data to real-world operations
• Design safe and reliable testing fixtures and test environments that can run continuously with minimal intervention
• Plan, build, and execute certified safety testing.  Perform tests under the supervision of regulatory bodies for robotics safety standards, demonstrating safety for new product launches

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in hardware testing
• BS in mechanical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, systems engineering, or similar field
• Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures
• The ability to communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience
• Understanding of machine safety or functional safety standards
• Experience setting up test instrumentation and data logging equipment
• Self-starter attitude with strong ability to identify problems, prioritize them, then plan and execute working solutions
• Enthusiasm for working in a fast paced startup environment and eagerness to support the team on a variety of topics

Nice to Have

• 10+ years of experience in hardware testing
• MS in mechanical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, systems engineering, or similar field
• Experience as a mentor, tech lead or engineering team lead
• Solid understanding of failure mechanics, stress analysis, and common FEA tools
• Scripting experience in Python, MATLAB, or a similar language

Equal Opportunity

Maven Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.