Mechanical Hardware Test & Validation Engineer

About the role:

Do you love building systems that ensure complex robots work flawlessly in the real world? At Cobot, we’re creating the software and hardware foundation for the next generation of collaborative robots — and we’re looking for a Hardware Test & Validation Engineer with a mechanical and reliability focus to help validate the performance, durability, and robustness of our robotic systems.

This is a high-impact position where you’ll operate autonomously, identify risks early, and find the work that needs to be done. If you’re excited to help define how cutting-edge robotics systems are tested, validated, and perfected, we’d love for you to join us.

Join us to reimagine the future of human-robot interaction.

Collaborative Robotics is a team of innovators and builders redefining the future of human-robot interaction. We are working to realize a world where robots are a trusted extension of your surroundings. They work, adapt, and react around you. Not the other way around.

This role is located onsite at our Santa Clara, CA headquarters.

Cobot will offer a relocation stipend if you are relocating to join our Santa Clara office and currently live more than 50 miles outside of the office location.

Key Responsibilities:

• Execute hardware verification and validation (V&V) for robotic systems and subsystems.

• Execute durability, lifecycle, thermal, and stress testing for structures and electromechanical assemblies.

• End to end design and commissioning of test fixtures that apply mechanical load or cyclic actuation (e.g., driving motors, counting cycles, monitoring load or temperature) to evaluate performance and wear over time.

• Test hardware operating in outdoor or uncontrolled environments and assess reliability risks.

• Setup Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and correlate to real-world data.

• Analyze test results to identify failure modes and reliability risks, and partner with design and manufacturing teams on corrective actions.

• Document test procedures, results, and findings to inform design decisions and future validation efforts.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field.

• 3+ years of experience in mechanical hardware testing, validation, and reliability of electromechanical systems.

• 3+ years of experience using CAD to design complex assemblies, preferably SolidWorks.

• Experience building or modifying test fixtures to apply load, motion, or environmental stress.

• Familiarity with failure modes, mechanics of materials, thermal behavior, and lifecycle testing of hardware systems.

• Experience building or modifying test fixtures to apply load, motion, or environmental stress.

• Highly motivated teammate with excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Enjoy working in a fast paced, collaborative and dynamic start-up environment as part of a small team.

• Willing to occasionally travel.

• Must have and maintain US work authorization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with data acquisition systems, sensors, and motion control components for automated test fixture development.

• Ability to use Python, C/C++, MATLAB, JMP or similar to analyze and interpret test results.

• Familiarity with hardware communication protocols (EtherCAT, CAN, SPI, I2C).

• Experience developing or maintaining telemetry or logging infrastructure for test analysis.

• Familiari