Test Automation Engineer Jobs in California

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We're looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we'll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it.

Role Summary:

The Staff Engineer, Hardware Design, System Integration & Test Automation is a hands-on staff-level individual contributor who connects detailed embedded hardware design with system-level integration and validation. The ideal candidate is an accomplished design engineer who wants to broaden their ownership from board or ECU design into complete system behavior, interfaces, bring-up, and verification

This engineer applies a systematic view across hardware, software, power, networks, mechanics, diagnostics, manufacturing, and validation to translate design intent and requirements into robust integration strategies, HIL and bench architectures, interface documentation, and repeatable test evidence.

The role leads complex board, ECU, and system bring-up; resolves cross-domain issues; improves design-for-integration and design-for-test practices; and guides scalable automation for CARIAD hardware platforms, including AI-enabled workflows where they provide safe, traceable engineering value.

Role Responsibilities:

Hardware Design-to-System Integration & Bring-Up

• Lead the transition from board and ECU design intent into successful system integration, ensuring requirements, interfaces, dependencies, operating states, and verification needs are understood before bring-up.
• Review schematics, component choices, PCB implementation, power architecture, clocks, reset, interfaces, design margins, and design-for-test provisions to identify integration risks and improve system readiness.
• Lead complex board, ECU, and system bring-up across prototypes and revisions, including power, reset, clock, boot, flashing, communications, peripheral interfaces, diagnostics, and cross-domain issue isolation.
• Build systematic integration plans with clear sequencing, entry/exit criteria, instrumentation, configuration baselines, expected behavior, evidence, decision records, owners, and closure criteria.
• Debug hardware/software/system issues using schematics, requirements, ICDs, harness drawings, logs, instruments, controlled experiments, and root-cause methods while mentoring engineers in disciplined investigation.

System Architecture, Interfaces & Test Infrastructure

• Maintain a system-level view across hardware, software, networks, power states, diagnostics, mechanics, manufacturing, and validation; identify interface gaps and integration risks early.
• Own and approve Interface Control Documents, harness drawings, pinouts, connector definitions, cable assemblies, and lab wiring documentation required for system integration and HIL execution.
• Translate requirements, design documentation, schematics, supplier deliverables, and failure modes into integration coverage, HIL strategy, test procedures, fixtures, automation needs, and validation evidence expectations.
• Define scalable bench architectures, configuration baselines, readiness checklists, and technical standards for integration benches, HIL benches, breakout/load boxes, fixtures, harnesses, and lab stations.
• Support DV/PV, EMC/ENV, manufacturing, and end-of-line readiness by ensuring test infrastructure can reproduce failures, validate design changes and corrective actions, and scale across program needs.

Systematic Validation, Automation & AI-Enabled Lab Capability

• Define repeatable validation methods that connect requirements and design intent to test conditions, measurements, pass/fail criteria, traceable evidence, and technical closure.
• Guide reusable Python automation and tool interfaces for equipment control, bench state, test orchestration, data capture, artifact retrieval, failure triage, and report generation.
• Develop scalable workflows for setup verification, automated execution, log capture, failure clustering, evidence packaging, and regression testing across hardware revisions and system configurations.
• Partner with software, automation, IT, systems, and validation teams to integrate lab equipment, HIL frameworks, requirements repositories, issue tracking, evidence storage, and reporting tools.
• Apply AI-enabled or agent-based lab workflows where useful, ensuring they remain safe, traceable, reviewable, governed, and subordinate to sound engineering judgment.

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership, Supplier Coordination & Validation Readiness

• Serve as staff-level escalation point for complex integration failures and drive structured triage across hardware design, software, systems, validation, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
• Influence design and supplier deliverables for board revisions, interfaces, harnesses, HIL equipment, bench blockers, technical risks, and corrective actions using a system-level perspective.
• Communicate status, blockers, risks, trade-offs, recovery plans, decisions, and recommended next steps with clear evidence and appropriate technical depth.
• Document configurations, issues, debug findings, validation evidence, technical decisions, and closure rationale in a structured and traceable manner.
• Mentor engineers and strengthen design-for-integration, design-for-test, structured problem solving, lab practices, templates, checklists, and knowledge sharing.

General Skills:

• Staff-level technical leadership spanning embedded hardware design, system integration, validation infrastructure, HIL, and lab automation.
• System-level understanding of how hardware, software, mechanics, power, networks, diagnostics, manufacturing, and validation interact across the product.
• Systematic engineering approach to requirements decomposition, interface analysis, trade-off evaluation, risk identification, verification planning, and evidence-based closure.
• Structured problem solving and disciplined hardware debug for ambiguous, cross-domain failures.
• Clear written, verbal, and executive-ready communication with data-backed recommendations.
• Cross-functional influence across hardware, software, systems, validation, manufacturing, suppliers, and lab operations.
• Ability to translate detailed design knowledge into scalable integration methods, standards, documentation, and reusable test capability.
• Hands-on ownership in a prototype lab environment, with mentorship of engineers and disciplined follow-through on risks and corrective action.

Required Specialized Skills:

• Deep embedded hardware design foundation, including schematic design and review, component selection, power architecture, reset and clocking, high-speed and low-speed interfaces, signal/power integrity considerations, PCB layout trade-offs, design for test, and design verification.
• Demonstrated ability and interest to expand from component or board design into system integration ownership, connecting design intent to ECU, vehicle, bench, software, and validation behavior.
• Strong system understanding and a systematic view of requirements, interfaces, dependencies, operating states, failure modes, trade-offs, integration sequencing, and verification across the product lifecycle.
• Embedded hardware integration and bring-up across power, reset, clock, boot, peripherals, firmware, BSP, drivers, test infrastructure, and HW/SW issue isolation, with ability to guide complex cross-domain investigations.
• Ability to interpret and connect system requirements, schematics, datasheets, PCB and connector documentation, interface control documents, harness drawings, supplier deliverables, logs, and validation evidence.
• Interface and test infrastructure ownership, including connector and pinout definition, electrical interfaces, signal routing, grounding/shielding, protocols, timing, diagnostics, harnesses, fixtures, HIL benches, readiness criteria, and configuration control.
• Strong lab instrumentation and interface knowledge, including scopes, meters, power supplies, loads, logic analyzers, CAN/Ethernet/serial tools, JTAG, CAN, LIN, Ethernet, USB, UART, SPI, I2C, GPIO, analog/digital I/O, power/wake lines, and diagnostics.
• Python automation for instrument control, data capture, sequencing, log parsing, evidence collection, repeatable execution, and reusable automation libraries, with familiarity with AI-enabled lab workflows or comparable tool interfaces.

Desired Skills:

• Automotive ECU design and integration experience, including telematics, connectivity, infotainment, zonal controllers, high-performance compute platforms, or similar embedded hardware.
• Experience owning a design through prototype build, board bring-up, design verification, system integration, failure analysis, and corrective-action validation.
• Commercial or custom HIL platform experience, such as dSPACE, NI/VeriStand, Vector, ETAS, Speedgoat, Keysight, or Python-based frameworks.
• Experience with Linux, Android, QNX, YOCTO, ADB/serial console, flashing, bootloaders, diagnostics, manufacturing/EOL tooling, DV/PV, EMC/ENV, validation, supplier issue support, or AI-enabled lab automation.

Workplace Flexibility:

• Onsite lab work is required.
• This role requires daily hands-on work with HIL benches, prototypes, harnesses, cable assemblies, fixtures, power supplies, instruments, and debug equipment.
• Must be comfortable working directly with prototype hardware, lab wiring, bench configuration changes, controlled hardware test execution, and technical reviews in lab environments.
• Limited travel may be required for supplier support, build support, external test labs, or equipment/vendor reviews.

Years of Relevant Experience:

• 8+ years of relevant experience in embedded hardware or ECU design, schematic and PCB development, design verification, hardware bring-up, system integration, interface definition, hardware validation, HIL, lab automation, or debug of automotive or comparable high-reliability embedded platforms.

Required Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, or related technical discipline.

Desired Education:

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, or related discipline.

Compensation

Salary range is dependent on factors such as geographical differentials, credentials or certifications, industry-based experience, qualification and training. In the city of Mountain View, the salary range for this position is $161,710 - $234,325.

CARIAD, Inc. provides performance based merits and annual bonus along with a competitive benefits package. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401k with employer match and defined contribution plan, short and long term disability, basic life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment plans, maternity and non-primary caregiver leave, adoption assistance, employee referral program and vacation and paid holidays. We also offer a unique vehicle lease program that covers registration and insurance fees.

CARIAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, and do not discriminate based on race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, color, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws.

Employment with Cariad Inc. is contingent upon the successful completion of this screening process. We emphasize the importance of compliance with export control and sanctions laws as a fundamental aspect of our operations. Our company is dedicated to adhering to these regulations to ensure the lawful and ethical conduct of our business activities. Employment with our company is contingent on either verifying U.S. citizenship or U.S. lawful permanent resident status or obtaining any necessary license or confirming the availability of an applicable exemption or license exception. You, the applicant, will be required to answer certain questions for export control purposes, and that information will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law. Cariad Inc. may choose not to apply for a license or use an applicable license exception (if available) for such individuals whose access to export-controlled technology or software source code may require authorization and may decline to proceed with an applicant on that basis alone.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree to participate in the export control and sanctions compliance screening process. Your cooperation in this matter is essential to our shared success and the integrity of our operations. Thank you for your understanding and commitment to upholding these important standards.