Job Description

Test and Reliability Engineer

Los Angeles, CA Area – Relocation Assistance Provided

The Company

Our client is a rapidly growing startup that is on a mission to change the world by solving global water scarcity. They bring together an impressive background in engineering of space systems to develop innovative, desalination systems to tackle one of the world’s most critical challenges.

The Job

Our client is looking for a scrappy, hands-on Test & Reliability Engineer to own testing from prototype to production. You’ll be the last line of defense between the lab and the field, validating performance, identifying weak points, and pushing their system to failure so their customers never have to. You’ll be responsible for designing and executing tests, understanding the physics behind failures, and working closely with engineering, manufacturing, and ops to make the product better every week.

Functions

• Own end-to-end validation of new hardware from pumps and sensors to pressure vessels and electronics
• Design and execute bench-level, environmental, and life-cycle tests
• Develop and run field simulations (saltwater, shock/vibe, temperature, abuse testing)
• Lead root-cause investigations of field issues and drive corrective actions
• Build test rigs (salt fog, temp/humidity cycling, etc.), break hardware, and feed that learning directly back into design
• Work closely with R&D and manufacturing to define design margins, quality standards, and pass/fail criteria
• Document tests, analyze results, and present findings across teams
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• 2+ years of experience in hardware testing, validation, or reliability engineering
• Strong hands-on skills with hardware test setups, instrumentation, and data collection
• Experience with root cause analysis techniques (fishbone, 5 whys, etc.)

Preferred Skills

• Experience with high-pressure fluid systems, valves, seals, and pumps
• Familiarity with environmental testing (salt fog, temp/humidity cycling, etc.)
• Knowledge of reliability standards (e.g. HALT, HASS, Weibull analysis)
• Experience writing automated test scripts (Python preferred)
• Comfortable using hand tools, data loggers, and pressure transducers
• Strong communicator—able to summarize test findings clearly and drive cross-functional alignment
  

Additional Requirements

• Hands on work on development hardware.
• Long periods of standing, crouching, walking.
• Lifting up to 50 lbs.