Senior Hardware Test Engineer, PCBA

About the Role:

The Manufacturing Test Engineering Team is responsible for creating and maintaining the tests and infrastructure for our satellite manufacturing operations. The hardware test engineers on our team tackle projects large and small to design and build software and hardware to automate functional & integration testing, instrument calibration, and qualification testing for both production and design validation. As a member of the Manufacturing Test Engineering team, you will collaborate with design engineers to develop boardlevel tests and be responsible for designing and developing the test fixtures, test hardware, and test software. This will involve working with a broad variety of disciplines, including our topnotch design, qualification, and manufacturing teams.

This is a fulltime, inoffice position based in our San Francisco HQ 5 days a week.

Impact Youll Own:

• Develop test plans in collaboration with design engineers
• Drive the strategy and approach to PCBA test for manufacturing
• Design, validate, and deploy bedofnails and boundary scan test fixtures both inhouse and at supplier facilities
• Design PCBA’s for testing– adapters, interface, and breakout boards
• Develop the automation and test scripts to functionally test the hardware through various stages of manufacturing
• Continuous improvement of test software and hardware to ensure high reliability and scalability of test systems
• Troubleshoot failures and nonconformances through all stages of test, drive root cause analysis, and recommend corrective actions

• What You Bring:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or similar
  • 6+ years of experience in PCBA testing or manufacturing electrical test development
  • Experience with JTAGboundary scan and bedofnail testers
  • Experience in design and layout of PCBA’s for adapting or interfacing with test hardware
  • Ability to read and interpret PCBA schematics and use them to design tests and troubleshoot hardware
  • Experience creating system diagrams as well as detailed wiring diagrams
  • Experience troubleshooting hardwaresoftware issues and identifying root causes
  • Familiarity with measurement hardware and test equipment such as DMMs, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, analog and digital IO, data acquisition systems, switch matrices, relay banks, and signal conditioning
  • Experience programming in Python, especially functional tests of hardware
  • Comfortable using Linux
  • Experience with DVCS such as git or mercurial

  • What Makes You Stand Out:

    • Advanced Python programming skills with a track record of developing and contributing to a large and complex code base
    • Experience using Altium
    • Experience in design, manufacturing, or test of satellite or aerospace hardware
    • Experience developing functional tests from the ground up including the development of test requirements, passfail criteria, test station hardware, and procedures
    • Experience designing, building, validating, troubleshooting, and deploying boundary scan and bedofnails testers

    • Application Deadline:

      October 24, 2025 by 11:59 PM PDT

      EARITAR Requirements:

      This position requires access to exportcontrolled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable exportcontrolled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security andor the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

      Benefits While Working at Planet:

      These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

      • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
      • Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
      • Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and companywide days off
      • 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
      • Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
      • Home Office Reimbursement
      • Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
      • Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
      • Equity
      • Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
      • Volunteering Paid Time Off

      • Compensation:

        The US base salary range for this fulltime position at the commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary shortterm and longterm incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

        San Francisco Salary Range
        $128,400—$160,500 USD
        Why we care so much about Belonging.
        We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. That’s why Planet is guided by an ultimate north star of Belonging—dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work. If this job intrigues you, but you’re thinking you might not have all the qualifications, please... do apply! At Planet, we are looking for wellrounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description. We don’t just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill people’s careers, most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts. We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be, so we hope you’re excited to come along for the ride.
        EEO statement:
        Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Know Your Rights.
        Accommodations:
        Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to accommodations@planet.com or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.
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