- Job title
- Test Engineer II
- Job location
- Long Beach, CA, US
- Job description
- ## **Airhart**
Most airplanes today still use avionics designed around decades-old assumptions. We think that’s one of the biggest reasons general aviation remains difficult to learn and intimidating to use.
We’re building an integrated avionics platform that makes flying dramatically simpler and safer, with the long-term goal of making personal flight accessible to far more people.
Our team includes engineers from companies like SpaceX and pilots who have spent thousands of hours flying existing systems. We’ve experienced firsthand how difficult aircraft are to build and operate, and we’re designing both the product and the company differently from the ground up.
We’re looking for someone whose favorite question is: **“Why did that fail?”**
## **The Role**
You’ll own testing across the entire product lifecycle—from early prototypes on the bench to production hardware installed in aircraft.
You’ll build the fixtures, automate tests where it makes sense, debug failures, and work directly with the engineers who designed the hardware to make the next revision better.
This is not a role where you’ll execute someone else’s test plan.
You’ll help decide **what should be tested, how it should be tested, and what we should learn from every failure.**
## **What You’ll Build and Test**
You’ll work across products including:
* Flight computers
* Pilot displays
* Fly-by-wire electronics
* Engine monitoring systems
* Sensor modules
* Ethernet and CAN networks
* Aircraft wiring harnesses
* Integrated avionics systems installed in aircraft
## **What You’ll Own**
* Design electrical, mechanical, and software-based test fixtures.
* Develop qualification, regression, production, integration, and environmental tests.
* Execute bench testing and aircraft integration testing.
* Develop automated test software where appropriate.
* Debug hardware and software failures to root cause.
* Work with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to improve future designs.
* Develop production test equipment.
* Improve test coverage while reducing operator time.
* Help define Airhart’s overall validation strategy as our products mature.
## **What We’re Looking For**
* 3+ years building or testing complex hardware systems.
* Strong hardware debugging skills.
* Comfortable with oscilloscopes, power supplies, logic analyzers, multimeters, and common lab equipment.
* Programming experience in Python, C++, or similar.
* Able to independently investigate ambiguous failures.
* Enjoy working across electrical, mechanical, embedded software, and systems engineering.
A background in aerospace is helpful but not required.
## **Nice to Have**
* Embedded systems.
* Environmental testing.
* Data acquisition systems.
* Familiarity with Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, or ARINC.
* Production test development.
* Flight test or automotive testing.
## **Your First 90 Days**
**First 30 days**
* Build and understand our existing test infrastructure.
* Run hardware through bench and aircraft integration tests.
* Fix your first few bugs alongside the design team.
**Within 60 days**
* Own testing for one major subsystem.
* Build at least one new automated test fixture or qualification setup.
* Improve a production or engineering test process.
**Within 90 days**
* Lead validation for new hardware entering flight testing.
* Become the primary owner for one area of system verification.
* Deliver improvements that increase product reliability or reduce engineering test time.
## **Why This Role Matters**
The engineers in this role don’t just find bugs. They discover why they exist and help eliminate them. As Airhart grows, the systems you build will determine how every avionics computer, display, and flight control system is validated before it ever flies.
