Hardware Reliability & Test Engineer (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

About the company

Andromeda Robotics develops Abi, a humanoid companion robot using AI/ML and animator-designed expressive behaviors to provide customizable social, cognitive, and daily-assist support for aged care and pediatric hospital settings.

About this role

The Bigger Picture At Andromeda, we're building the social intelligence layer for humanoid robots - technology that allows robots to understand people, build relationships and become a meaningful part of everyday life. Our first robot, Abi, is already doing this in aged care and healthcare, where she brings conversation, companionship and engagement to people every day. Now we're scaling from early deployments into a platform that can operate across thousands of real-world environments. We're looking for individuals who want to tackle hard problems across robotics and AI, and help define what it means for robots to live and interact alongside people. This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge, real-world robotics hardware where test quality and reliability directly shape the experience of customers and residents. You’ll help turn promising designs into robust products that can operate safely and reliably outside the lab. The Role We’re looking for a Hardware Reliability & Test Engineer to own the verification, validation and reliability engineering activities that help Andromeda ship dependable robotic systems. You’ll work across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, safety, manufacturing and supply chain to translate product and system requirements into defining test strategies, designing and building test fixtures, outlining ongoing test procedures, and analyzing and communicating results and recommended design changes. You’ll plan and execute lab and line reliability testing across prototype, EVT, DVT, production intent and manufacturing sustaining phases, using data and failure analysis to drive design improvements. This is a hands-on engineering role with meaningful technical ownership. You’ll spend time in the lab and on the robot, building test capability, investigating failures, improving test coverage and helping the team make better engineering decisions earlier. Key Responsibilities Own verification, validation, and reliability testing plans for assigned hardware subsystems and product changes, mapping requirements to measurable Test methods and pass/fail criteria. Design, build and maintain Test fixtures, harnesses, instrumentation and procedures for functional, performance, durability and reliability Testing. Plan and execute hardware testing across prototype, EVT, DVT, production-intent and production phases, including cycle testing and long-duration operation. Develop practical Test automation and data-collection workflows that improve repeatability, throughput and visibility of hardware performance. Establish and track manufacturing metrics, including first-pass yield, & final yield, failure modes, production Test coverage, confidence levels and trends across builds. Establish and track reliability metrics, including failure rates, fault modes, confidence levels and trends across a deployed robot fleet. Partner with mechanical and electrical engineers on design reviews, FMEA, risk reduction, design margins, component selection and reliability improvements. Work closely with software and firmware teams to distinguish hardware, software, integration and system-state failure modes, and to validate fixes do not introduce regressions. Produce clear test plans, reports, failure analyses and release evidence that support technical reviews and hardware release decisions. Requirements Role Requirements Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, Reliability Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 3–7 years of experience testing, validating or improving complex hardware products such as robotics, autonomous systems, industrial equipment, vehicles, medical devices or other electromechanical products. Cross domain abilities, generalist capabilities across both hardware and software. Strong hands-on capability with laboratory instrumentation, data acquisition, sensors, motors, actuators and electromechanical systems. Experience designing or using test fixtures, harnesses and automated test setups. Experience designing cycle testing in manufacturing environments as part of Quality Assurance. Strong failure-analysis and root-cause investigation skills, including the ability to reproduce intermittent or field failures and turn evidence into design actions. Experience with reliability methods such as statistical analysis, FMEA, fault-tree thinking, accelerated or cycle testing, life testing, environmental testing, derating, etc. Ability to define requirements-based Test cases, clear pass/fail criteria and traceable evidence for engineering decisions. Experience working cross-functionally across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, manufacturing, quality and safety teams. Strong technical writing and communication skills, with the ability to explain Test results, risks and recommendations clearly. A proactive, first-principles approach and the judgement to balance Test rigour, engineering risk, schedule and practical constraints. Bonus Points Experience with robotics, humanoids, mobile robots, autonomous vehicles or other products operating around people. Experience with Python or another language for Test automation, instrumentation, data analysis or reporting. Experience with thermal, vibration, shock, ingress, transport, environmental, EMC or long-duration reliability testing. Experience supporting xVT and manufacturing ramp activities. Experience with production Test, incoming inspection, quality systems or supplier corrective actions. Familiarity with requirements-management, issue-tracking or Test-management tools. Experience working with safety, regulatory or standards-driven product development. Mentoring experience or a demonstrated willingness to help level up others in the team. Benefits The salary for this position may vary depending on factors such as job-related knowledge, skills and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional benefits