Mechanical Design Validation Test Engineer

📍 Location: San Jose, CA 💼 Employment Type: Contract

Position Overview: We are seeking an MDVT (Mechanical Design Validation Test) Engineer to join our engineering team and support mechanical validation testing of networking hardware. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with environmental and mechanical stress testing, hardware validation, troubleshooting, and lab-based testing in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Key Responsibilities: Participate in Mechanical Design Validation Testing (MDVT) projects under the guidance of senior engineers. Perform Mechanical Shock, Vibration, Drop, Thermal, Temperature, Humidity, and Environmental testing. Support test engineering development, debugging, and troubleshooting activities. Set up and maintain large networking equipment test beds (ability to lift up to 25 lbs).Record, analyze, and document test results in detailed validation reports. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to investigate failures and drive issue resolution.

Required Qualifications: Knowledge of Mechanical and Environmental Stress Testing methods, including:

• Mechanical Shock
• VibrationDrop Testing
• TemperatureHumidityAltitude Testing
• Understanding of hardware components including:
• PCBHeatsinksMounting Brackets
• Optical Modules
• Strong understanding of mechanical design principles.
• Hands-on experience using hand tools and power tools to build or modify test fixtures.
• Comfortable working in a Unix/Linux environment.

Preferred Qualifications: Familiarity with IEC, ETSI, and MIL-STD testing standards. Experience with environmental chambers, vibration shakers, and other mechanical test equipment. Basic knowledge of Cisco routers/switches, TCP/IP, and Layer 2/Layer 3 networking. Experience in failure analysis, debugging, and troubleshooting in a lab environment. Experience with test planning, validation, issue tracking, and cross-functional collaboration. Basic scripting knowledge is a plus.

Soft Skills: Excellent communication and documentation skills. Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities. Detail-oriented with effective time management skills. Quick learner with the ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment. Self-motivated team player capable of working independently. Ability to analyze problems, identify workarounds, and drive issues to resolution. Ability to understand and follow technical documentation, specifications, and engineering instructions.