Hardware Test & Prototype Technician
Duration: 6 month contract to hire
Location: South San Francisco, CA (Onsite)
Locals only
Job Description
As a Hardware Test & Prototype Technician, you will help turn Dropbox concepts into working hardware and generate the test evidence engineers use to improve the product. You will assemble prototypes, modify hardware, build test fixtures, instrument systems, execute tests, document failures, and keep test assets operating reliably.
What You'll Do
Assemble, integrate, rework, and maintain Dropbox prototypes and test articles.
Build mechanical and electromechanical assemblies containing structures, mechanisms, motors, transmissions, sensors, PCBAs, harnesses, connectors, and seals.
Interpret engineering drawings, CAD views, bills of materials, wiring diagrams, assembly instructions, and test procedures.
Provide practical feedback when designs, drawings, tolerances, fastener access, cable routing, or assembly sequences are unclear or difficult to execute.
Fabricate and modify prototype components, brackets, fixtures, guards, and test equipment using appropriate shop tools and processes.
Perform mechanical assembly using torque tools, adhesives, thread-locking compounds, bearings, belts, fasteners, seals, and alignment features.
Build, route, terminate, and troubleshoot wiring harnesses and electromechanical connections.
Instrument test articles using load cells, force and torque sensors, thermocouples, displacement sensors, cameras, current sensors, and data-acquisition equipment.
Build and maintain automated cycle testers, environmental setups, representative packages, abuse-test fixtures, and other development equipment.
Execute component, subsystem, and system-level tests following approved procedures and safety requirements.
Support functional, lifetime, environmental, ingress, wear, misuse, obstruction, package-variation, and fault-recovery testing.
Monitor tests, identify abnormal behavior, stop testing when unsafe or invalid conditions occur, and escalate issues promptly.
Record test configuration, asset serial numbers, firmware versions, environmental conditions, observations, failures, and results accurately.
Capture photographs, videos, measurements, logs, and physical evidence needed for failure investigation.
Assist engineers with teardown, inspection, dimensional measurement, and root-cause investigations.
Distinguish likely product failures from fixture, instrumentation, setup, software, or operator problems.
Reproduce field failures in the lab and verify whether corrective actions prevent recurrence.
Maintain test assets, tools, fixtures, instrumentation, spare parts, and work areas in a safe and organized condition.
Track equipment calibration, maintenance, repairs, and configuration so test results remain trustworthy and reproducible.
Support engineering builds, design-validation builds, pilot production, and manufacturing troubleshooting.
Prepare prototype hardware, tools, spares, documentation, and equipment for work at remote test or deployment sites.
Support installation, configuration, commissioning, testing, maintenance, and recovery of prototype Dropbox systems at Half Moon Bay, Sacramento, and other locations.
Work safely with engineers and Deployment teams around heavy assemblies, powered mechanisms, vehicles, aircraft operations, construction activity, and outdoor test environments.
Provide clear feedback from builds and field deployments so designs and procedures become easier, safer, and more repeatable.
Help improve prototype-build instructions, test procedures, deployment checklists, and troubleshooting guides.
Train other technicians and engineers on equipment or procedures in which you have developed expertise.
What You'll Bring
Hands-on experience assembling, testing, repairing, or maintaining mechanical or electromechanical hardware.
Ability to interpret mechanical drawings, assembly documentation, wiring diagrams, and test procedures.
Experience using common hand tools, power tools, torque tools, measurement equipment, and shop equipment safely.
Familiarity with mechanisms, bearings, belts, fasteners, actuators, motors, sensors, connectors, and wiring harnesses.
Experience using measurement tools such as calipers, micrometers, torque instruments, multimeters, and data-acquisition equipment.
Ability to build clean, reliable prototype hardware even when designs or instructions are still evolving.
Experience instrumenting test articles and collecting accurate, traceable test data.
Strong mechanical troubleshooting skills and a methodical approach to isolating problems.
Discipline in documenting build configuration, deviations, test conditions, observations, and failures.
Ability to communicate clearly with engineers about build problems, unexpected behavior, risks, and potential improvements.
Comfort working independently after the objective, procedure, and safety boundaries are established.
Commitment to maintaining a safe, organized, and effective laboratory and shop environment.
Technical certificate, associate degree, apprenticeship, military technical experience, or equivalent hands-on experience is valued.
Experience with robotics, industrial automation, automotive systems, aerospace hardware, appliances, material-handling equipment, or outdoor machinery is helpful.
Experience with basic machining, sheet-metal fabrication, soldering, crimping, harness fabrication, or environmental testing is helpful.
Location and logistics: this role is in person in South San Francisco and requires some travel to Half Moon Bay, Sacramento, and other test or deployment locations.
Operating conditions: field assignments may involve outdoor work, uneven surfaces, changing weather, and occasional overnight travel.
Physical requirements: able to safely handle tools, test equipment, and hardware and participate in team lifts in accordance with established safety procedures.
Traits: practical judgment, mechanical curiosity, attention to detail, comfort with changing prototypes, and willingness to stay with a problem until the hardware is working or the failure is understood.
