Hardware Test Engineer

About Tutor Intelligence

Tutor Intelligence builds and deploys AI-powered robots that do real work for customers across the US every day, palletizing and case picking in warehouses and factories. We believe general-purpose, generally intelligent robots will be built in our lifetimes. In 2026 we opened our first manufacturing facility in Watertown, MA, and our goal is 1,000+ robots across multiple platforms in the field by 2028.

 

Why This Role Matters

Every robot we ship goes to work at a customer's site, and a failure there costs us far more than one caught on our floor. As we scale, test can't be a final checkbox. It has to be a system that keeps defects from escaping and turns every failure, in the factory or in the field, into a fix.

 

The Role

You'll define how we test our robots and their critical components, from incoming parts through final acceptance, and how we test parts that come back from the field. You'll use manufacturing and field failure data to tell Manufacturing and Engineering what's breaking, why, and what to change.

You're part of Production Engineering and work closely with the Lead Hardware Engineer – Production, who sets overall test strategy and mentors the team. You'll be on the floor debugging robots, building test systems and helping improve the manufacturing process.

What You'll Own

• Manufacturing test: Define and build the test environment for production: component, subassembly, bring-up, end-of-line and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT). Write test procedures, pass/fail criteria and test coverage so failures can't slip through.
• Critical component testing: Decide how we test critical components such as robot arms, control boxes, PCBAs, power systems, sensors and harnesses, including incoming inspection and supplier quality checks.
• Returned component testing: Build the test and failure analysis process for parts returned from the field. Confirm the failure, find the root cause and close the loop with suppliers, Engineering and Manufacturing.
• Failure data and reliability: Track and analyze manufacturing and field failure data. Spot trends, find repeat failures and turn the data into clear recommendations for Manufacturing and Engineering.
• Zero escapes: Own test coverage against known failure modes. When something escapes to the field, find where test missed it and close the gap.
• Test systems and fixtures: Design and build fixtures, automated test scripts and diagnostic tools that make testing faster, repeatable and less dependent on operator skill.
• Debug and process improvement: Help debug robots on the line, drive corrective actions and work with production engineers to improve the processes that cause defects.
• Test data and traceability: Make sure test results are recorded in our MES and tied to each robot and component serial number, so we can trace any failure back to its build.

What Success Looks Like

• 90 days: You've mapped current test coverage against known failure modes and closed the biggest gaps. A returned-part test and failure analysis process is running, and you're sharing a regular failure-trends report with Manufacturing and Engineering.
• 1 year: Escapes to the field are trending toward zero. Every critical component has a defined test, and test results are traceable by serial number. Repeat failures are falling because the data drives design and process changes.

Required

• Bachelor's in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer or Mechatronics Engineering.
• Typically 3–6 years in test, reliability, quality or production engineering on electromechanical hardware.
• Hands-on debugging with scopes, meters and diagnostic tools across power, PCBAs, motors, sensors and communication interfaces.
• Experience writing test procedures, defining pass/fail criteria and building test fixtures or automated test.
• Experience with failure analysis and root cause methods (8D, 5 Whys, fishbone, FMEA).
• Comfort working with failure data to find trends and make recommendations.
• Daily, hands-on use of AI tools like Claude in your engineering work.
• You want to be on the production floor, and you've built processes where none existed.

Preferred

• Robotics, industrial automation or startup experience.
• Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Reliability engineering: life testing, HALT/HASS, MTBF analysis.
• RMA, MRB or supplier corrective action (SCAR) experience.
• MES and traceability systems.

Why Join

• Build the test and reliability system for a new generation of robots from the ground up.
• See the direct impact of your work on robots running at customer sites.
• Work closely with the Head of Manufacturing and with hardware and production engineering teams.

 

How We Work

Love of the Game · Gumption · Beginner's Mindset · Belief in Each Other · Keep Moving Forward · Customer Obsession

We value people who take ownership, get their hands dirty, solve hard problems and move with urgency.