Test Engineer
American Terawatt · San Francisco
About American Terawatt
American Terawatt is building a new industrial electric grid for the United States. Power systems engineering is at the core of what we do.
We design and deploy advanced power transmission systems, serving large industrial loads, gigawatts at a time. Our systems deliver electric power to everything from frontier AI datacenters to advanced automated manufacturing, refineries, mines, and more.
We make interconnection fast, simple, and cheap. On our network, generation owners get their projects online faster, delivering abundant power at competitive prices.
The backbone of American Terawatt’s network is HVDC transmission, anchored by our unique terminal design. American Terawatt’s terminals are standardized, modular, and natively integrate energy storage. Each terminal is designed to expand to operate as a full node on our future HVDC transmission network.
About the role
We are hiring a Test Engineer to develop and run the test systems that ensure our HVDC equipment can be deployed safely and reliably.
You will work directly with the Head of R&D, power systems engineers, test technicians, and project partners, taking ownership of test programs, test infrastructure, and failure analysis.
This is a hands-on builder role for someone who wants to understand how complex power systems fail and turn those findings into stronger designs.
This is currently an individual contributor role, with the opportunity to grow into broader ownership of our testing strategy, systems, and facilities. You will report directly to the Head of R&D.
What you will own
As a Test Engineer at American Terawatt, you will:
Work closely with our power systems engineers and test technicians to push equipment to its absolute limits. You’ll break stuff, learn, help us build it better, and then push it back up to its new limit and try to break it again. You will contribute to post-mortem analysis and power system designs to try to make our equipment/systems bulletproof.
Develop our hardware and software test programs to ensure our designs are always delivered safely and reliably to the field. You will anticipate sources of failure, develop robust testing protocols, and deliver them as practical systems.
Design and deliver test scenarios for both near-term R&D initiatives and long-term commercial initiatives. Work closely with R&D program partners to deliver valuable research that may be broadly published.
Contribute to the design, delivery, and commissioning of our test facilities, including procurement of test hardware such as hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulators. You will intimately understand the structure and function of our test setups to rapidly diagnose and remediate faults.
Work directly with project managers and licensed electricians to expedite work orders while meeting compliance requirements associated with our engineering test units, allowing quick iterations to ensure minimal cycle time between test, break, re-design, and re-test stages.
This role reports to the Head of R&D
What success looks like
In your first month
Build a working understanding of our terminal design, test facilities, safety requirements, and current R&D priorities.
Review existing test equipment, setups, and procedures, and identify the most important gaps or risks.
Take ownership of an initial test scenario and align with the team on objectives, success criteria, and safety protocols.
By month six
Own and execute test plans for priority R&D systems, with clear procedures, safety controls, and documented results.
Bring key testing capabilities online, coordinating equipment procurement, installation, commissioning, and compliance.
Complete a full test-and-improve cycle by identifying failure modes, supporting root-cause analysis, and validating design changes through re-testing.
What we are looking for
Required Experience
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
3+ years of commercial experience in power systems or electrical engineering.
Substantial hands-on experience with complex, safety-critical systems. You have seen something important break in expensive ways, and worked to figure out why and what to do about it.
Familiarity with engineering standards such as IEEE, UL, IEC, NEC, NFPA, and ISO.
Experience working with vendors to procure components and systems.
Experience servicing, debugging, and upgrading installed components and systems.
Experience developing systems where multiple vendors must provide data and support to create a complete solution.
Preferred Experience
Experience planning 1–2 year equipment budgets, weighing cost, vendor lead times, and program priorities to decide what to buy and when.
24/7 operational experience with high uptime requirements.
Experience standing up electrical systems such as MV/LV transformers, switchgear/switchboards, LV distribution, busway, and integrating with microgrids, generation, and BESS.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation: Competitive compensation package, including salary and equity, commensurate with experience.
Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including 75% coverage for dependents and spouses.
Wellness: Up to $300/month reimbursement for gym and wellness expenses, or Bay Club membership for SF-based employees.
Meals: Lunch provided daily when working from an office.
Time off: Unlimited PTO with manager approval, plus company-wide office closures for July 4 week and one week in December.
Additional perks: Laptop of choice provided, convenient SF office location on the Embarcadero and near public transit (pre-tax transit benefit), and employee contribution 401(k) program.
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