Hybrid Hardware Validation Engineer – Accelerator Boards

at Factorial

• Job title: Hardware Validation Engineer – Accelerator Boards
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Mid level, Senior
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: Airflow, Python
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Karlsruhe, Germany

About the role

• Hardware Validation Engineer conducting board-level validations of accelerator cards for AI/ML servers. Collaborating with design and firmware teams in a hybrid work environment in Germany.

Responsibilities

• Own board bring‑up and validation for new accelerator PCB designs: Initial power‑on, smoke tests, and debug.
• Interface bring‑up (PCIe, high‑speed links, management interfaces).
• Develop and execute validation plans and test cases covering: Power and voltage margining, Thermal performance and fan/airflow/coolant-circuits interactions, Functional and stress tests for key interfaces and subsystems.
• Use lab equipment (oscilloscopes, VNAs, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, power analyzers) to measure and characterize board performance.
• Work closely with design, SI/PI, power, thermal, and firmware teams to identify root cause and drive resolution of issues observed during testing.
• Contribute to test automation, scripting, and test infrastructure to improve coverage and throughput.
• Support compliance and interoperability testing with server platforms and ecosystem partners.
• Document test results, file detailed bug reports, and contribute to design feedback for future revisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in board‑level hardware validation, bring‑up, or test engineering.
• Solid hands‑on skills with lab instruments (oscilloscopes, power supplies, loads, logic/protocol analyzers, etc.).
• Understanding of: Board‑level power delivery and high‑speed digital design
• Common server and accelerator interfaces (e.g., PCIe, I2C/SMBus, SPI, UART).
• Ability to read and understand schematics, PCB layout plots, and datasheets.
• Experience with scripting languages (Python, shell, etc.) for test automation and data analysis.
• Experience validating data center or networking hardware (servers, accelerator cards, NICs, storage controllers).
• Familiarity with high‑speed serial protocols (PCIe Gen4/Gen5/Gen6, CXL, Ethernet, or similar).
• Experience working closely with firmware/software teams on board initialization and diagnostics.
• Knowledge of reliability and stress testing (thermal cycling, burn‑in, margin testing).

Benefits

• A chance to work on one of the most transformative AI and silicon engineering companies in Europe with cutting-edge technology and industry leaders.
• We offer a remuneration package that values your experience.
• We believe in investing in our employees and providing them with opportunities for growth and career development.
• Work in a hybrid environment with flexible scheduling.
• Join an innovative team and experience company growth.
• Opportunity to travel to other countries in Europe to meet the teams, collaborate and drive solutions.