Test Automation Engineer - Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

About Tau Power conversion is the bottleneck between the compute, energy, and mobility industries and the future they're trying to build. Most of the industry is still solving it with decades-old approaches. Tau is fixing that. We're a venture-backed hardtech company in Redwood City, building power conversion technology for data centers, EVs, and energy systems. Several products are already moving into production. We hire people who own problems end-to-end: power electronics, embedded software, controls, test and validation, mechanical design. We solve from first principles, not legacy playbooks. We're past "promising technology." Customers are buying, volume is coming, and the people who join now set the standard everyone builds on after. About The Role Tau Motors seeks a Test Automation Engineer, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) to build and scale our automated test infrastructure across software and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments. This role is critical to ensuring the quality and robustness of embedded software controlling next-generation electric propulsion systems. You’ll work closely with firmware, controls, and hardware teams to design test strategies, develop automated test frameworks, and integrate validation into continuous integration pipelines. Because our success depends on collaboration, we expect new employees to work onsite five days a week to build strong working relationships with the team. Our Engineering Approach Solve customer problems, not engineering puzzles. Great technical work becomes exceptional when it creates reliable products, enables meaningful new capability, and solves real customer problems. Think in systems. Understand how your work affects the complete product and the people who build it. Make tradeoffs that improve the whole, not just your direct area of ownership. Exercise judgment. Apply the engineering rigor the risk requires. Make timely decisions with the available evidence, communicate uncertainty, and balance technical excellence with program needs. Raise the standard. Deliver quality work on time, improve how the team works, and leave the products, systems, tools, and people around you better than you found them. What You'll Do Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks for embedded software validation Build and operate hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test systems to validate real-time control software Develop test cases for motor control algorithms, power electronics, and safety-critical features Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines for continuous validation Define test strategies, coverage metrics, and validation plans across system, integration, and unit levels Debug complex issues spanning software, firmware, and hardware interfaces Collaborate with cross-functional teams (controls, firmware, electrical, systems) to ensure testability and coverage Drive improvements in test infrastructure, tooling, and processes Support validation for safety and reliability standards (e.g., ISO 26262 concepts where applicable) Preferred Skills Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related degree 3+ years of experience in test automation for embedded systems Strong programming skills (Python, C/C++, or similar) Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and real-time systems Familiarity with embedded software development and debugging Experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, CAN tools, DAQs, etc.) Understanding of control systems, motor control, or power electronics is a strong plus Experience with CI/CD tools and automated test pipelines (Jenkins) Desired Skills Experience with automotive or safety-critical systems Familiarity with CAN, SPI, UART, and other embedded communication protocols Experience with simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink, etc.) Exposure to ISO 26262 or similar safety frameworks Experience scaling test infrastructure in fast-paced environments US Salary Information $12…