Physical AI Sr. Engineer Lab Technical Lead

Employer: Inabia Solutions & Consulting
Location: Boston Massachusetts
Work Arrangement: Onsite five days per week
Employment Type: W-2
Compensation: Competitive compensation
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizen or Green Card Only

This is not a traditional lab technician position. Inabia Solutions & Consulting is seeking a Senior Engineer and Physical AI Lab Technical Lead who can own technical execution from initial design through testing troubleshooting and final documentation.

You will not simply follow test plans. You will help create them. You will design and build test benches lead prototype hardware integration diagnose complex failures and establish reliable testing and documentation practices for the lab.

This position is designed for an experienced hands-on engineer who is equally comfortable reading a schematic analyzing a communication bus writing a Python test script and physically assembling or modifying hardware.

You will support foundational Physical AI work involving next-generation robotic platforms. The work spans electrical bring-up mechanical integration test automation reliability engineering and system-level troubleshooting. You will collaborate directly with hardware engineers AI researchers and lab operations personnel to ensure builds are completed correctly and test results are accurate and repeatable.

• Design build configure and operate test benches for prototype robotic hardware including power systems motion actuation sensor arrays and communication interfaces.

• Develop test plans and acceptance criteria in partnership with hardware engineers.

• Own test execution data collection results analysis and documentation.

• Build custom fixtures jigs and test setups using mechanical fabrication electrical wiring and software scripting.

• Operate and maintain diagnostic equipment including oscilloscopes logic analyzers multimeters and signal analyzers.

• Train junior lab personnel on equipment operation testing procedures and safe laboratory practices.

• Improve test processes to increase repeatability accuracy and efficiency.

• Support and lead prototype hardware builds involving actuators sensors compute modules power distribution systems and communication networks.

• Integrate sensors such as force and torque sensors inertial measurement units encoders and vision systems.

• Perform PCB bring-up board-level debugging and system-level validation.

• Read and interpret electrical schematics PCB layouts wiring diagrams and mechanical drawings.

• Diagnose hardware issues at the component board subsystem and platform levels.

• Validate communication buses and protocols including CAN EtherCAT and RS-485.

• Troubleshoot communication timing signal integrity configuration and protocol issues.

• Provide Design for Manufacturability and Design for Assembly feedback based on hands-on build and integration experience.

• Lead root-cause analysis for hardware failures involving power compute communications actuation sensing and mechanical systems.

• Reproduce and document failures using a structured and repeatable process.

• Prepare clear failure-analysis reports with findings supporting data recommended corrective actions and resolution status.

• Develop and maintain a lab debugging playbook that documents known failure modes diagnostic methods and resolution procedures.

• Serve as the primary technical escalation point for complex laboratory and prototype hardware issues.

• Translate hands-on troubleshooting findings into clear information that engineering teams can use to make design and program decisions.

• Track corrective actions through validation and closure.

• Design and execute reliability and environmental test programs including thermal cycling vibration mechanical stress and long-duration soak testing.

• Analyze failure data to identify trends recurring issues and systemic hardware risks.

• Partner with hardware engineers to recommend and validate design improvements.

• Support reliability planning using established engineering methods and test standards.

• Maintain calibration records and test equipment certifications.

• Ensure measurement accuracy testing consistency and data integrity throughout the lab.

• Establish repeatable procedures for equipment maintenance calibration and test readiness.

• Provide hands-on technical direction during prototype builds hardware bring-up testing and failure investigations.

• Review test plans build procedures and engineering documentation for completeness and technical accuracy.

• Mentor junior engineers and lab personnel in hardware testing troubleshooting equipment use and documentation.

• Identify laboratory capability gaps and recommend equipment tooling fixtures and process improvements.

• Coordinate with engineering and lab operations teams to prioritize work and resolve technical blockers.

• Promote a disciplined approach to safety configuration control test execution and documentation.

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Mechatronics Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field or equivalent practical experience.

• At least seven years of hands-on experience in hardware development test engineering systems integration reliability engineering mechatronics or a related discipline.

• Advanced proficiency with electronic test and diagnostic equipment.

• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting hardware at both the component and system levels.

• Ability to independently read and interpret electrical schematics PCB layouts wiring diagrams and mechanical drawings.

• Experience designing and building test benches custom test fixtures and laboratory setups from the ground up.

• Experience leading prototype hardware builds bring-up activities or complex integration efforts.

• Strong understanding of electrical mechanical and embedded hardware interfaces.

• Ability to document testing procedures build instructions troubleshooting methods and failure-analysis findings clearly.

• Strong technical judgment and the ability to work effectively in a fast-moving environment with changing requirements.

• Ability to work onsite in Boston five days per week.

• Experience working in robotics Physical AI autonomous systems or an advanced hardware research and development environment.

• Familiarity with high-degree-of-freedom robotic systems servo drives motor controllers or embedded motion-control systems.

• Experience with reliability engineering methods such as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Highly Accelerated Life Testing Highly Accelerated Stress Screening or Weibull analysis.

• Python scripting or programming experience for test automation data logging instrument control and results analysis.

• Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop testing systems and methodologies.

• Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks Fusion 360 or similar platforms for fixture design and technical documentation.

• Experience with CAN EtherCAT RS-485 or other industrial and embedded communication protocols.

• Knowledge of laboratory safety practices equipment calibration configuration management and engineering change control.

Success in this position means prototype builds proceed with fewer avoidable delays test results are accurate and repeatable and complex failures are diagnosed through a structured process. The lab has clear build procedures test plans calibration records and debugging documentation that allow engineering teams to move quickly without sacrificing quality or safety.

You will be expected to solve difficult technical problems directly while also building the processes and technical capability needed to prevent those problems from recurring.

Your morning may begin with the bring-up of a new actuator module. You verify power sequencing and communication before handing the module to the robotics engineering team. When a CAN bus timing issue appears you analyze the logic trace identify a firmware configuration mismatch validate the correction and document the resolution for future builds.

Later you may meet with hardware engineers to review the test plan for an upcoming environmental stress campaign. Based on prior test results you recommend strengthening an acceptance criterion before testing begins.

The afternoon may involve instrumenting a new test bench for a six-axis force and torque characterization run. Before leaving you update the build log record equipment configurations and communicate the days technical findings to the broader team.

Inabia Solutions & Consulting provides technology consulting engineering and workforce solutions to organizations addressing complex business and technical challenges. This role offers the opportunity to take a hands-on technical leadership position in an emerging Physical AI environment where your work will directly influence hardware quality laboratory capability and engineering execution.

Inabia Solutions & Consulting is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race color religion sex national origin age disability veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or any other status protected by applicable law.