
Field Reliability Technician at Base Power Company (Austin, TX)
Base Power Company· Austin, TX·
Role details
Base Power Company at a glance
Base Power installs home batteries and sells below-market energy in Texas, earning its margin from the grid instead of your bill.
Base Power is a next-generation power company that installs whole-home backup batteries and sells fixed-rate, below-market electricity to homeowners, primarily in Texas. It coordinates its fleet of distributed batteries as a single grid asset, earning revenue from wholesale energy markets so it can keep customer rates low.
$1.3B raised · latest: Series C · $1B · October 2025 · backed by Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Job description
ABOUT BASE
Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.
ABOUT THE ROLE
When hardware fails in the field, it comes back to you. You'll open it up, run the tests, and help engineers figure out exactly what broke and why. Your findings feed directly into design changes, firmware fixes, and line improvements on a product that's already deployed in thousands of homes.
This is hands-on work in a lab that moves fast. You'll build the tools and processes that make failure analysis faster and more reliable, and you'll be the person who keeps that lab running safely and well.
What You’ll Do
- Hardware Testing: Test field-returned hardware and assist engineers with root cause analysis to figure out why the hardware failed and how it can be improved.
- Build and maintain tooling: Make improvements to processes and test equipment used to triage field returns. Own the process and make it better.
- Safety and Cleanliness of space: Ensure the lab environment is safe. Maintain and enforce a clean and organized workspace.
- Project Coordination: Help track testing throughput, results, and flag new quality issues to engineers. Ensure the engineering team has the necessary context they need to prioritize changes or process improvements in firmware, on the product, or on or the line.
What You'll Bring
- High School diploma or equivalent required - prefer associates degree or higher in Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, or a related field.
- Experience in an engineering or technical environment, providing hands-on support for design, testing, and assembly of equipment. Experience working with multimeters and power supplies is a must.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks.
- Proficiency with office software (Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace) and basic IT troubleshooting.
- Experience with tools and equipment used in an engineering lab or workshop.
- Good communication skills, with the ability to work well with engineers, vendors, and other office staff.
- Strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving and task management.
- Curiosity about how things work and a desire to deeply understand the hardware you are testing.
About this Team
The Hardware Reliability and Test team ensures our equipment exceeds engineering and reliability standards through rigorous mechanical, electrical, and environmental testing at the component, sub-assembly, and system levels. When we find failure points, we leverage data-driven insights to identify root causes and provide actionable improvements and mitigations. We act as a tight feedback loop for the design team, accelerating product maturity and ensuring we deliver a stellar experience for our members.
Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.
OUR VALUES
- First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.
- Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.
- Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.
- Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.
- Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.
- Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in-person. It’s not a 9-to-5. We are all-in.
- Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.
DO THE BEST WORK OF YOUR LIFE AT BASE.
Why work at Base Power Company
- Culture: Described as "intense, fast-paced, and deeply mission-driven." The company demands high output, ownership, and a bias toward action. It's explicitly stated as "not for everyone, and that's by design." This is a high-ownership, low-ambiguity environment.
- Work Model: On-site at Base HQ in Austin, Texas. Proximity to the product and team is central to how they move fast. "Do I need to be based in Texas? Yes."
- Hiring Speed: Fast process — aim for 1st conversation to offer in ~2 weeks.
- Interview Process: 3-4 hour on-site including technical assessments and behavioral/team conversations. Focus on "how [you] approach problems, communicate tradeoffs, and collaborate."
- Non-traditional backgrounds: Explicitly welcome: "We care about what you've built and how you think, not the logos on your resume. Some of our best people came from non-traditional paths."
- Engineering Culture: Heavy focus on hardware + software + field operations. Talent sources heavily from Tesla, Anduril, SpaceX — firms known for hardcore engineering and manufacturing excellence. Roles span hardware engineering, firmware, software, manufacturing, field installation/service, operations, growth, and design.
- Team Composition: ~29% of employees are in technical roles; ~15% in operations; significant representation of trades workers (11).
- Notable Perks: Opportunity to work on physical infrastructure deployed at scale; chance to contribute meaningfully to grid modernization and American energy resilience.