---
title: 'Hardware Test Lead at Maven Robotics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-test-lead-maven-robotics-santa-clara-fst4s0v3mtgj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Hardware Test Lead at Maven Robotics

- **Company:** Maven Robotics
- **Location:** Santa Clara, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/mavenrobotics/jobs/5378380008?gh_jid=5378380008

## Job description

## About Maven

Maven Robotics designs, builds, and deploys intelligent robotics for logistics and manufacturing. Maven is building the first general-purpose robotics system for industrial work. Our mission is to activate autonomous labor at scale and build toward infinitely elastic industrial capacity. We’re a team of engineers, researchers, and operators who have spent our careers working on the hardest problems in AI, robotics, engineering, and autonomous systems. We work at the intersection of advanced research and real-world engineering, turning ideas into prototypes and deployed systems.

At Maven, we build around the realities of industrial work. The robots are designed from first principles for complex physical environments and rigorous commercial standards. They master real tasks that deliver immediate impact, industrial-grade reliability, and intelligence that compounds at scale. We’re growing an ambitious team of people who think in systems, move quickly, and are builders at heart.

## About the Role

In this role, you will own hardware testing at Maven from high-level test strategy development through fixture design and test execution. You will work collaboratively with other teams to define, architect, and execute hardware tests at the subsystem and full-robot level.  Hardware testing will include design verification, functional and reliability testing, life and environmental testing, and safety verification.

## What You’ll Do

- Own the test strategy for robot subsystems. Work with the product development team to define what needs to be tested, why, and at what cadence
- Take test plans and fixtures from concept through execution. Design the test fixture hardware and translate data into recommendations to improve product design
- Guide cross-functional engineering and technical efforts to build, verify, and execute testing
- Develop accelerated reliability test plans and methods to correlate the resulting data to real-world operations
- Design safe and reliable testing fixtures and test environments that can run continuously with minimal intervention
- Plan, build, and execute certified safety testing.  Perform tests under the supervision of regulatory bodies for robotics safety standards, demonstrating safety for new product launches

## What We’re Looking For

- 5+ years of experience in hardware testing
- BS in mechanical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, systems engineering, or similar field
- Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures
- The ability to communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience
- Understanding of machine safety or functional safety standards
- Experience setting up test instrumentation and data logging equipment
- Self-starter attitude with strong ability to identify problems, prioritize them, then plan and execute working solutions
- Enthusiasm for working in a fast paced startup environment and eagerness to support the team on a variety of topics

## Nice to Have

- 10+ years of experience in hardware testing
- MS in mechanical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, systems engineering, or similar field
- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or engineering team lead
- Solid understanding of failure mechanics, stress analysis, and common FEA tools
- Scripting experience in Python, MATLAB, or a similar language

## Equal Opportunity

Maven Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

## About Maven Robotics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Maven Robotics is building the world's leading general-purpose AI robots, starting with an industrial robot that combines strength, dexterity, mobility, and reliable physical AI to unlock productivity across manufacturing and logistics.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed round raised in September 2024 with 3 investors)
- **Headquarters**: Santa Clara, California, United States (with presence in Germany)
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Hamza Derbas (Co-Founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Robotics Engineering / Industrial Automation / AI Robotics
- **Target customers**: Large global manufacturing and logistics organizations, with a cost-efficient design that also makes automation accessible to businesses of every scale (SMB to Enterprise).
- **Mission**: "We believe the future of technology holds incredible promise, with many kinds of robots unlocking productivity, enhancing creativity, and improving life for humans everywhere. Our first step is to tackle real-world industry challenges, proving value and scalability to establish the foundation for a truly brighter future."

## Products & Services
- **General-purpose industrial robot (prototype)**: A hardware/software/AI system purpose-built for industry, combining strength, adaptive dexterity, fluid mobility, and the most reliable physical AI to work safely alongside people. Designed to be cost-efficient for businesses of all scales.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding amount not publicly available (Seed round with 3 investors, September 2024)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not named in available sources; the company states they are "working with some of the largest global manufacturing and logistics organizations."
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 52.4% year-over-year to 28 employees (as of mid-2025) [linkedin.com]
  - High-profile talent sourcing: alumni from Apple (9), Tesla (1), Ford, Aptiv, Caterpillar, and others [linkedin.com]
  - Active hiring across 14+ roles as of July 2025: robotic AI, ML perception, manipulation, motion planning, embedded software, mechanical and electrical engineering, Data Collection Operator [mavenrobotics.ai]

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-principles, customer-focused approach** – the company prioritizes solving real industrial pain points before generalizing, ensuring near-term traction
- **Small, elite team** – composed of engineers and scientists with deep experience from top tech and robotics companies (Apple, Tesla, Ford, Intuitive Surgical, etc.)
- **Cost-efficiency** – the robot is designed to be affordable enough for SMBs, not just large enterprises, widening the addressable market
- **Full-stack robotics** – in-house capabilities in hardware design (actuators, mechanisms), embedded systems, AI/ML (perception, manipulation, foundation models), motion planning, and simulation

## Strategic Focus
- **Near-term**: Prove value and scalability in industrial manufacturing and logistics through customer deployments; ship the first generation robot
- **Long-term**: Use the industrial foundation to build general-purpose robots that can tackle diverse real-world challenges, ultimately "unlocking human potential through intelligent robotics"

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a small team of engineers and scientists with "bold ambition, relentless curiosity, and belief in unlocking human potential through intelligent robotics." Emphasis on inventing, creating, and innovating from Silicon Valley.
- **Work model**: On-site or in-office workspace at the Santa Clara, CA headquarters. BuiltIn lists offices as "In-Office or Remote" but also states employees work from physical offices; typical time on-site is not specified. The careers page implies hands-on hardware/software work that likely requires presence. [builtin.com]
- **Notable perks/engineering culture**: Deep technical challenges across AI, perception, controls, embedded, mechanical, and electrical engineering. The team includes world-class experts from Apple, Tesla, Ford, etc. Opportunities to shape a product from prototype to deployment. Open roles include robotic AI, ML engineering, motion planning, embedded software, and hardware engineering.
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapidly growing startup (52% YoY headcount increase) with strong investor interest and a clear industrial go-to-market strategy.

## Sources
1. [mavenrobotics.ai](https://www.mavenrobotics.ai/)
2. [mavenrobotics.ai/join-us](https://www.mavenrobotics.ai/join-us)
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/maven-robotics)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/maven-robotics)
5. [craft.co](https://craft.co/maven-robotics)

## Other roles at Maven Robotics

- [Strategic Finance Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-finance-manager-maven-robotics-santa-clara-w0x4vz4vcg7v) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Electrical Engineer, Power Electronics](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-power-electronics-maven-robotics-santa-clara-6byhnt82y8t8) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Electrical Engineer, High Speed Hardware Design](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-high-speed-hardware-design-maven-robotics-santa-clara-vcevypan3ms1) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Industrial Design Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/industrial-design-lead-maven-robotics-santa-clara-gydv2p1czzet) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Executive Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-maven-robotics-santa-clara-jc4jp8n2p7yz) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Manufacturing Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-technician-maven-robotics-santa-clara-mtr1g3g4aft5) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Robot Fleet Maintenance Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/robot-fleet-maintenance-lead-maven-robotics-santa-clara-akpebsspnvh7) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Evaluation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/evaluation-engineer-maven-robotics-santa-clara-6khcx6x9vkdq) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Head of Data Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-data-operations-maven-robotics-santa-clara-4aba3xfsctgc) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Engineer, Dexterous End-Effector Design](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-engineer-dexterous-end-effector-design-maven-robotics-santa-clara-8vwvjy4qm3gp) — Santa Clara, CA