Board Bring-Up Specialist (Validation Engineering)

About Etched

Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers, delivering over 10× higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than leading GPU-based systems. Our ASIC-based platform enables entirely new classes of applications—such as real-time video generation and deep, parallel chain-of-thought reasoning—that are impractical on GPUs.Backed by top-tier investors and built by world-class engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest-growing industry in history.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Junior Systems Validation & Bring-Up Engineer to support the validation, testing, and early bring-up of Etched’s cutting-edge hardware systems. This role is ideal for new grads or early-career engineers who want deep, hands-on exposure to real hardware in a fast-moving environment.

You will work closely with electrical, systems, and firmware engineers to execute validation tests, assist with system bring-up, debug basic hardware issues, and collect high-quality data that drives design decisions. This is a lab-focused, engineering-oriented role with significant opportunities to grow into deeper validation or systems engineering responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Support system and board-level bring-up by executing validation and smoke tests on prototype hardware

• Run validation test plans to verify functionality, performance, and reliability of boards, subsystems, and full systems

• Assist engineers with basic debugging and root-cause analysis, including checking power rails, signals, connections, firmware loads, and configuration issues

• Use lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, power supplies, and thermal tools to capture measurements and debug issues

• Set up and maintain test environments, including cabling, fixtures, instrumentation, and logging tools

• Collect, organize, and document test results, failures, and observations clearly so engineers can act on them quickly

• Collaborate closely with EE, systems, firmware, and validation engineers to support rapid hardware iteration

• Help improve test coverage, validation procedures, and lab workflows as designs evolve
  

You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology.

• Exposure to hardware validation, bring-up, or debugging.

• Familiarity with common electronics lab equipment (oscilloscope, multimeter, power supply, logic analyzer, etc.)

• Basic understanding of:

• Electronic devices and circuits

• Power delivery and sequencing

• Digital interfaces and signals

• System-level hardware debugging concept

• Ability to follow test procedures, run experiments carefully, and collect accurate data
  Strong documentation and communication skills—able to clearly explain what was tested and what was observed

• Hands-on mindset with eagerness to learn and work directly with physical hardware

Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)

• Internship or project experience with board bring-up, system validation, or lab automation

• Exposure to Linux systems, scripting, or test software

• Familiarity with high-speed interfaces, servers, or data-center hardware (coursework is fine)

• Experience debugging hardware issues in a team setting

• Course work in the following:

• Relevant Coursework (ECE / EE)

  • Core Electronics

    • Electronic Devices (Diodes, BJTs, MOSFETs)

    • Linear Integrated Circuits (Op-Amps, Regulators, Comparators)

  • Embedded Systems & Programming

    • Embedded Systems / Embedded Microcontrollers

  • C / C++ / Python Programming, for Embedded Systems

    • Test, Measurement & Lab Work

    • Electronic Measurements & Instrumentation, Engineering Laboratory Courses (Analog, Digital, Embedded Labs)

We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet every qualification. Curiosity, hands-on ability, and willingness to learn matter most.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage

  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits

• Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office

• Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

• Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more

• Daily lunch + dinner in our office

How we’re different

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.