Jr Software Test Engineer Jobs in Santa Rosa, CA

The Motion Sensing Hardware team at Apple develops sophisticated test systems and instrumentation that support cutting-edge sensing technologies in consumer products. This role offers an opportunity to join a team that designs, builds, and validates the custom hardware infrastructure used to characterize inertial, pressure, and magnetic sensors throughout the product development lifecycle. We invite motivated and innovative electrical engineers to help create the test instrumentation that gives our team unmatched insight into sensor performance.
As a Module Test Instrumentation & Automation Engineer, you will be responsible for designing the electronic hardware and supporting software that underpin the team’s sensor characterization capability. Your work will span schematic design, PCB layout oversight, and the software layers that connect custom test hardware to the team’s broader automation infrastructure. You will bring together deep electrical engineering fundamentals and strong software development skills to deliver instrumentation that is precise, reliable, and tightly integrated with the team’s characterization workflows.
Description
This position requires a versatile electrical engineer with hands-on experience designing analog and mixed signal circuits, overseeing PCB layout for precision measurement applications, and writing software to connect custom test hardware to the team’s automation and data collection pipelines. You will own the design of sensor evaluation boards and test fixtures from schematic through bring-up, ensuring that hardware choices - signal conditioning topology, power architecture, interface selection - directly serve the accuracy and throughput demands of sensor characterization. You will develop the software interfaces that expose test hardware functionality to higher-level automation tools, and work closely with firmware and embedded software engineers where dedicated firmware is required. The role demands rigorous attention to signal integrity and measurement accuracy, strong software engineering skills, and the ability to collaborate closely with characterization and data automation engineers to ensure that the hardware and software layers work together seamlessly.","responsibilities":"Design analog and mixed-signal schematics for sensor evaluation boards, test fixtures, and custom data acquisition hardware used in IMU, pressure, and compass characterization
Oversee PCB layout for test hardware, reviewing for signal integrity, noise isolation, power supply rejection and measurement accuracy
Develop software interfaces and APIs that expose test hardware functionality to higher-level automation and data collection tools
Write Python-based tools and scripts to automate hardware bring-up, functional verification and calibration of custom test instrumentation
Perform board-level debug using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers and precision measurement equipment to validate hardware behavior
Collaborate with characterization engineers to translate sensor test requirements into hardware specifications
Collaborate with firmware engineers to define embedded interface requirements for custom test hardware
Collaborate with data automation engineers to ensure test hardware integrates cleanly into shared data collection and analysis pipelines
Manage schematic revision control, maintaining clear documentation of hardware versions throughout the product development cycle
Support bring-up of new sensor variants on evaluation hardware, identifying and resolving signal chain issues at the hardware-software boundary
Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent
Hands-on experience designing schematics and reviewing PCB layouts for analog, mixed-signal or precision measurement applications
Firmware development experience in C/C++ for embedded microcontrollers, including peripheral driver development, sensor communication drivers and hardware bring-up
Experience with FPGA development using Verilog or VHDL for high-speed data capture or custom sensor interface logic
Familiarity with MEMS sensor operation and the signal chain requirements for characterizing IMU, pressure and magnetometer devices
Experience designing for low-noise, high-resolution measurement applications including careful attention to grounding, shielding and EMI mitigation
Experience with DFT and DFM considerations for test hardware used in production or high volume characterization environments
Familiarity with sensor fusion concepts and how hardware design choices influence system level accuracy
Experience developing hardware abstraction layers or SDK-style interfaces that allow firmware to be reused across multiple hardware revisions
Experience with version control systems and firmware CI/CD workflows for embedded software
Familiarity with data automation frameworks and how embedded test systems interface with host-side data pipelines
Experience with consumer electronics product development cycles, including EVT/DVT/PVT hardware bring-up phases
Passion for precision measurement and building instrumentation that enables the team to move faster with higher confidence
Minimum Qualifications
Minimum requirement of a bachelors degree
Proficiency with industry-standard schematic capture tools (Altium Designer, Cadence, or equivalent)
Strong analog design fundamentals: signal conditioning, filtering, amplifier selection, noise analysis, and power supply design for precision measurement
Familiarity with common sensor communication interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART) and ability to debug signal integrity issues at the hardware level
Proficiency with lab instrumentation: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, LCR meters, and precision voltage references
Proficiency in Python for test automation, hardware control, and data collection scripting
Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to document hardware designs clearly and collaborate across hardware, firmware and software disciplines
Pay & Benefits
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $122,700 and $214,300, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.