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Systems Test Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Seek Thermal, Inc

Systems and Test Engineer

Goleta, CA · On-site

As a Systems Test Engineer at Seek Thermal, you will lead the integration, verification, and test of thermal imaging systems-working across hardware, software, firmware, optical, and manufacturing ...

Qualcomm

Senior Systems Test Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$107K - $160K/yr

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Systems Test Engineering General Summary: This individual independently plans, performs the moderately-defined responsibility for the testing and modifying of ...

Mytra

Senior Systems Test Engineer

Brisbane, CA · On-site

$130K - $150K/yr

Mytra's Systems Integration and Test team is looking for a mechanically oriented Systems Test Engineer to design and execute structural and dynamic tests for warehouse robotics and pallet racking ...

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Systems Test Engineer information

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How much do systems test engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for systems test engineer in California is $62.67, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $45.77 and $66.20 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some of the most common challenges faced by systems test engineers during multi-departmental projects?

Systems Test Engineers often encounter challenges when coordinating testing activities across multiple departments, such as software, hardware, and quality assurance teams. These challenges include ensuring effective communication, aligning testing schedules, and managing dependencies between components. Balancing thorough test coverage while meeting project deadlines can also be demanding. Proactively collaborating with cross-functional teams and adopting clear documentation practices can help mitigate these challenges and ensure smooth project execution.

What is the difference between Systems Test Engineer vs Software Test Engineer?

AspectSystems Test EngineerSoftware Test Engineer
Primary FocusTesting entire systems, including hardware and software integrationTesting software applications and code
Required SkillsKnowledge of hardware, software, and systems integrationStrong programming, scripting, and software testing skills
Work EnvironmentOften in labs or manufacturing settings, involving hardwarePrimarily in office or remote environments, focusing on software
CertificationsISTQB, ISTQB Certified Tester, or similarISTQB, CSTE, or similar

While both roles involve testing, Systems Test Engineers focus on testing complete systems, including hardware and software integration, whereas Software Test Engineers concentrate on software applications and code quality. The roles share certifications and work environments but differ in scope and technical focus.

What is a systems test engineer?

A Systems Test Engineer is a professional responsible for designing, developing, and executing tests to ensure that complex systems and their components function correctly and meet specified requirements. They work closely with other engineering teams to identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and verify that all system integrations operate as intended. Systems Test Engineers often create test plans, develop automated test scripts, and document their findings to help improve product quality and reliability.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a systems test engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Systems Test Engineer, you need a solid understanding of test methodologies, system integration, and engineering principles, typically backed by a degree in engineering or computer science. Experience with automated testing tools (such as Selenium or JUnit), scripting languages, and familiarity with requirements management systems are commonly required. Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and effective communication are essential soft skills for excelling in this role. These skills ensure rigorous testing, accurate defect identification, and seamless collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, leading to reliable and high-quality system deliveries.
What cities in California are hiring for Systems Test Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Systems Test Engineer job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Systems Test Engineer jobs in CA? For Systems Test Engineer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Systems Test Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Systems Test Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 5% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,361 per year, or $62.7 per hour.

Systems Test Engineer - Contract

Medra

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

What We're Building:
At Medra, our mission is to use AI, robotics, and biology to accelerate life science research, with the ultimate goal of eradicating disease. We have been quietly building the foundational layers of our Physical AI Scientist platform:
Physical AI that can operate scientific instruments with human-level dexterity.
Scientific AI that can analyze results, reason about next steps, and close the loop autonomously.
This is an incredibly ambitious mission, but we believe that a team of ambitious people with high ownership can accomplish incredible things.
The Team:
• We're a team of passionate, mission-driven engineers and scientists from companies like Tesla, Amazon, SpaceX, and Neuralink. We're collaborative and love moving fast, both with our product and on team trips skiing or go-karting!
• As a team, we love nerding out about engineering and robotics - plus other topics like race cars or cooking. We like learning new things and then sharing our new knowledge with each other.
• Our team is opinionated and straightforward. We don't mind intense discussions about design tradeoffs. If we have arguments or miscommunication, we resolve conflicts quickly and empathetically.
The Role:
We're looking for a Systems Test Engineer to be our front line of robot uptime at Medra Lab 001. You'll work on-site to monitor daily protocol runs, respond to issues in real time, keep the system running smoothly and help engineering team prioritize and ship improvements.
This is a high-impact role where your reliability directly enables cutting-edge biological research.
In this role, you will:
  • Maintain robot uptime and reliability across daily protocol runs, ensuring the system performs at peak efficiency
  • Diagnose and resolve operational issues onsite using SOPs, playbooks, and your own intuition for the system
  • Escalate complex issues to the engineering team with clear, structured incident reports including relevant metadata
  • Monitor system health proactively using dashboards and alerting tools to catch issues before they cause production failures
  • Perform routine calibration checks and preventive maintenance on the robot, peripherals, and consumables
  • Document all incidents, resolutions, and observations to build a reliable knowledge base of site-specific issues and drive data-driven improvements over time
  • Support remote and on-site engineering visits by assisting with hardware upgrades, validating software deployments, and performing test runs after changes
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with customer scientists to coordinate run schedules and communicate system status

Let's talk if you have:
  • Background in robotics, automation, or mechatronics
  • Comfort around automation equipment - you should be able to follow SOPs, troubleshoot basic hardware/software issues, and know when to escalate
  • Strong written communication - you'll be filing incident reports and coordinating with software and hardware engineers daily
  • A dependable, detail-oriented approach with a bias toward documenting what you see and proactively flagging potential issues
  • Willingness to be on-call or adjust schedule to support critical customer runs when needed

(OPTIONAL) Bonus points if you have:
  • Familiarity with life science lab equipment
  • Experience with observability or monitoring tools (dashboards, alerting systems, log analysis)
  • 1+ years of experience in a manufacturing support, field engineering, QA, or production support roles

Medra is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies. We value diversity at Medra and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

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