Who we are:

Arena is on a mission to accelerate hardware innovation that powers human progress. Our name is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's 'Citizenship in a Republic' speech. To us, entering the Arena means committing fully and accepting the risk of failure in pursuit of an audacious, worthy cause. We believe the future belongs to those brave enough to build it.

Our team of 50 combines AI engineering, applied physics and Electrical Engineering expertise with deep experience in enterprise deployments. We're headquartered in NYC with presences in San Francisco and Los Angeles, backed by $62M from Initialized, Founders Fund, Goldcrest Capital, Fifth Down Capital, and Shield Capital.

If you're ready to do the most important work of your career, join us in the Arena.

What we do:

At Arena, we're building foundational intelligence for modern hardware. Our AI platform Atlas operationalizes physics-grounded intelligence to verify, debug, and optimize hardware across its lifecycle. Atlas is already trusted globally by the world's most advanced hardware companies, including AMD and Bausch & Lomb, for applications across R&D, integration testing, production assembly, and field repair.

About the role:

As an Electrical Engineer specializing in Test Automation, you will advance Atlas’s ability to reason about real-world hardware validation and own our product features for automated test and verification workflows. You'll work across a varied field of applications, from functional board test and end-of-line validation to communication bus protocol verification and mixed-signal measurement. You will define test strategies, design and build automated test systems, take measurements in the lab, and forward deploy to customers — all in pursuit of redefining hardware innovation.

How you will contribute:

Build test automation capabilities for Atlas - Lead test plan strategy and methodology definition for new modules and features within Atlas, owning the quality bar from component level to full system

Bring PCB design expertise - Work with tools like Altium and Cadence OrCAD to support integrations and workflows into Atlas

Develop test procedures and automation scripts - Implement automated validation from component level to system level using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, and similar tools

Perform hands-on testing - Take measurements in the lab, analyze test data, and communicate results clearly to drive design and product improvements

Automate test workflows at scale - Convert best-practice test automation processes into reusable templates and Atlas features in close partnership with our software engineering team

Support forward-deployed engineering - Embed with customers when needed to diagnose real hardware issues, understand their processes and workflows, and feed learnings back into the platform

Travel domestically and internationally (up to 25% of your time)

Work in person at Arena's NYC headquarters when not traveling

You Have:

• 5+ years of professional experience as an test automation electrical engineer working in industry, ideally at a frontier hardware or aerospace company
• Test automation expertise — Serve as the domain expert and primary collaborator with software engineering and ML teams working on building AI systems that understand EE
• Experience with computer hardware communication bus protocols: USB, I2C, I2S, CSI, Ethernet, SPI, PCIe, HDMI, CAN, serial comms, etc
• Strong communication — You can explain complex physical behavior clearly, write structured technical reports, and align cross-functional teams around root causes and next steps.

Benefits & Perks Include:

• • 100% of the monthly premium for Aetna medical insurance, plus vision and dental coverage
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Lunch every day from local restaurants via Sharebite
  • Relocation support provided

The base salary range for this position is $130,000 - $175,000 yr. However, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to base salary, we also offer competitive equity and benefits packages.

This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.