Senior Lab Engineer, Project Starline

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience in Laboratory Safety Protocols (Chemicals, Lasers, High Voltage, etc.), Mechanical Metrology (CAD, Use of calipers, micrometers, gauge blocks, dial indicators, Instron, etc.), and Electrical Metrolgy (multimeter, O-scope, etc.).
• 5 years of experience in Vendor Management and Procurements (Procurement of electromechanical and laboratory components), and PCB and FPCB rework (soldering, de-soldering, crimping, etc).
• 3 years of experience using Linux command line environments and scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash) for automation, testing, or system administration in a hardware development or lab setting.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working with cameras, displays, audio hardware, or optical systems.
• Experience translating engineering requirements into executable test plans or procedures, for technician execution.
• Experience developing or refining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or technical documentation for lab processes.

About the job

Google's custom-designed machines make up one of the largest and most powerful computing infrastructures in the world. The Hardware Testing Engineering team ensures that this cutting-edge equipment is reliable. In the R&D lab, you design test equipment for prototypes of our machinery and develop the protocols used to scale these tests for the entire global team. Working closely with design engineers, you give input on designs to improve our hardware until you're sure it meets Google's standards of quality and reliability.

Project Starline from Google combines advances in hardware and software to enable friends, families and co-workers to feel together, even when they're cities (or countries) apart. Imagine looking through a magic window, and through that window, you see another person, life-size and in three-dimensions. As part of the Project Starline team, you'll work with researchers and engineers in a fast-paced product-oriented environment. Our teams collaborate closely with Google Workspace and Research teams. Your contributions will have an impact on the future of communications with Google products. You will apply technology to solve that really important problem that we often want to be together and we can't.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $135,000-$198,000 bonus equity benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google .

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot, configure, and maintain complex hardware prototypes and test setups within a Linux environment, utilizing command-line tools and scripting (e.g., Python) for automation, testing, and data collection.
• Assemble, disassemble, perform root cause analysis, and repair intricate electro-mechanical systems and subsystems to Project Starline prototypes.
• Deploy and validate software builds onto hardware prototypes, diagnosing and resolving integration issues across hardware, software, and network configurations.
• Develop, refine, and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for lab activities, translating complex engineering requirements into efficient, scalable, and repeatable processes.
• Provide technical support for engineering experiments, including setup, execution, modification of hardware components, and ensuring data integrity.