Test Automation Engineer Intern

About the role

Redwood Energy is building some of the fastest, lowest-cost energy storage in the U.S. from both new battery modules and second-life EV packs. Second-life hardware arrives with a history - different chemistries, capacities, and states of health - and every unit has to be proven safe and reliable before it ships. That proof comes from test: the automated systems that exercise the firmware and electronics inside our products and decide whether they're ready for the field. You will own a scoped project end to end and present your results to the engineering team at the close of the internship. You will write Python that drives real instruments and real battery hardware, help bring up new test stands from the bench up, and debug failures where the root cause could live in the test code, the fixture, or the unit under test. This is a great opportunity to apply what you've learned in coursework to production test systems, with mentorship from experienced engineers along the way.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Test Automation: Write and maintain Python test automation for firmware and hardware validation, using pytest and our internal test frameworks.
• Instrument Control: Develop drivers and tooling for programmable power supplies, electronic loads, data acquisition, and switching hardware over protocols like SCPI, CAN, and Modbus.
• Test Stand Bring-Up: Help bring up new test stands - from fixtures and wiring through the software that sequences them - as we expand our validation capability.
• System Debugging: Investigate real failures on real equipment, using CAN traces, instrument logs, and bench tools to determine whether the fault lies in the test code, the fixture, or the unit under test.
• Continuous Integration: Add regression coverage to our CI pipelines so firmware changes are validated automatically rather than by hand.
• Documentation & Process: Contribute to documentation and test processes that support taking test systems from prototype toward production.
• You'll own a scoped project end to end and present your results to the engineering team at the close of the internship.

Requirements

• Background: Currently pursuing a BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Programming Foundations: Working proficiency in Python, including comfort reading and modifying a codebase you did not write.
• Testing Experience: Experience writing automated tests with pytest or a comparable framework, from coursework, projects, or prior internships.
• Version Control: Experience with Git and a pull-request-based development workflow.
• EE Fundamentals: Solid grasp of circuit basics - voltage, current, resistance, and power, and how they relate - sufficient to predict what a measurement should read and recognize when it doesn't.
• Hardware Fundamentals: Able to read a schematic, wiring diagram, or datasheet and act on it; hands-on experience working safely around energized equipment - power supplies, loads, or battery hardware - from lab work, projects, or prior internships.
• Communication Protocols: Familiarity with CAN, Modbus, SCPI, or other instrument and industrial protocols is a plus, even if only from classwork or personal projects.
• Linux: Familiarity with the Linux command line is a plus.
• Curiosity & Rigor: A safety-conscious mindset, strong attention to detail, and eagerness to learn how production test systems are built. Prior industry or energy storage experience is not expected.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with CAN, Modbus, SCPI, or other instrument and industrial protocols.
• Experience with Linux command-line tools and workflows.

Practical notes

• In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills.
• The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.
• We collect personal information (PI) from you in connection with your application for employment with Redwood Materials, including the following categories of PI: identifiers, personal records, professional or employment information, and inferences drawn from your PI. We collect your PI for our purposes, including performing services and operations related to your potential employment. If you have additional privacy-related questions, please contact us at privacy@redwoodmaterials.com.