Hardware Prototyping & Lab Lead

At Sonatus, we’re driving the transformation to AI-enabled software-defined vehicles. Traditional automotive software methods can’t keep pace with consumer expectations shaped by the mobile industry—where features evolve rapidly, update seamlessly, and improve continuously. That’s why leading OEMs trust Sonatus to accelerate this shift.

Our technology is already in production across more than 8 million vehicles on the road today and rapidly expanding. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, with 250+ employees worldwide, Sonatus combines the agility of a fast-growing company with the scale and impact of an established partner. Backed by strong funding and proven by global deployment, we’re solving some of the most interesting and complex challenges in the industry.

Join us and help redefine what’s possible as we shape the future of mobility. As our Hardware Prototyping Lab Lead , you will be the cornerstone of the physical engineering environment where the future of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV) comes to life. While Sonatus is a software-first company, our breakthrough technology requires a world-class hardware foundation to bridge the gap between code and the road.

You won't just be managing a lab; you'll be a critical enabler for our engineering teams, ensuring they have the infrastructure, prototypes, and technical support needed to deploy AI-enabled software into vehicles worldwide. This role blends administrative leadership with deep hands-on technical execution — including scripting and automation work — managing the transition of high-precision diagnostic tools and gateways from prototype to specialized, low-volume production. Given the highly collaborative and physical nature of our engineering labs, this role is 100% onsite at our Sunnyvale headquarters.

Highlights Learning Opportunities: Scale the Future of SDV: Play a hands-on role in supporting prototypes that are redefining automotive architecture and rapid feature evolution. Multi-Disciplinary Impact: Bridge the gap between hardware, software, and QA by writing scripts and tools that connect lab equipment, test automation, and engineering workflows. Lead Lab Innovation: Take full ownership of procurement and lab infrastructure, evolving our Sunnyvale headquarters into a state-of-the-art hardware development hub.

Deepen Technical Mastery: Enhance your expertise in failure analysis, custom harness design, and building automation scripts and instrument-control code within a Linux-based environment.

Responsibilities

Lab Administration Operations: End-to-End Lab Management: Oversee the organization, inventory, and lifecycle management of all lab equipment, electronic components, and consumable supplies. Infrastructure Excellence: Lead the procurement, installation, and optimization of lab infrastructure to meet evolving engineering needs. Compliance Maintenance: Coordinate the rigorous calibration, maintenance, and repair schedules for specialized test equipment.

Operational Support: Manage the Engineering Hardware Lab Jira ticketing system to prioritize and resolve technical requests efficiently. Prototype Development Specialized Production: Low-Volume Production Support: Execute programming for critical devices (CPLDs, Flash, EEPROMs) and perform mechanical integration for specialized system builds. Test Automation Scripting: Write, adapt, and maintain Python/Bash scripts to drive lab instruments (DMMs, power supplies, CAN/Ethernet analyzers), automate repetitive test sequences, parse and log test data, and integrate with QA automation frameworks in a Linux-based environment.

, for inventory tracking, test-result reporting, or equipment control) to improve lab efficiency and repeatability. Functional Validation: Perform comprehensive functional testing and mechanical integration for early-stage prototypes and low-volume production units.