Assistant Manager - Validation

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Validation Engineer with 3 to 10 years of hands-on experience in the smart metering industry. The ideal candidate will take ownership of the end-to-end verification and validation (V&V) processes for electricity meters. This role requires an engineer with exhaustive knowledge of Indian Standards (IS) and national utility compliance architectures to ensure our products maintain the highest benchmarks of quality, accuracy, and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Test Strategy & Execution: Formulate validation plans, comprehensive test specifications, matrices, and protocols aligned with hardware and firmware requirements.
• Conduct hands-on testing including functional, Metrology, Tamper, Environmental, Reliability, and Communication protocol testing.
• Replicate filed issues and customer complaints in the lab environment to support R&D in root-cause analysis.
• Develop test benches and automated test setups using scripts or software like Python, LabVIEW.
• Compliance & Standards Management: Map testing protocols directly to applicable Indian Standards (IS 16444, IS 13779, IS 15959 part 1, 2 & 3). Oversee DLMS/COSEM compliance testing, companion standard testing, and data exchanges with Head End Systems (HES) and MDM.
• Lead certification efforts by coordinating with third-party Indian testing laboratories like CPRI and ERDA.
• Ensure data security compliance by validating cryptographic functions, secure boot operations, and rollouts of firmware over-the-air (FOTA).
• Documentation & Reporting: Generate technical test reports, clear defect logs, and final validation summary reports for management review. Maintain traceability matrices that link engineering requirements directly to validated test outcomes. Review user manuals, product datasheets, and technical documentation to ensure layout matches operational reality.

Technical Skills

• Domain Expertise: Deep, structural understanding of single-phase and three-phase static smart meters.
• Testing Tool Proficiency: Experience operating phantom loads, reference standard meters, environmental chambers, surge simulators, and spectrum analyzers.
• Protocol & DLMS Knowledge: Skilled with DLMS/COSEM communication protocols, CTT (Conformance Test Tool), and protocol analyzers (Wireshark).
• RF/Cellular Communication: Working knowledge of network interfaces including cellular (2G/4G/5G/NB-IoT), RF Mesh, and Zigbee.
• Standards Familiarity: In-depth knowledge of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms for smart metering ecosystems.

Soft Skills

• Analytical Thinker: Sharp problem-solving instincts to trace firmware anomalies or hardware drift under stressful operating conditions.
• Team Player: Proven experience collaborating seamlessly across R&D, firmware design, and production engineering functions.
• Clear Communicator: Strong technical report writing skills and the ability to articulate bugs precisely to development engineering.