Who We Are
About the Role
What You’ll Do
- Own system test for avionics (embedded Linux + RTOS targets), providing fast, actionable feedback on functional defects, timing issues, and regressions that impact flight safety and operator trust.
- Plan and execute risk-based strategies: feature/bring-up test plans, exploratory charters, protocol-level regression suites, acceptance criteria, and release sign-off gates ahead of Flight Test.
- Build and maintain automation for HIL/SIL:
- SIL: host-based unit/integration tests for drivers and middleware (e.g., gtest/pytest), simulation of sensors/buses, fault-injection hooks.
- HIL: Python-driven benches to exercise serial/CAN/Ethernet I/O, sensor emulators, and power-cycle/bootloader/OTA flows; automate log capture and golden-trace diffs.
- Stand up reproducible rigs: power supplies/electronic loads, CAN analyzers, logic analyzers, GNSS/sensor simulators, programmable RF links; script scenario playback and telemetry injection.
- Validate robustness under degraded conditions: jitter, clock drift, packet loss/duplication, bus contention, brownouts, hot-plug, and watchdog resets; verify safe behavior and recovery paths.
- Instrument and diagnose: collect structured logs/metrics; create packet and log scrapers; use Wireshark, logic-analyzer traces, and serial/TCP/UDP sniffers to isolate timing and state issues quickly.
- Own defect triage: minimize and reproduce; file high-signal reports with traces, steps, suspected root cause; track to closure with responsible engineers.
- Shift-left quality with the team: review code/IDLs from a testability lens, encourage dependency hygiene, feature flags, determinism controls, and golden datasets.
- Integrate into CI/CD (GitLab/Jenkins): hardware runners for on-bench smoke, protocol/regression gates, and per-target artifact validation (e.g., .bin/.hex, DFU, OTA).
- Contribute to safety, security, and reliability hardening aligned to MIL-STD/DO guidance (negative testing, fuzzing on parsers, permission audits, fail-safe defaults, persistent-state hygiene).
- Produce crisp test docs (plans, procedures, bench/bring-up checklists) and mentor engineers on embedded QA techniques and automation patterns.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years professional QA/SDET experience, including automation for embedded/real-time or safety-critical systems.
- Hands-on testing for embedded Linux and/or RTOS (e.g., NuttX, FreeRTOS, PX4) and driver/HAL layers across UART/SPI/I²C/CAN-FD/Ethernet.
- Practical experience building automated tests with Python (pytest/Robot or equivalent) controlling benches over serial/CAN/Ethernet; comfort with C/C++ artifacts and host-based unit tests (gtest).
- Comfortable validating networked real-time systems (MAVLink, DDS, WebSockets), async I/O, and telemetry flows under constrained or lossy links.
- Proficient with Linux and Windows test environments, CLI tooling, scripting (Python/Bash/PowerShell), and Git.
- Experience integrating test suites into CI/CD (GitLab CI/Jenkins/GitHub Actions) and working with firmware packaging/bootloaders/OTA.
- Strong exploratory testing, defect isolation, and written communication—able to translate flight and bring-up workflows into crisp, testable scenarios.
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep experience with HIL/SIL design (sensor and bus emulation, fault injection, golden-trace comparison) and data-driven test design.
- Experience with PX4/ArduPilot middleware, uORB/parameters, and flight-control logging; familiarity with QGroundControl mission/telemetry workflows.
- Protocol/domain knowledge: MAVLink, STANAG 4586, Cursor-on-Target, DDS/RTPS, CAN diagnostics.
- Comfort with radios, GNSS, IMUs, payload interfaces, and lab bring-up; basic electronics (oscilloscope/logic-analyzer/JTAG) a plus.
- Performance/reliability testing: stress/soak/latency, boot-time and watchdog behavior, power-interrupt/EMI considerations; awareness of DO-178C/DO-160/MIL-STD-810/461 practices.
- Experience with Yocto/Buildroot, containerized benches (Docker/Podman), and artifact reproducibility.
- Test management/reporting (e.g., TestRail/Jira) and metrics for release readiness.
Work Environment
- Onsite at San Diego HQ with frequent hands-on work at benches and labs; tight collaboration with avionics, autonomy, payload, manufacturing, and Flight Test.
- Occasional local field/range support for pre-flight validation; some travel (<20%).
- Fast-paced, iterative development with tight feedback loops; you’ll help harden reliability before software reaches Flight Test.
- Ability to lift/move lab kits (~25 lbs) occasionally and follow lab/range safety procedures.
Compensation
Benefits & Perks
- We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
- Unlimited PTO
- Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in December.
- Generous Parental Leave
- FSA
- HSA
- Hospital Indemnity insurance
- Critical Illness insurance
- Accident insurance
- Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
- Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more.
- Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
ITAR Compliance
Equal Opportunity Statement
- Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
- Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
- Blind or low vision
- Cancer (past or present)
- Cardiovascular or heart disease
- Celiac disease
- Cerebral palsy
- Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
- Diabetes
- Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
- Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
- Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
- Intellectual or developmental disability
- Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
- Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
- Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
- Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
- Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
- Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
- Short stature (dwarfism)
- Traumatic brain injury