Jobs and Careers

Software QA Engineer, Embedded Linux

San Diego, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 1 Jun 2026

💰 $130,000/yr($100,000/yr – $130,000/yr)

About the role

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world-class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting-edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost.

About the Role

Firestorm’s Embedded Linux team builds the software platform that manages our vehicles. The embedded Linux team handles cameras and drivers, configuration and control of radios, and other operating system level services; middleware and Linux services; low-level drivers and HALs; and the critical interfaces that connect autonomy, payloads, and comms.

We’re hiring a Software QA Engineer to be the first deep-testing line for this software stack—validating embedded firmware, board support packages, device drivers, and safety-critical data paths long before Flight Test. You’ll blend expert exploratory/system testing with targeted automation across HIL/SIL rigs, exercising real buses (CAN/CAN-FD, UART, SPI, I²C, Ethernet) and stressing links (MAVLink, Tactical Data Links, etc.) under real-world fault conditions. You’ll partner closely with avionics, autonomy, radio, and payload engineers to harden reliability where it matters most: on the aircraft.

This is a full-time, onsite role at our San Diego HQ. Expect meaningful hands-on time with benches, flight computers, power systems, radios, and sensors to validate end-to-end flight workflows.

What You’ll Do

Own system test for embedded Linux, providing fast, actionable feedback on functional defects, timing issues, and regressions that impact flight safety and operator trust.
Validate engineering work: during sprints engineering individual tasks will be verified to the acceptance criteria defined by the task and verified in the build.
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.
Contribute to 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.
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; steps, suspected root cause; track to closure with responsible engineers.
Contribute to safety, security, and reliability hardening aligned to MIL-STD/DO guidance (negative testing, permission audits, fail-safe defaults, persistent-state hygiene).
Produce clear and concise 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 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