Staff SQA Engineer | Embedded Firmware | Hardware | Power Electronics (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area)

Staff SQA Engineer

Location: Durham, NC — on-site, five days per week

Compensation: $145,000–$160,000 base + 10% bonus

Overview

A growing technology company is seeking a senior, hands-on Staff SQA Engineer to establish and lead its local software quality assurance capability in Durham.

This role requires deep experience in product development environments , particularly where complex hardware, embedded software, and firmware must work together reliably. You will combine technical ownership with leadership of a distributed SQA team.

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical SME for software and firmware quality assurance.
• Establish and build an SQA lab and local testing capability in Durham.
• Develop automated testing practices, including CI/CD-based test execution.
• Assess existing SQA processes and identify opportunities to improve quality, productivity, and efficiency.
• Lead and provide technical direction to an offshore SQA team of approximately 30 engineers.
• Work closely with hardware, firmware, software, and systems engineering teams.
• Remain hands-on in test strategy, automation, debugging, and quality problem-solving.
• Support product cybersecurity requirements.
• Travel internationally as required to work with distributed engineering teams.

Required Experience

• 10+ years’ experience in SQA, software testing, firmware testing, or embedded systems verification.
• Strong background testing embedded software and firmware within a physical product environment .
• Experience working at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and software —including system-level testing, integration, and fault diagnosis.
• Experience building or improving automated test environments and test frameworks.
• Strong CI/CD and automated test-execution experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading or influencing distributed engineering teams.
• Able to balance hands-on technical work with senior technical leadership.
• Understanding of cybersecurity considerations in connected or embedded products.
• Able to work full-time on-site in Durham.

Preferred Background

• Experience in industrial technology, energy, power systems, electronics, controls, IoT, or another complex product-based sector.
• Experience in businesses developing and manufacturing hardware-enabled products rather than enterprise or web applications.
• Experience using AI-enabled tools or methods to improve test coverage, automation, or SQA processes.

This is an opportunity to build a local SQA capability from the ground up, shape how quality is delivered across a global engineering organisation, and make a direct impact on the reliability of complex hardware and firmware products.