Senior Software QA Engineer, Avionics Platform

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 Avionics Platform team builds the software platform that flies our vehicles: flight computers and peripheral controllers running embedded Linux and RTOS stacks; middleware and Linux services; low‑level drivers and HALs; and the critical interfaces that connect autonomy, payloads, and comms.

We’re hiring a Senior Software QA Engineer to be the first deep‑testing line for this avionics 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 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

US Salary Range: $140,000 – $185,000 USD.

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan.
• Unlimited PTO.
• 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. Option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Mental health resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy.
• Additional work‑life services, such as free legal and financial support.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.