Lead SDET / Python, Test Automation, CICD

Irvine, CaliforniaOnsiteFull Time$160k - $190kWe are partnered with a rapidly growing electric vehicle technology company that is building next-generation EV charging solutions for the expanding electric mobility market. As the engineering team continues to grow, they are looking to hire a Lead SDET Engineer to own and scale their automated testing platform, ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of mission-critical embedded products.This is a highly technical, hands-on role for someone with a strong software engineering background in Python, Linux, APIs, and automation frameworks. The ideal candidate has experience building test infrastructure from the ground up, automating hardware-in-the-loop testing, and collaborating closely with firmware and systems engineers to improve product quality and accelerate release cycles. Key Responsibilities Design, develop, and maintain the Python-based test automation platform supporting firmware validation and release readiness (35%) Build and expand automated regression testing, HIL/SIL simulations, and CI/CD pipelines for embedded systems (25%) Test REST and WebSocket APIs while diagnosing failures across distributed systems, firmware, and automation frameworks (20%) Partner with firmware, hardware, and systems engineering teams to improve testability, product quality, and certification readiness (10%) Contribute to architecture, code reviews, technical documentation, and mentor junior engineers (10%) Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field 5+ years of experience in SDET, software test automation, or software engineering Strong Python development experience and experience building automation frameworks Experience testing REST APIs, WebSocket APIs, and distributed service-oriented systems Strong Linux, Docker, CI/CD, and SQL experience Experience with PyTest or similar Python testing frameworks Strong debugging, log analysis, and root cause analysis skills Exposure to Embedded C/C++ is a plus Experience with EV charging systems, HIL testing, CAN bus, or OCPP protocols is highly preferred Excellent communication skills and experience collaborating across cross-functional engineering teams The Offer $170,000 - $190,000 base salary 5-8% annual bonus Full medical, dental, and vision benefits 401(k) plan Two-week paid company shutdown during Christmas and New Year's 10 PTO days plus company holidays Full-time onsite role in Irvine, CA (5 days per week) Opportunity to build the core automation platform for cutting-edge EV charging technology while working alongside a highly collaborative engineering team