Principal Chief Engineer & System Architect

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

16h•$212,000 - $247,000•Onsite

About The Position

Build and lead a cross-product integration, test, and verification capability for complex hardware, software, and UAS systems. The role owns the integration and verification approach, test architecture, evidence quality, and escalation of unresolved defects. It works with Chief Engineers, who remain accountable for product technical integrity and readiness recommendations. The position leads risk-based integration, verification, and validation planning across 2–3 active product lines; translates requirements, interfaces, failure modes, and operational scenarios into executable test coverage and acceptance criteria; and coordinates integration sequencing, readiness, qualification evidence, and traceability. It also develops test infrastructure and practices, leads test engineering personnel, drives failure analysis and corrective-action verification, and reports objective results, anomalies, risks, and coverage gaps. The role is based onsite at Firestorm’s headquarters in San Diego, California. Candidates may be local or open to relocating; relocation assistance may be included in the offer package where appropriate. Applicants must meet applicable U.S. export-control eligibility requirements.

Requirements

10+ years in integration, test engineering, verification/validation, or systems test for complex hardware/software products.
Experience leading test engineers or multidisciplinary integration/test teams and building test capability.
Demonstrated ownership of test strategy and evidence for integrated systems through field or operational deployment.
Practical knowledge of HIL/SIL, instrumentation, automation, test design, requirements traceability, defect management, and root-cause analysis.
Ability to provide objective technical findings and constructively escalate verification gaps to engineering leadership.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain required U.S. export-control authorizations.

Nice To Haves

UAS, aerospace, autonomy, embedded systems, defense, or robotics verification experience.
Experience with ground/flight testing, qualification, safety-critical interfaces, and operationally representative environments.
Experience building test infrastructure at a startup.
Familiarity with FMEA, fault trees, environmental/EMI qualification, and manufacturing acceptance testing.

Responsibilities

Lead risk-based system integration, verification, and validation planning across 2–3 active product lines.
Translate system requirements, critical interfaces, failure modes, and operational scenarios into executable test coverage and acceptance criteria.
Coordinate integration sequencing, test readiness, qualification evidence, and verification traceability with Chief Engineers and functional teams.
Build or strengthen SIL/HIL, automated regression, bench/lab integration, instrumentation, data capture, and representative field/flight-test practices as appropriate.
Establish repeatable test procedures, defect tracking, reproducibility standards, and configuration control for test articles and environments.
Lead test engineering personnel and coordinate distributed functional test contributors without duplicating existing testing teams.
Report objective verification results, open anomalies, residual risks, and coverage gaps, and independently escalate unresolved concerns.
Drive failure analysis, root-cause investigation, corrective-action verification, and prevention of recurring integration escapes.
Develop metrics for late-found defects, verification coverage, regression effectiveness, test reliability, and time to close critical anomalies.
Map test assets, coverage gaps, recurring failures, and critical integration dependencies; establish verification plans and evidence standards and improve test repeatability, defect diagnosis, and readiness evidence.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan.
Equity grants for new hires.
Unlimited PTO.
Generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November and December.
Generous parental leave.
Lifestyle Spending Account.
FSA, DCFSA, and HSA.
Hospital indemnity insurance.
Critical illness insurance.
Accident insurance.
Basic Life/AD&D and short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm, with the option to purchase additional life insurance.
Free 24/7 mental health resources, including therapy, plus free legal and financial support.
Relocation assistance may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
Opportunities for career growth.