Principal Engineer - Integration, Test, & verification

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Build and lead a cross-product integration, test, and verification capability for complex hardware, software, and UAS systems. Own the integration and verification approach, test architecture, evidence quality, and escalation of unresolved defects. Work with Chief Engineers, who remain accountable for product technical integrity and readiness recommendations. Lead risk-based integration, verification, and validation planning across 2–3 active product lines. Establish test infrastructure and repeatable procedures, lead test engineering personnel, and coordinate distributed functional test contributors. Provide objective verification results, report open anomalies and residual risks, and independently escalate unresolved concerns. The role is based on-site at the company’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. The U.S. salary range is $200,000–$230,000. Applicants 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. government export-control authorizations. Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer and provides application accommodations upon request.

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 authorizations under U.S. export-control regulations.

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.
Local to San Diego or open to relocating.

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 or 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; escalate unresolved concerns independently of schedule pressure.
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 during the first 30 days.
Develop a risk-based verification plan for each product and agree on a test readiness and evidence standard within 90 days.
Improve integration test repeatability, critical-interface coverage, and defect diagnosis speed within six months.
Reduce late-stage defects and recurring failures and provide objective, auditable readiness evidence for major milestones within 12 months.

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.
Option to purchase additional life insurance for the employee and family.
Free 24/7 mental health resources, including therapy.
Free legal and financial support.
Relocation assistance may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth.