Senior Firmware Automation Engineer

Samsara • San Francisco, CA

16h • Hybrid

About The Position

Most "automation" roles are stuck in the browser. At Samsara, we operate where the code meets the cold, hard steel. We aren’t just validating features; we are orchestrating high-performance Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments that keep the world’s critical infrastructure moving. Samsara’s Automation Engineering team uses cutting-edge engineering processes and data analysis to drive product excellence, ensuring our customers realize the full potential of our platform. Beyond system validation, the team seeks to cultivate an automation-first culture that produces best-in-class reliability, usability, and performance across all of our product development teams. We’re looking for a self-driven Senior Automation Engineer to join our fast-growing Smart Trailers and Connected Equipment team. You will be the architect responsible for the automated systems ensuring the integrity of our asset gateway and sensor product lines.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in embedded systems or firmware automation engineering.
• Hands-on expertise building and maintaining HIL environments and custom automated frameworks for physical devices.
• Solid experience automating RTOS-based embedded systems (Zephyr, FreeRTOS, or similar).
• High proficiency in Python for sophisticated framework architecture and test development.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (Buildkite, Jenkins), version control (Git), and scalable automation architectures.
• Proven ability to perform low-level troubleshooting and root cause analysis on complex embedded hardware.

Nice To Haves

• A Product & Owner Mindset: You are obsessed with the "why." You possess deep customer empathy, take full accountability for end-to-end outcomes, and proactively adapt based on feedback to ensure long-term success.
• Experience with Agentic workflows to enable rapid automation prototyping and autonomous development.
• Strong knowledge of Cellular, GPS, BLE, WiFi, and CAN technologies and their associated automation and debug practices.
• Experience with Unix/Linux system network automation and reliability engineering.
• Experience with hardware debugging tools (logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, J-Link) to assist in automation development.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• A track record of thriving in high-growth, fast-paced technology organizations.

Responsibilities

• Partner with firmware development and product teams to define automation goals, expand coverage, and ensure high-velocity, high-integrity firmware releases.
• Develop and execute comprehensive automated suites targeting RTOS-based embedded systems, including the programmatic validation of connectivity stacks (Cellular, GPS, BLE, WiFi, CAN).
• Scale automation infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and reporting tools to accelerate release cycles and maximize autonomous coverage.
• Perform in-depth root cause analysis on failures identified through automated frameworks and system stress testing.
• Support field validation through automated log analysis and issue triage to ensure firmware resilience in real-world industrial deployments.
• Champion and embed Samsara’s cultural principles as we scale our automation capabilities globally.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior