Senior Integration & Validation Engineer

Firestorm•San Diego, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is building the next generation of uncrewed aircraft and the advanced manufacturing systems that deliver them at speed. The Software Integration & Operations department owns the software layer that spans factory floor to cloud — the applications, automation, edge systems, and intelligence that make it possible to iterate product designs, automate advanced manufacturing, and scale production with uncompromising quality and rigor. The aircraft software and manufacturing software that Firestorm builds do not exist in isolation — they integrate with flight hardware, factory hardware, automation cells, flight test infrastructure, and external enterprise tools. The contracts between these systems are where complexity and risk concentrate, and where "works in dev, breaks in flight or on the factory floor" problems are born. As an Integration & Validation Engineer, you own the boundary between software components and the integrated systems they ship into. You write the integration specifications, build and maintain the validation suites that prove integrations work on real hardware, lead integration testing cycles for major releases, and sign off on flight and manufacturing readiness. You are part systems engineer, part integration developer, part validation lead, and you are the last line of defense before software meets aircraft or the factory floor. Near-term, your focus is aircraft software integration and testing — proving that software from component teams (avionics, autonomy, GCS) integrates correctly on real hardware and releases cleanly into flight operations. Longer-term, your scope expands to include manufacturing software integrations with factory hardware, automation cells, and enterprise systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations
5+ years of integration, systems, or test engineering experience on hardware-connected software platforms.
Demonstrated experience owning end-to-end validation of complex integrated systems on real hardware — not just writing tests, but defining what "done" means for scoped-release
Strong programming skills (Python, C++ or both) for building integration tools and automating tests
Track record of working across software, hardware, and operational disciplines — flight test, manufacturing, avionics, or equivalent — to land integrated deliveries
Strong written communication and team leadership — you will author release test campaigns and drive cross functional teams through them.
Demonstrated history of holding yourself and your teammates to a high standard, even when it creates discomfort

Nice To Haves

Comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments; creates clarity and drives execution with incomplete requirements
Track record of building reusable tools and frameworks adopted beyond the immediate team
Strong systems thinker with focus on scalable and maintainable solutions
Methodical and persistent in diagnosing integration and test failures
Willing to work hands-on in the lab and on the flight line; owns problems through resolution

Responsibilities

Own the integration contracts between software components and the systems they ship into — aircraft hardware, flight test infrastructure, factory automation, and enterprise tools.
Design and maintain end-to-end validation suites — functional, integration, and environmental — that prove software behaves correctly on real hardware, not just in simulation.
Partner with component teams (avionics, autonomy, GCS, manufacturing platform) to codify integration interfaces and enforce them through automated validation.
Lead integration testing cycles for major software releases — define test plans, execute against real hardware, disposition defects, and sign off on flight and manufacturing readiness.
Drive root-cause analysis when integrations fail — in development, in staging, in flight test, or on the factory floor.
Build the tooling that makes integration testing repeatable, observable, and fast — the difference between a release cycle measured in weeks and one measured in days.
Help define how integration and validation operates at Firestorm as the function matures from one engineer to a team.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
Equity grants for new hires
Unlimited PTO
Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December.
Generous Parental Leave
Lifestyle Spending Account
FSA
DCFSA
HSA
Hospital Indemnity insurance
Critical Illness insurance
Accident insurance
Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.