Senior Staff Software Engineer, Manufacturing Software

ALSO • Palo Alto, CA

19d • $225,000 - $265,000

About The Position

We are hiring the founding test systems engineer on our Software Team - the person who will lead the vehicle integration test station infrastructure, interface with other software systems such as firmware and data platform, as well as build and lead our Manufacturing Test Station & Firmware team. This new team will own the software infrastructure required to successfully build, validate, certify, update, and sustain products across our global manufacturing network. The team serves as the bridge between Product Firmware, Validation & Tools Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturers. This is a technical leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex system-level problems and working directly with manufacturing partners. You will lead a small team of test station and firmware engineers while remaining deeply involved in technical execution. This is a systems-first, factory-floor-up role. Your mental model is the operator standing at the line, the test sequence running against a unit, the data coming out the other side - and everything that has to be designed, secured, and maintained to make that reliable at volume.

Requirements

• BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 6+ years in manufacturing test systems, ATE, or production software — you've built and shipped test stations that ran in production at volume
• Fluency in Python (or equivalent scripting language) for test automation, instrument control, and data processing; this is your primary tool
• Experience with the full factory test lifecycle: DFT analysis, ICT/FCT development, EOL sequence design, fixture collaboration, and sustaining
• Applied statistical analysis of factory test data, you can work the numbers yourself and use them to drive process decisions
• Strong systems design instincts - you can architect a test station framework that scales across multiple products and manufacturing sites, viewing Also’s manufacturing network as a systems design problem
• Ability to translate EE-defined test procedures into precise, automatable test requirements; you own the requirements document, not just the implementation
• Direct experience working on-site with contract manufacturers: you've been on the floor, you've worked through a CM relationship, and you can manage that interface professionally
• Willingness and enthusiasm for frequent international travel, primarily to Taiwan (expect 4–8 trips/year including extended stays during NPI)
• Clear English communication — you're the technical interface between Palo Alto and Taiwan

Nice To Haves

• Mandarin or Taiwanese communication a plus

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own the test station software stack: operator-facing UI, test sequence orchestration, hardware instrument control, and data logging
• Translate EE-defined test procedures into automated, repeatable test sequences that factory operators can run with confidence
• Define the interface contract between test stations and the production firmware image — what test modes the FW team must expose, what data the station needs, what the station can and cannot do
• Design robust firmware update and recovery processes for production environments.
• Own device provisioning, certification, and security workflows at the factory: secure boot verification, key provisioning, certificate injection, serial number assignment, and factory configuration locking
• Partner with our contract manufacturers in Asia to deploy test stations, qualify the line, and debug production issues on the floor
• Establish test data pipelines, yield tracking, and reporting infrastructure, including statistical analysis, that gives the product and operations teams clear visibility into line health and process control
• Drive continuous improvement in test throughput, coverage, and first-pass yield using data you've collected and analyzed yourself
• Define the interface contract with the firmware team: what test modes and diagnostic hooks the production FW image need to expose, and validate that they work correctly. Ideal candidates have sufficient embedded firmware expertise to submit direct changes as necessary to get unblocked.

Benefits

• Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Also. with FSA & HSA options.
• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.
• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.
• Flexible time off.
• 401(k) match.

What This Job Offers

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