Senior Staff Software Test & Automation Engineer

Mainspring Energy•Menlo Park, CA

1d•$160,000 - $190,000•Onsite

About The Position

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions. Its Mainspring Linear Generator (LGen) converts straight-line motion into electricity using a low-temperature, non-combustion thermochemical reaction and can switch fuels under load. The product's software controls manage thousands of high-frequency variables to support dynamic load-following, grid synchronization, and adaptive fuel mixing. The Senior Staff Software Test & Automation Engineer will architect core validation and automation frameworks to help ensure the distributed energy asset operates safely and reliably. The role owns the testing strategy for real-time embedded software, predictive control loops, and multi-fuel dynamics. This position is onsite at Mainspring's Menlo Park headquarters. The stated base salary range is $160,000–$190,000, adjusted for local market conditions and experience. Mainspring also offers pre-IPO stock options and benefits.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field with 16+ years of professional experience, or a Master’s degree with 15+ years of experience in an SDET, Embedded Test, or Software Engineering role.
Proven experience leading complex automation projects from design through implementation, along with the ability to perform deep-dive manual exploratory testing and technical test-case design.
Strong hands-on software development experience in Python and C++, with the flexibility to navigate, debug, and contribute to diverse codebases, including Bash scripting as needed.
Demonstrated proficiency using AI coding assistants to improve productivity, with the judgment to challenge, validate, and expand AI-generated solutions for system integrity and maintainability.
Professional experience testing and validating systems in at least three of the following areas: cloud computing, embedded systems, networking, IoT with RTOS, controls, simulations (MIL/SIL/PIL), emulators, or complex algorithms.

Nice To Haves

Experience with containerization and orchestration tools such as Docker and Kubernetes, and configuration management using Ansible.
High proficiency with industry test and development workflows such as Jira, Xray, and GitLab, or equivalent tools.

Responsibilities

Design, scale, and maintain custom hardware test beds, reusable test automation frameworks, software tools, and CI/CD pipelines.
Develop test plans, test cases, technical test approaches, and traceability matrices to validate complex hardware/software integrations and resolve system-level bottlenecks.
Lead failure analysis, debug and diagnose issues found during testing, and champion risk-mitigation strategies to ensure test stability and environmental reliability.
Drive risk-based testing strategies and perform risk analysis to ensure comprehensive coverage of critical-path functionalities.
Partner with development teams and support cross-functional engineering initiatives to diagnose system anomalies and vet new technologies.