Senior Test Engineer - R&D

Aurelius Systems•San Francisco, CA

20d

About The Position

You're the person who finds out if the thing actually works, at every layer of the stack. We're transitioning from prototype to product on an electromechanical directed energy system. The test infrastructure you build now becomes the foundation for everything we ship. You're not inheriting a test bench. You're designing it. You're not running someone else's HIL setup. You're building it from scratch and making sure it actually reflects what happens downrange. You'll own verification and validation across embedded firmware, power electronics, electromechanical assemblies, and full-system integration. The test engineer will be the single responsible party for ensuring all testing from top to bottom is completed and recorded as we move through the iteration process. Every field test, every demo… you're the reason we show up with something that works.

Requirements

Hands-on experience building and running HIL or SIL test environments
Strong embedded systems background from firmware validation, real-time systems, C/C++ to strong familiarity debugging embedded code
Electromechanical system testing experience from motors, actuators, power electronics, to software all working together
Performance, reliability, and safety testing as a combined skill set. You know how to stress a system, log what breaks, and define pass/fail criteria that actually matter
Python or scripting for test automation. You build your own tools
Strong debugging instincts across hardware, firmware, and software
Clear written communication around failures and root cause. Your test reports tell a story, not just a data dump

Nice To Haves

MIL-STD, DO-178, or other safety-critical testing standards exposure (even if informal)
Environmental, vibration, thermal, or shock testing experience
High-voltage or high-power test environment experience
Familiarity with ITAR-controlled systems or working in cleared environments

Responsibilities

Design and build HIL and SIL test environments for embedded controllers, actuators, sensors, and power systems
Execute system-level performance, reliability, and safety testing across hardware and firmware simultaneously
Develop test plans, acceptance criteria, and readiness gates as we move from prototype to production
Write automated test procedures in Python. You're scripting your own regression suites, not waiting on someone else to build tooling
Lead field testing end to end: setup, operation, data collection, teardown, post-test analysis, and failure writeups
Debug across the full stack (firmware timing, power rails, mechanical tolerance, or all three)
Work directly with embedded, electrical, and mechanical engineers to reproduce bugs, validate fixes, and prevent regressions
Enforce safety procedures in high-power, high-voltage testing environments
Build and maintain test fixtures, harnesses, and instrumentation setups that survive real-world use