Sr. Test Engineer, R&D

Aurelius Systems•San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Aurelius Systems is a VC-backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge-deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost-effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. We operate with a small team, unreasonable output, and no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. This role is for a forward-deployed embedded engineer leading R&D testing. You will write the firmware that exercises the system, wire the electronics, and run the test scripts you wrote. You will own the data path from scope trace to debrief slide. The mechanical and environmental side of test will come from a different hire; your job is the embedded and electrical layer. 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. You're the single responsible party for ensuring all testing from top to bottom is completed and recorded as we move through the iteration process.

Requirements

5+ years embedded firmware development experience — C/C++, real-time systems, scripting test exercises directly against hardware
Strong electrical wiring and bench skills — scopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, DMMs, harness fabrication
Python or scripting for test automation. You build your own tools.
Strong debugging instincts across firmware, power rails, and electrical
Comfort with DFM concepts — you understand how production constraints shape what's testable
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.
Clear written communication around failures and root cause. Your test reports tell a story, not just a data dump.
Robotics or defense companies with real electromechanical products where you wrote test code and wired test setups.
BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace, or equivalent. Equivalent hands-on experience also considered. What you've built matters more than where you went to school.

Nice To Haves

HIL or SIL test environment build experience (we'll need to build these — having done it before is a plus, but not required day one)
MIL-STD, DO-178, or other safety critical testing standards exposure (even if informal)
Environmental, vibration, thermal, or shock testing exposure
High-voltage or high-power test environment experience
Familiarity with ITAR-controlled systems or working in cleared environments
Active security clearance or ability to obtain one

Responsibilities

Lead field testing end-to-end: setup, operation, data collection, teardown, post-test analysis, and failure writeups
Write firmware and embedded test code that exercises the system end-to-end (C/C++, real time)
Wire test electronics, build harnesses, instrumentation setups, and test fixtures
Develop automated test procedures in Python
Debug across firmware, power rails, and electrical — root cause from first principles
Work directly with embedded, electrical, and mechanical engineers to reproduce bugs, validate fixes, and prevent regressions
Develop test plans, acceptance criteria, and readiness gates as we move from prototype to production
Partner with the hardware team on DFM and production readiness
Build HIL and SIL test environments
Enforce safety procedures in high-power, high-voltage testing environments