Test & Evaluation Lead
About The Position
Primordial Labs is building Anura, an interface that translates spoken or typed intent into structured actions across drones, sensors, and mission software. The Test & Evaluation Lead owns the proof that the product works in software, simulation, hardware-in-the-loop environments, and on real vehicles in the field. This hands-on leadership role leads quality assurance and physical test functions and builds the automated test and evaluation capability used to qualify builds before they reach a test range. The role also establishes testing strategy, standards, and readiness criteria, with substantial emphasis on simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing. The lead defines end-to-end performance scenarios and KPIs, tracks results and defects across builds, and sets the gates for physical testing and customer readiness. They lead physical test engineers and oversee test planning, field events, and results. Field data is converted into replayable regression cases and evaluation additions. Test remains independent of the engineering teams whose work it evaluates, while collaborating across systems engineering, mission engineering, simulation, and DevOps. The role is fully remote within the United States, with occasional travel to test ranges and field events.
Requirements
- At least 6 years of experience in QA, test engineering, test automation, or systems test, including experience leading engineers or test efforts.
- Deep, hands-on experience building automated test suites and frameworks for complex software and keeping them fast and trustworthy.
- Strong proficiency in Python, comfort with Linux, and hands-on experience with CI.
- Demonstrated experience defining test strategy, standards, KPIs, and readiness criteria for complex systems.
- Working knowledge of testing on real hardware or platforms and how field testing fits into a broader test strategy.
- Familiarity with simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing and using them to reduce what must be discovered in the field.
- BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
- U.S. citizenship and current residency within the United States; permanent residency or visa sponsorship does not meet this requirement.
Nice To Haves
- Experience building evaluation for production ML models, including test-set design, metric selection, and catching regressions that standard accuracy measures may miss.
- Experience testing systems with ML components.
- Robotics, unmanned systems, or autonomy test experience.
- Defense test and evaluation experience, including test plans, TEMPs, and government deliverable reporting.
- Experience building a test function at a startup or small company.
Responsibilities
- Define test strategy spanning automated suites on every build, simulation, system-level tests, and tests on real platforms, including advancement criteria for each stage.
- Design and build automated test and evaluation capabilities for simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments, as well as frameworks and standards for engineering teams.
- Build and maintain end-to-end system-performance scenarios, including difficult cases such as ambiguous commands, lost links, and unexpected changes during a mission.
- Develop and own KPIs based on acceptance criteria and mission-level performance measures; track results across builds, identify defects that pass through gates, and report results to leadership and customers.
- Set criteria for builds to enter physical testing and provide final sign-off on readiness for customer delivery based on QA and range evidence.
- Convert physical-test field data into replayable regression cases and evaluation additions within days.
- Lead physical test engineers; oversee test planning, field events, and results; and grow the team as the company scales.
- Produce clear test reports and readiness evidence for leadership, customers, and program offices, including unfavorable results.
- Collaborate with systems engineering on acceptance criteria, mission engineering on operational measures, simulation teams on simulation environments, and DevOps on pipeline testing.
- Maintain the independence of the test function from the engineering teams it evaluates.
Benefits
- Significant equity stake.
- Fully remote work for residents across the United States.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
- 401(k) with a 6% company match.
- Discretionary time off (DTO).
- Elite technology package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
