Section Manager, GSE Software, Test Automation & Simulation

Location: Sterling, VA. Reports to: Director, Software Engineering. Supervises: Yes.

Position Summary

The Section Manager for GSE Software, Test Automation & Simulation is a hands‑on engineering leader responsible for managing and technically contributing to the development of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) software, automated test infrastructure, simulation environments, testbeds, and emulators used throughout the product development and verification lifecycle. This manager will lead a team that develops the software infrastructure needed to conduct repeatable Software‑in‑the‑Loop (SIL), Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HIL), and automated testing of deliverable hardware and embedded systems. The successful candidate must be comfortable operating as both a functional manager and a technical contributor, participating in system architecture, software design, development, integration, troubleshooting, and technical reviews while providing personnel leadership, workload planning, technical direction, and staff development.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for GSE software, automated test systems, SIL/HIL environments, testbeds, simulators, and emulators.
• Contribute directly to software architecture, detailed design, implementation, code reviews, integration, and troubleshooting.
• Develop or modify software components, automation frameworks, test utilities, device interfaces, and test scripts as program needs require.
• Define modular and reusable test‑software architectures that can be applied across multiple programs and product lines.
• Lead the design of testbeds that support incremental development, integration, fault isolation, regression testing, and system‑level verification.
• Develop simulation and emulation capabilities for unavailable, incomplete, high‑cost, or difficult‑to‑access hardware and external interfaces.
• Ensure test infrastructure provides appropriate data collection, logging, time correlation, monitoring, fault injection, and results reporting capabilities.
• Lead the development and maintenance of automated test frameworks supporting SIL, HIL, integration, regression, production, and system testing.
• Integrate automated testing into applicable CI/CD pipelines and software release workflows.
• Establish methods for unattended test execution, repeatable test configuration, automated results collection, and objective pass/fail determination.
• Ensure automated tests and supporting infrastructure are controlled, documented, repeatable, and traceable to applicable requirements.
• Provide direct supervision, technical mentorship, performance management, and career development for engineers within the section.
• Assign personnel to programs based on technical skills, program priorities, schedules, and development needs.
• Balance hands‑on technical contributions with section leadership and execution responsibilities.
• Establish technical expectations and ensure engineers follow organizational software development and configuration‑management processes.
• Review staffing needs and support recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding.
• Provide accurate status, staffing forecasts, schedule inputs, risks, and recovery recommendations to engineering and program leadership.
• Ensure GSE software, automated test frameworks, test scripts, simulators, and test configurations follow applicable Software Development Life Cycle processes.
• Establish appropriate configuration management for source code, test scripts, test data, simulation models, testbed configurations, and released test‑software baselines.
• Ensure software releases include the documentation, installation instructions, dependency information, and version identification required for repeatable deployment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 9+ years of experience.
• Experience leading GSE software teams responsible for developing automated test infrastructure, hardware simulations, testbeds, emulators, and HIL/SIL test capabilities.
• Experience designing or developing automated test systems, GSE software, testbeds, simulators, or hardware emulators.
• Strong software‑development skills in one or more languages such as Python, C/C++.
• Experience developing software interfaces for embedded hardware, networked devices, serial interfaces, laboratory equipment, or programmable logic.
• Experience with source control, issue tracking, automated build systems, test frameworks, and CI/CD concepts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with technical teams, program leadership, customers, and executive management.
• Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant technical or management discipline.
• Experience integrating software with FPGAs, microcontrollers, sensors, communication interfaces, or custom electronics.
• Experience with Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, serial communications, SpaceWire, CAN, or similar embedded interfaces.
• Experience with containerized or virtualized test environments.
• Experience introducing reusable test automation frameworks across multiple projects.

Pay

Full‑Time Salary Range: $111,000 – $182,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

• Health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Basic life insurance with AD&D
• Short‑term disability
• Long‑term disability
• Ancillary (voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
• Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (parental, maternity, and military)