Senior Firmware & Systems Test Engineer

Why This Role Matters

This role has a direct impact on how well our machines run. You'll validate firmware before it ships, build out real test coverage and tooling, and dig into field failures until we know exactly what happened and how to prevent it. Better quality firmware means better uptime, less time fighting fires, and a team that can stay focused on building. The work you do here makes the whole company more efficient.

What You’ll Do

• Issue investigation & RCA: Lead deep-dives on complex issues: triage logs, reproduce failures, and drive root cause across firmware, electro-mechanical, and integration boundaries.
• Firmware performance & quality metrics: Maintain a single source of truth for firmware performance and quality issues, and define and report metrics that give the team real visibility into firmware health & performance.
• Test case development: Write manual and automated test cases and define coverage targets across subsystems.
• Release validation: Run regression suites for Vega™ software/firmware releases, document sign-off criteria, and block releases that don’t pass.
• Integrated systems testing: Own dedicated testing for complex robotic and electromechanical systems, moving us beyond ad-hoc spot checks to consistent, structured coverage.
• Log & diagnostic tooling: Build or drive the tools that make log investigation faster and surface failures that currently slip through undetected.

Who You Are

You’ve worked on real, physical systems and supported them through failures, builds, and the messy realities of integration - and you probably have a few war stories about issues that went sideways. You’re rigorous and structured: you design experiments, document what you find, and follow a problem from root cause to durable fix. You care deeply about quality, and you’re energized by building the test infrastructure and processes that let a complex electromechanical system run reliably.

What Makes You a Great Fit

• Embedded systems, robotics, or electromechanical product background
• Experience validating firmware features for microcontrollers in embedded real-time systems (drivers, comms, middleware APIs, RTOS interfaces using FreeRTOS or similar)
• Requirements-definition experience
• Scripting ability in Python or similar
• A structured, RCA-driven approach to debugging complex, cross-disciplinary failures
• Excellent communication across firmware, mechanical, and integration teams

• Experience validating firmware for microcontrollers or real-time embedded systems
• Experience building log/diagnostic or automated test infrastructure
• Background in manufacturing, industrial automation, or other uptime-critical environments
• Experience transitioning systems from R&D to production

Our Culture

We're relentless in pursuing our mission, intentional in our decisions, and fundamentally human in how we work together. We celebrate small wins, speak up to benefit many, and aren't afraid to make mistakes along the way. We won't roll our eyes if your socks don't match. We get it. But then, if you spend those extra few minutes in the morning matching your socks and shirt, we get that too. Our workspaces are sometimes spotless and sometimes chaotic, and we celebrate messy exploration. We work through complex problems but generate simple and elegant solutions. We strive to look at things differently, and never do anything solely because "that's the way it's always been done." We're a team of designers and engineers, industry-veterans and serial entrepreneurs, artists and developers. We're aspiring chess masters and climbers, bakers and photographers. Originally spun out of Stanford and the University of Colorado, we now call the SF Bay Area home, with strong ties to Hong Kong. We are looking for teammates who share our desire to work on ambitious problems and leave the world better than we found it.

Benefits

• Self-regulated vacation policy
• Comprehensive health/dental/vision insurance
• Company sponsored 401k and FSA/HSA
• Monthly wellness or education grant up to $150
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Incentive stock options

unspun's compensation philosophy centers on transparency, fairness, and alignment with our company values. We aim to offer competitive pay that reflects both market standards and individual contributions, fostering an environment where employees feel valued and motivated. Our holistic approach ensures that compensation decisions are consistent and justifiable across all levels to attract and retain top talent, support employee growth, and maintain a positive organizational culture.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $150,000 - $200,000 USD annually, plus 0.07% - 0.11% equity.

Location

This is a fully onsite role, based at our microfactory in Emeryville, CA.

Travel: up to 20% to customer sites for issue RCA and triage. Ability to travel internationally (for 2-3 weeks) within 2026 required.