Software Development Engineer in Test

About the role

Research Innovations, Inc. (RII) is seeking a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to ensure the quality, reliability, and operational readiness of Dragonfly's software across its full mission capability set. The ideal candidate brings a strong software testing foundation combined with a genuine interest in RF systems, electronic warfare, or defense technologies, and thrives in a hands-on environment where the lab is just as likely to be a parking lot with an antenna as it is a bench in an office.

Responsibilities

• Automated Test Development & Validation
• Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks supporting Dragonfly's microservices-based software architecture, browser-based tactical user interface, RF signal processing pipelines, and REST/GraphQL APIs.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, test procedures, test cases, and requirements traceability matrices aligned with system-level requirements, customer objectives, and mission use cases.
• Collaborate with software, hardware, and systems engineering teams to define acceptance criteria, identify defects early in the development lifecycle, and support quality assurance activities within CI/CD pipelines.
• Maintain automated regression test suites to ensure software stability, performance, and repeatability across product releases.
• System Integration & Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
• Perform hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing across the complete Dragonfly platform, including processing units, direction-finding antennas, software-defined radios, and associated peripherals.
• Validate subsystem and end-to-end system integrations, ensuring interoperability between Dragonfly, external partner systems, and command-and-control (C2) platforms.
• Verify system functionality, data flow integrity, and operational performance across integrated hardware and software environments.
• Support verification activities for new hardware configurations, software releases, and system enhancements prior to operational deployment.
• RF Performance & Mission Capability Verification
• Execute structured laboratory testing of RF detection, direction finding, geolocation, EMCON monitoring, and spectrum awareness capabilities against documented requirements and performance specifications.
• Validate GPU-accelerated digital signal processing functions, including multi-channel direction finding, signal correlation, emitter characterization, and machine learning-based antenna calibration algorithms.
• Verify wide-band survey operations, signal classification, direction finding accuracy, and real-time signal processing performance across representative operational scenarios.
• Conduct RF performance assessments to ensure mission systems meet accuracy, responsiveness, and operational effectiveness requirements.
• Field Testing & Operational Evaluation
• Plan and execute outdoor field testing activities involving live RF signal collection and operational system employment.
• Evaluate system performance under realistic environmental conditions, validating signal detection, geolocation accuracy, direction finding performance, and spectrum monitoring capabilities.
• Document environmental variables, test configurations, and operational conditions to ensure repeatable and defensible test results.
• Support customer demonstrations, operational assessments, and field validation events as required.
• Test Documentation & Continuous Improvement
• Document test results, anomalies, defect reports, regression outcomes, and corrective actions with clear reproduction steps and supporting technical evidence.
• Maintain detailed testing records, quality documentation, and verification artifacts supporting system acceptance and product readiness reviews.
• Analyze test results and performance trends to identify reliability issues, software defects, integration risks, and opportunities for system improvement.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by refining test methodologies, expanding automation coverage, and improving overall product quality and mission readiness.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of SDET or software QA engineering experience, ideally within defense, RF, or embedded systems domains.
• Developed and maintained automated test suites using Python, Rust, or similar languages against REST or GraphQL APIs.
• Written and executed test plans covering both functional and integration testing for complex, multi-component systems.
• Performed field or outdoor hardware/software validation testing, with comfort operating in varied environments including vehicle-mounted or field-deployed configurations.
• Worked with Linux-based systems (RHEL/Rocky or equivalent) and have familiarity with Docker containerized environments.
• Tested or operated software-defined radio (SDR) systems or spectrum analysis tools.
• Used defect tracking and test management tools (Jira, Gitlab) to manage test coverage and report quality metrics.
• Collaborated within Agile/Scrum development teams alongside engineers, product owners, and program managers.

Skills

• Hands-on experience with RF signal collection, spectrum analysis, or electronic warfare / SIGINT systems.
• Familiarity with direction finding concepts, geolocation techniques (LOB, TDOA), or signal characterization workflows.
• Experience testing AI/ML inference pipelines or GPU-accelerated compute (NVIDIA CUDA).
• Background testing military or government systems against MIL-STD compliance requirements (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, etc.).
• Exposure to JICD 4.2, ISA, or similar defense data standards and interoperability testing.
• Experience with performance and stress testing of real-time data processing systems.
• Active DoD security clearance (Secret or above).
• Prior work with unmanned systems (UAS), vehicle-mounted sensor platforms, or field-deployed tactical equipment.

Benefits

At RII, we offer comprehensive benefits including:

• flexible work schedules
• health insurance coverage
• paid time off
• 401k with a company match
• paid parental leave
• access to wellness programs
• and much more.

Pay

TBD

Schedule

TBD