Sr Engineer, Firmware Quality Assurance

About the role

As a Senior Engineer, Firmware Quality Assurance at Landis+Gyr, you will verify metering and network products as part of our utility solutions for an international audience. This challenging and exciting position involves conducting and leading testing activities on software and firmware projects within the Communications Device Delivery department. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and validate complete Smart Grid solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and document manual test cases for firmware features spanning embedded Linux user space and kernel space.
• Validate wireless communication subsystems, including RF, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and related device configurations.
• Test and verify networking protocol behavior, including IPv4, IPv6, ICMP, DHCPv6, TCP/IP, UDP, PPP, and Ethernet.
• Evaluate Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing functionality to ensure correctness, stability, and performance.
• Automate manual firmware test cases using Python, Bash, or Robot Framework and integrate them into nightly regression and CI/CD pipelines.
• Build and configure hardware and software test environments from scratch, perform manual validation, and automate them for continuous regression coverage.
• Maintain and enhance automation frameworks to ensure scalability, reliability, and maintainability across multiple product lines.
• Identify, document, and track defects with clear reproduction steps and detailed root-cause analysis.
• Monitor nightly build and regression results, triage failures, and provide actionable reports to engineering teams.
• Collaborate closely with firmware engineers to review requirements, validate new features, and provide timely feedback throughout the development lifecycle.
• Support and guide junior QA engineers by sharing best practices, technical knowledge, and testing methodologies.
• Perform testing and validation of electrical metering products operating in residential and commercial environments.
• Review and comment on technical specifications.
• Perform complex testing tasks requiring analysis, planning, scheduling, and testing to ensure developed software meets design specifications and/or customer requirements.
• Exercise leadership by recommending best practices and testing strategies to the engineering organization to meet quality goals, including developing standards, procedures, policies, and guidelines related to Firmware Quality Assurance.
• Serve as a resource for and extend the technological expertise of the QA team by researching, designing, and implementing state-of-the-art testing practices and tools.
• Assist all levels of firmware engineers and project managers with design, testing, prototype building, test data set creation, and other testing-related activities.
• Design and develop test plans, test scripts, and test cases.
• Design and coordinate the implementation of FW QA test environments.
• Design and develop test data for various test projects.
• Perform detailed review of requirements documents and work with customers to refine requirements to be both singular and testable.
• Design and recommend test strategies and write test plans based on a comprehensive understanding of product architecture.
• Write and run complex manual and automation test cases/scripts/suites.
• Write bug reports, verify bug fixes, and troubleshoot applications.
• Review and test user documentation.
• Analyze designs and develop tools to improve the testing effort.
• Design and implement test frameworks, including database testing and automation.
• Lead and recommend improvements to automation environments.
• Troubleshoot firmware, hardware, and system interface issues.
• Lead in component and/or solution design, development, documentation, and validation.
• Provide FW QA test progress reports to management.
• Participate in product design meetings, release planning, and scheduling.
• Communicate with the product team on product issues and work with minimal supervision.
• Coordinate with Product Owners/System Engineers to ensure product/firmware behavior matches requirements.
• Provide scope, resource, and time estimates for various projects presented to the FW QA department.
• Review defect reports and validate the severity and priority of each defect with the development and product management team.
• Evaluate functionality and usability of the product, ensuring volume, stress, and other testing is accounted for.
• Manage the daily activities of a FW project QA team, including supervisory responsibility and mentoring of other team members.
• Act as technical authority in areas of specialty on assigned projects.
• Manage resources in the FW QA laboratory to ensure all testing needs are met with minimal conflict.
• Manage User Stories, Tasks, Issues, and Defects.
• Provide project leadership by effectively managing QA initiatives during each scrum sprint.
• Plan, schedule, and execute assignments to sprint milestones.
• Deliver on aggressive goals and commitments.
• Handle changing priorities during sprint and release phases with minimal supervision.
• Ensure test environments are adequate for testing each development project and make necessary modifications to the test lab.
• Ensure the test team works closely with developers and customers to test all aspects of each product.
• Provide QA and testing support when working with internal and external customers as needed.
• Work on agile development teams, collaborating with multiple cross-discipline architecture teams to develop hardware and software components.
• Participate in recruitment, development, and mentoring of junior engineers.
• Lead functional area-specific continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead in innovative technology and solutions development and/or validation.
• Support and adhere to Company’s core values and Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy.
• Represent Company in a positive, professional manner when working with both internal and external customers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience testing embedded Linux systems in both user space and kernel space.
• Proven experience testing wireless communication protocols, including RF, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth.
• Strong knowledge of networking protocols, including IPv4, IPv6, ICMP, DHCPv6, TCP/IP, UDP, Ethernet, and PPP.
• Familiarity with Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing protocol testing.
• Strong scripting and automation skills using Python and/or Bash.
• Experience using Robot Framework for structured test automation.
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and nightly regression systems.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and deliver high-quality results with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in C and/or C++ for understanding, troubleshooting, and debugging firmware-level code.
• Experience using network analysis and troubleshooting tools such as Wireshark, iPerf, and tcpdump.
• Experience with test management and defect tracking tools such as Jira, TestRail, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience with version control systems such as Git.
• Strong commitment to quality, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with electrical metering products and test environments involving residential service voltages (120/240 VAC).
• Familiarity with electrical safety practices, safe handling procedures, and the use of electrical test equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, and power supplies.
• Thorough knowledge of Quality Assurance processes.
• Knowledge of each phase of the Software Development Lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of SQA, testing methodologies, metrics, and processes.
• Experience with hardware and/or network technologies.
• Experience with Linux/Unix setup and configuration.
• Experience with testing embedded systems.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with abstract and concrete variables.
• Use of proper scientific methodology (define hypothesis, test hypothesis using reproducible experimental practices, peer review, and reporting).
• Ability to derive boundary cases and equivalence classes from software/firmware specifications and produce a minimum test data set.
• Clear understanding of risk-based testing and assessment.
• Ability to debug and reproduce software/firmware problems and write functional, stress, integration, and white-box tests.
• Ability to provide feedback at software/firmware design reviews from a QA perspective, assessing testability, scalability, usability, and maintainability.
• Ability to convey information concisely and clearly to all levels of personnel.
• Ability to communicate with users in non-technical terms both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to read and interpret technical documents, procedure manuals, schematics, data books, and handbooks.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees.
• Exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Ability to debug hardware setup issues.
• Proficiency in standard computer applications related to software/firmware development and testing, such as MS Office suite, Visual Studio, and various editions of Windows and Linux environments.
• Working knowledge of UNIX and Linux systems.