Test Engineer, Ground Systems

Role Summary

As a Test Engineer, Ground Systems, you will work across our full product line, focusing on robotic ground-based telescope systems and observatory infrastructure. You will design, build, and operate test systems that validate the performance, reliability, and integration of our hardware and software in real-world environments. This role is deeply hands-on: you will work directly with physical systems, develop automated test frameworks, simulate operational conditions, and debug complex issues across electrical, mechanical, and software domains. You will report to the Systems or Embedded Engineering Lead.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and document test systems for ground-based observatory and telescope platforms.
• Design and maintain automated test frameworks that validate system performance, reliability, and integration.
• Build and operate hardware-in-the-loop (HIL/HITL) and system-level test environments.
• Develop simulation environments to emulate real-world operating conditions, including sensor inputs, control systems, and communication interfaces.
• Debug complex issues across hardware and software boundaries, including intermittent and edge-case failures.
• Collaborate closely with embedded, electrical, mechanical, and software teams to ensure comprehensive system validation.
• Define and execute test plans, validation procedures, and performance benchmarks.
• Support hardware bring-up, integration, and field testing of ground systems.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to ensure continuous validation of system performance.
• Participate in product design reviews to ensure testability, reliability, and long-term maintainability.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in test engineering, embedded systems, or systems-level development.
• Strong programming skills in Python, C/C++, or similar languages used for automation and system testing.
• Experience designing and implementing system-level or hardware-integrated test environments.
• Solid understanding of hardware interfaces (I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet, UART) and embedded systems.
• Experience with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, etc.) for debugging and validation.
• Ability to read and interpret schematics and debug at the electrical–software boundary.
• Strong debugging intuition and ability to diagnose complex system-level issues.
• Experience working in fast-paced prototyping environments with rapid iteration cycles.
• Strong product sense with a focus on reliability, robustness, and field performance.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL/HITL) testing or simulation-based validation systems.
• Familiarity with embedded Linux, RTOS, or firmware development environments.
• Experience with networking systems, distributed control systems, or telemetry pipelines.
• Background in robotics, observatory systems, or remote/automated operations.
• Experience building CI/CD pipelines for hardware-integrated systems.
• Experience with environmental testing or field deployment of hardware systems.
• Contributions to open-source testing frameworks or embedded systems projects.
• Passion for astronomy, physics, and scientific exploration.