Senior/Staff Embedded Test Engineer

BrightAI Corporation

Palo Alto, CA

Career-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for seasoned embedded QA professionals who design automated test systems and validate IoT ecosystems. Candidates should have deep expertise in wireless protocols and cloud infrastructure, with a focus on security and reliability in connected products.

Best fit for

Candidates with 10+ years in embedded QA and a track record of commercial IoT product testing
— “10+ years of experience in embedded systems QA, with at least 5 years focused specifically on connected IoT products.”
Individuals experienced in simulating network conditions and validating edge-to-cloud communication
— “Design test strategies covering the entire IoT data path from physical sensors to cloud databases and user applications.”
Candidates who have worked with IoT-focused operating systems and wireless stacks
— “Deep familiarity with IoT-focused operating systems like Zephyr RTOS, FreeRTOS, Embedded Linux, or Mbed OS.”

Things to consider

The role likely demands a high level of technical independence due to the complexity of end-to-end validation
— “Bridge the gap between physical hardware, edge firmware, and cloud platforms.”
Candidates must be prepared for rigorous testing of security features, including firmware and encryption
— “Conduct vulnerability testing, including firmware reverse engineering resistance, secure boot verification, and certificate rotation.”

How to stand out

Highlight experience with fleet-scale simulation and cloud infrastructure stress testing
— “Conduct fleet-scale simulation to evaluate how cloud infrastructure handles concurrent data bursts from thousands of edge nodes.”
Demonstrate hands-on use of Wireshark and RF network analyzers in protocol testing
— “Intercept and analyze network traffic using Wireshark to verify MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, and Protobuf payloads.”
Emphasize automated test rig development and CI/CD pipeline integration skills
— “Build and maintain automated HIL test rigs for continuous testing of connected products.”
Showcase expertise in validating OTA updates under adverse conditions
— “Rigorously test Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms against power interruptions, corrupted payloads, and rollbacks.”
Demonstrate mastery of IoT protocols and wireless stacks in testing scenarios
— “Advanced knowledge of messaging protocols (MQTT, CoAP, HTTPS) and wireless stacks (Wi-Fi, BLE, NB-IoT).”

Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

Validated end-to-end connectivity, functionality, security, and reliability of smart devices
Conducted vulnerability testing

Typical background

10+ years of experience in embedded systems QAProven track record of testing and deploying commercially successful smart home, industrial IoT, or wearable devices

Skills & requirements

Required

Iot TestingNetwork SimulationEdge-to-cloud ValidationHIL TestingAPI TestingDevops IntegrationRF TestingProtocol AnalysisPower ProfilingIot Security

Preferred

Gitlab Ci/cdFirmware Reverse EngineeringSecure Boot VerificationCertificate Rotation

Stack & domain

IotEmbedded Systems QAIot Cloud SuitesWiresharkRF Network AnalyzersZephyr RTOSFreertosEmbedded LinuxMbed OSMQTTCoapHttpsWi-fiBLENb-iotPythonC/c++Embedded SystemsCloud Infrastructure

About the role

Original posting from BrightAI Corporation via Greenhouse

Job Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior or Staff Embedded Test Engineer with 10+ years of experience specializing in Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems. In this role, you will validate the end-to-end connectivity, functionality, security, and reliability of our smart devices, bridging the gap between physical hardware, edge firmware, and cloud platforms. You will design automated edge-tocloud test setups, simulate necessary test environments, and ensure flawless wireless communication under real-world conditions.
Key Responsibilities
IoT Test Strategy & Network Simulation
Edge-to-Cloud Validation: Design test strategies covering the entire IoT data path from physical sensors to cloud databases and user applications.
Network Simulation: Set up test benches to simulate varying network conditions, packet loss, high latency, and intermittent connectivity.
Scale & Stress Testing: Conduct fleet-scale simulation to evaluate how cloud infrastructure handles concurrent data bursts from thousands of edge nodes.
Automation & CI/CD
Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL): Build and maintain automated HIL test rigs for continuous testing of connected products.
API Testing: Automate verification of cloud APIs.
DevOps Integration: Embed automated hardware connectivity tests directly into GitLab CI/CD delivery pipelines.
Wireless, Protocol, & Power Verification
RF & Wireless Testing: Validate wireless performance across protocols like BLE, Wi-Fi, LoRaWAN, and Cellular.
Protocol Analysis: Intercept and analyze network traffic using Wireshark to verify MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, and Protobuf payloads.
Power Profiling: Measure microampere battery consumption during active transmission, sleep states, and deep sleep modes to verify battery-life targets.
IoT Security & Resilience
Security Auditing: Conduct vulnerability testing, including firmware reverse engineering resistance, secure boot verification, and certificate rotation.
Encryption Validation: Ensure all data-at-rest and data-in-transit utilizes appropriate TLS, AES, or ECC encryption standards.
OTA Update Validation: Rigorously test Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms against power interruptions, corrupted payloads, and rollbacks.
Required Qualifications & Skills Experience
10+ years of experience in embedded systems QA, with at least 5 years focused specifically on connected IoT products.
Proven track record of testing and deploying commercially successful smart home, industrial IoT (IIoT), or wearable devices.
Technical Skills IoT Protocols:
Advanced knowledge of messaging protocols (MQTT, CoAP, HTTPS) and wireless stacks (Wi-Fi, BLE, NB-IoT).
Languages: Python and solid understanding of C/C++. Cloud Infrastructure: Practical testing experience with major IoT cloud suites (e.g., AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, or Google Cloud IoT).
Network & Hardware Tools: Mastery of Wireshark, logic analyzers, digital multimeters, and specialized RF network analyzers/attenuators.
Embedded OS: Deep familiarity with IoT-focused operating systems like Zephyr RTOS, FreeRTOS, Embedded Linux, or Mbed OS.

Source: BrightAI Corporation careers (Greenhouse)