Test Engineer (Firmware)

QA / Test Engineer – Embedded & Robotics

Oxfordshire (Witney) | Hybrid (~3 days onsite) | £50,000–£60,000

Most test roles sit at the end of the process.

This one sits at the centre of building safety-critical AI systems.

You’ll join a fast-growing startup developing the “trust layer” for autonomous systems - technology designed to ensure AI behaves safely in the real world. Think robotics, embedded systems, and environments where failure isn’t an option.

This isn’t manual testing or box-ticking QA.

You’ll be designing and building test frameworks, automation and validation systems for embedded software running across multiple platforms - combining simulation, real hardware, and safety standards.

You’ll be:

• Developing test strategies and automation frameworks for embedded systems
• Working across Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments
• Integrating testing into CI/CD pipelines
• Running validation across simulation environments (e.g. Gazebo, ROS-based systems)
• Supporting compliance with safety-critical standards (DO-178C, ISO 26262, IEC 61508)
• Working closely with software, systems and AI engineers to ensure full coverage

You’ll likely bring:

• Experience in embedded software testing / QA
• Strong understanding of automation (Python, Bash) and CI/CD pipelines
• Experience with test frameworks (e.g. pytest, gtest)
• Exposure to simulation, robotics or real-time systems
• A structured, detail-driven approach to testing complex systems

Experience in safety-critical environments is a big plus, but mindset matters just as much.

Why this role stands out

• Work on cutting-edge AI safety technology
• Blend of simulation, hardware and real-world testing
• Early-stage environment with real ownership
• Opportunity to shape how testing is done, not just follow it

📍 Based near Oxford ~3 days onsite (flexible depending on project phase)

If you’re the kind of engineer who enjoys building robust systems and making sure complex software behaves exactly as it should this is worth a conversation.