AM-SOFTWARE QUALITY ENGINEER, FIRMWARE

Kohler; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Kohler is seeking a Senior QA Firmware Automation Engineer to lead testing efforts for embedded and IoT-enabled products. The role emphasizes building scalable automation frameworks, validating device connectivity, and driving end-to-end quality across firmware, hardware, and software interfaces.

The candidate will develop Python-based automation, integrate tests in CI/CD, and collaborate with Firmware, Hardware, DevOps, and Product teams to ensure robust, reliable product validation across

Qualifications

• 5+ years of embedded firmware testing, validation, and automation experience.
• Proven experience in designing scalable firmware automation frameworks.
• Hands-on automation of hardware-software interfaces and IoT protocols.

Responsibilities

• Lead firmware validation and test automation for IoT-enabled products.
• Develop and maintain Python-based firmware automation frameworks and libraries.
• Create automated test strategies for embedded products including end-to-end validation.
• Automate and validate MQTT, Modbus, BLE, Zigbee, UART, SPI, I2C, TCP/IP protocols.
• Perform firmware validation on Linux, RTOS, and Non-RTOS platforms.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines for faster releases.
• Drive Hardware-in-the-Loop testing and end-to-end IoT product validation.
• Use debugging tools to diagnose firmware/communication issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve test coverage and quality.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Embedded testing

Automation frameworks

CI/CD

IoT protocols

Linux/RTOS

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electronics/Instrumentation/Computer Engineering

Master's degree preferred

ISTQB Foundation Certification

Tools

Robot Framework

Python tooling

Git/GitHub

CI/CD tools

Jira

Job description

Job description

• We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior QA Firmware Automation Engineer to lead quality assurance initiatives for IoT-enabled and connected products. This role will drive test automation, ensure firmware reliability, and enhance quality engineering practices across the product lifecycle.
• The candidate should have strong expertise in embedded firmware testing, automation framework development, communication protocol validation, and IoT ecosystem testing, along with a solid understanding of hardware-software integration. The candidate should possess hands-on experience in designing, developing, and maintaining scalable firmware automation frameworks, reusable automation libraries, automated test harnesses, and validation solutions for embedded and connected products.
• candidate will collaborate with Firmware, Hardware, DevOps, and Product Engineering teams to develop automated test strategies and validate firmware functionality, device connectivity, interoperability, performance, reliability, and end-to-end embedded system behaviour.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead firmware validation and test automation activities for IoT-enabled and connected products, ensuring product quality across firmware, system, integration, and regression testing.
• Design, develop, maintain, and enhance Python-based firmware automation frameworks, reusable libraries, test scripts, and reporting mechanisms to support scalable automation solutions.
• Develop and execute automated test strategies for embedded products, covering firmware, system-level, integration, and end-to-end validation scenarios.
• Automate and validate communication protocols including MQTT, Modbus, BLE, Zigbee, UART, SPI, I2C, RS485 and TCP/IP to ensure reliable device connectivity and interoperability.
• Perform firmware validation across Linux, RTOS, and Non-RTOS platforms, ensuring robust functionality and performance.
• Integrate automated test execution into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous testing and faster release cycles.
• Drive Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing, hardware-software integration, and end-to-end IoT product validation for connected systems.
• Utilize hardware and protocol analysis tools to debug, troubleshoot, and resolve complex firmware and communication issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve test coverage, automation efficiency, and overall product quality throughout the development lifecycle.

Technical Skills -

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in Embedded Firmware Testing, Validation, and Test Automation for embedded and connected products.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in Python scripting and automation framework development.
• Proven expertise in designing, developing, maintaining, and enhancing scalable firmware automation frameworks.
• Experience in developing reusable automation libraries, test harnesses, device abstraction layers, and validation utilities.
• Strong understanding of framework architecture, modularization, code reusability, and automation best practices.
• Hands-on experience integrating automation frameworks with embedded hardware, communication interfaces, and firmware validation environments.
• Experience implementing data-driven, configuration-driven, and scalable automation solutions.
• Proficiency in automated test execution, logging, reporting, result analytics, and test metrics generation.
• Strong knowledge of framework optimization, maintainability, scalability, and long-term supportability.
• Experience integrating firmware automation frameworks with CI/CD pipelines to support continuous testing and release validation.
• Proven ability to automate firmware, system, integration, regression, and end-to-end validation testing for embedded and IoT products.

Programming

• Strong programming skills in Python (Mandatory).
• Sound knowledge of C/C++ and scripting concepts.

Embedded Systems

• Linux, RTOS, and Non-RTOS platforms.
• 16-bit and 32-bit Microcontrollers.
• Embedded firmware validation, verification, and automation.
• Hardware-software integration testing.

Protocols & Connectivity

• MQTT, Modbus
• UART, RS232, RS485
• SPI, I2C
• BLE, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• TCP/IP, Ethernet
• HTTP/HTTPS, REST APIs, FTP

Automation & DevOps

• PyTest
• Robot Framework
• Custom Python Automation Frameworks
• CI/CD Integration
• Azure DevOps
• Git/GitHub
• Jira
• Confluence

Hardware Debugging Tools

• Oscilloscope
• Logic Analyzer
• Protocol Analyzers
• Multimeter
• Wireshark
• MQTT Explorer

Soft Skills and Communication

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Experience mentoring and coaching QA engineers.
• Ability to drive automation initiatives across teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience working with global and cross-functional teams.
• Proficient in MS Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Familiarity with Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and CMMI practices is desirable.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Electronics, Electronics & Instrumentation, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• 5–8 years of experience in embedded firmware testing, automation, and validation.
• ISTQB Foundation Certification (preferred).

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Preferred Domain Experience Candidates

• Smart Home Products, IoT Devices & Connected Consumer Products
• Building Automation, Residential & Commercial Control Systems
• Embedded Systems, Firmware Development & Embedded Product Validation
• Consumer Electronics, Appliances & Electrical Products
• Industrial Automation, Controls & Electronic Manufacturing
• Automation Framework Expertise
• Robot Framework
• Device abstraction layers and test harness development
• Data-driven and configuration-driven automation frameworks
• Advanced reporting and analytics solutions