Embedded Quality Engineering Manager – Camera

Socket.dev; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev is seeking an engineering manager to lead a high-performing team responsible for qualifying camera/ISP firmware and drivers. You will personally contribute to automation development, test execution, and technical problem-solving, while collaborating with cross-functional teams across Apple to define a top-tier camera experience on our platforms.

The role combines leadership with hands-on engineering, focusing on test strategy, automation development, and delivering clear quality

Qualifications

• BS and a minimum of 10 years relevant industry experience.
• 6+ years of experience in quality or test engineering, including 2+ years leading or managing engineers.
• 6+ years of experience defining and executing test strategy for embedded firmware, drivers, or system software.
• 6+ years of experience building and maintaining test automation frameworks in Python or a comparable scripting language, working in macOS or Linux command-line environments.
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using Git and embedded build systems.
• Experience testing hardware and backend integration points on embedded devices.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of engineers, setting technical direction and supporting individual career development.
• Own the camera and ISP quality test strategy, including the development, maintenance, and execution of test plans covering functionality, performance, power, stability, and image quality.
• Write and maintain automation code in Python, execute test plans directly, and provide technical leadership on tooling alongside the team.
• Present test results, quality metrics, and risk assessments to senior leadership and partner teams, translating technical findings into actionable recommendations.
• Partner with firmware engineers, driver teams, architects, and engineering program managers to define quality standards and expand automated test coverage integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop engineering talent capable of tackling embedded camera quality challenges.

Skills

Team leadership

Test automation

Python

CI/CD

Embedded firmware testing

Hardware testing

Education

Bachelor's degree (BS)

Tools

Git

macOS

Linux

Job description

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, engineering manager comfortable leading a high-performing team while remaining technically engaged in the work itself. In this role, you will manage a team of engineers responsible for qualifying camera/ISP firmware and drivers, while also personally contributing to automation development, test execution, and technical problem-solving. You thrive in cross-functional environments, partnering closely with firmware engineers, driver teams, architects, project managers, and QA teams across Apple to define what a high-quality camera experience looks like on our platforms.

Description

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team of engineers, setting technical direction and supporting individual career development
• Own the camera and ISP quality test strategy, including the development, maintenance, and execution of test plans covering functionality, performance, power, stability, and image quality
• Write and maintain automation code in Python, execute test plans directly, and provide technical leadership on tooling alongside the team
• Present test results, quality metrics, and risk assessments to senior leadership and partner teams, translating technical findings into actionable recommendations
• Partner with firmware engineers, driver teams, architects, and engineering program managers to define quality standards and expand automated test coverage integrated into CI/CD pipelines
• Recruit, onboard, and develop engineering talent capable of tackling embedded camera quality challenges

Minimum Qualifications

• BS and a minimum of 10 years relevant industry experience
• 6+ years of experience in quality or test engineering, including 2+ years leading or managing engineers
• 6+ years of experience defining and executing test strategy for embedded firmware, drivers, or system software
• 6+ years of experience building and maintaining test automation frameworks in Python or a comparable scripting language, working in macOS or Linux command-line environments
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using Git and embedded build systems
• Experience testing hardware and backend integration points on embedded devices

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience validating camera or ISP firmware, including working knowledge of the ISP pipeline, auto-exposure, auto-focus, auto-white-balance, video formats, and color spaces
• Experience growing and developing engineers on a technical team, including hiring, onboarding, and performance coaching
• Experience diagnosing and triaging complex firmware defects using logs, traces, and instrumented builds
• Experience presenting quality metrics and risk assessments to senior stakeholders and driving decisions from the results
• Experience shipping high-volume consumer hardware products
• Experience performing image quality evaluation using test charts, light boxes, or measurement equipment
• Experience with pre-silicon validation or early hardware bring-up
• Experience applying AI-assisted development and testing tools — including prompt construction for test authoring, log analysis, and debugging — to increase engineering throughput
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to guide teams through ambiguous and complex technical challenges
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to explain complex problems clearly and succinctly
• Passion to collaborate and iterate on ideas in a cross-functional environment