Embedded Validation & Tools Engineer - OTA

ALSO.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Robust health coverage

Flexible time off

401(k) match

Job summary

ALSO. is seeking an Embedded OTA Validation & Tools Engineer to ensure robust delivery of firmware updates across embedded devices. This role focuses on designing validation tests and managing automated testing environments.

The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in validating embedded devices and strong skills in Python and C/C++. Benefits include health coverage, flexible time off, and a 401(k) match.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• 5+ years of experience with validating embedded devices.
• Strong Python programming and familiarity with C/C++.
• Experience with automated test harnesses and CI integration.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute OTA validation plans across device families.
• Build and manage automated testbeds for regression testing.
• Implement automation for OTA pipelines using Python and CI tools.
• Test update resilience under various adverse conditions.
• Perform root cause analysis on failed updates.

Skills

Embedded device validation

OTA update processes

Python scripting

C/C++ debugging

Hardware debugging tools

Network protocols for OTA

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

JTAG/SWD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

CI tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI)

Job description

About ALSO.

We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

The Role

As an Embedded OTA Validation & Tools Engineer own validation, automation, and operational readiness for firmware/software update delivery across our fleet of embedded devices. You will design and run validation test programs that ensure OTA updates are robust, secure, and reliable under real‑world conditions — including intermittent networks, power faults, device restarts, and edge cases that matter to customers. You’ll work closely with Firmware, Release, QA, and Cloud teams to close the loop from release to fleet health.

What You Will Do

• Design, implement and execute comprehensive OTA validation plans across device families and release types (full OS images, firmware, bootloader, A/B updates, delta/patch updates).
• Build, manage and scale automated testbeds and harnesses (hardware‑in‑the‑loop, virtualized devices, emulators) to run regression, integration, and stress tests for OTA flows.
• Implement automation for end‑to‑end OTA pipelines (from build artifact signing and staging to rollout and post‑update verification) using Python, shell, and CI tools.
• Validate update mechanisms and components: bootloader, update agent, package formats, rollbacks, A/B partitions, and recovery modes.
• Test update resilience under adverse conditions: intermittent networks (cellular/Wi‑Fi), high latency/packet loss, power interruptions, low‑battery scenarios, storage constraints, and corrupted images.
• Validate security properties: signing/verification, secure transport (TLS), secure boot, key management, and vulnerability surface introduced by update components.
• Define metrics and KPIs (success rate, rollback rate, mean time to recover, time‑to‑update), instrument devices and cloud backends to measure rollout health, and produce reports for release readiness.
• Perform root cause analysis on failed updates, reproduce field issues, and drive remediation with firmware and backend engineering teams.
• Maintain device lab hardware (JTAG, serial consoles, network emulators, power controllers, logic analyzers) and tooling stacks (Wireshark, serial monitors, provisioning fixtures).
• Contribute to OTA process improvements: staging strategies, canary rollouts, rollback thresholds, risk assessment templates, and runbook documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience validating embedded devices and firmware updates (OTA or similar).
• Strong programming/scripting ability in Python and familiarity with C/C++ for embedded debugging.
• Deep understanding of embedded platforms (embedded Linux and/or RTOS), bootloaders (e.g., U‑Boot), partition schemes, and A/B update models.
• Practical experience with building automated test harnesses and integrating tests into CI pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI, etc.).
• Experience with hardware debugging tools and workflows: serial/UART, JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, power cycling rigs.
• Familiarity with networking protocols used for OTA (HTTP(S), MQTT, CoAP) and wireless technologies (Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, cellular, BLE).
• Experience analyzing logs, packet captures, and device telemetry to diagnose update failures.
• Strong debugging skills and methodical problem solving; able to reproduce complex failure modes and propose design fixes.
• Excellent communication skills — able to write clear test plans, runbooks, and post‑mortems.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with cloud OTA platforms and services: AWS IoT Device Management, Mender, Azure IoT, Google Cloud IoT, or custom fleet management systems.
• Knowledge of secure update practices: code signing, public key infrastructure (PKI), TPM/secure element integration, secure boot implementations.
• Experience with CAN/LIN, automotive‑grade validation, or industrial protocols for fleeted devices.
• Familiarity with containerization/virtualization for test environments (Docker, QEMU).
• Experience with large‑scale rollout strategies (canary/capacity ramping, staged rollouts, feature flags).
• Firmware build systems and OS build frameworks (Yocto/OpenEmbedded, Buildroot).
• Prior experience with telemetry frameworks and analytics (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK).

Salary

The salary for this position ranges from $140,000-$170,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Perks & Benefits

• Robust health coverage — excellent health, dental, and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO, with FSA & HSA options
• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates
• Rich fertility and family‑building benefits with Progyny
• Flexible time off
• 401(k) match

Why ALSO.

We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it’s you’re headed. We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world‑class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces. Together we’re working hands‑on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.