Principal Test Automation Engineer

d-Matrix; Santa Clara (CA); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

d-Matrix is seeking a Principal Test Automation Engineer in Santa Clara with remote options to define and build AI-enabled automation across the software lifecycle. You will own the foundations, from the agent harness to GitLab and Jira integrations, ensuring correctness and auditable guardrails while shipping high-impact automations.

You'll lead hands-on work on a kernel compiler, firmware, device drivers, and an inference-serving stack, mentoring peers and raising the bar for automation across

Qualifications

• Extensive production software engineering experience with strong Python skills.
• Familiarity with Rust and/or C++ in build flows and compiler diagnostics.
• Experience shipping AI-enabled tools or automation in production environments.
• Hands-on experience with LLM APIs, agent harnesses, tool integration, and context engineering.
• Ability to design evaluations for nondeterministic systems and prove automation adds value without breaking existing systems.
• Strong judgment on when to apply AI and when to choose non-AI approaches.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical direction for AI-enabled workflow automation across build, CI, test, and release.
• Build the shared foundation, including the agent harness and GitLab/Jira integrations, tests, logs, and observability data.
• Develop evaluation methodologies to measure time savings and correctness preservation.
• Define guardrails for autonomous AI actions vs. human-in-the-loop decisions and auditable changes.
• Deliver the first Quality Engineering automations, including failure attribution and release-readiness summaries.
• Mentor engineers and promote shared patterns, reviews, and best practices across teams.
• Decide when an agent, a deterministic tool, or a simple script is the right solution and teach this judgment.

Skills

Python

Rust

C++

LLM APIs

Agent harness

CI/CD

Testing

Observability

Tools

GitLab

Jira

Prometheus

Job description

At d-Matrix, we are focused on unleashing the potential of generative AI to power the transformation of technology. We are at the forefront of software and hardware innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.Our culture is one of respect and collaboration.

We value humility and believe in direct communication.Our team is inclusive, and our differing perspectives allow for better solutions.We are seeking individuals passionate about tackling challenges and are driven by execution. Ready to come find your playground? Together, we can help shape the endless possibilities of AI.

Principal Test Automation Engineer

Location: Santa Clara, Ca / Remote, US

Role Overview

d-Matrix is hiring a Principal Software Engineer to define and build how we use AI-enabled automation across the software development lifecycle, from build and CI through testing and release. Our codebase spans a kernel compiler, firmware, device drivers, and an inference serving stack running on silicon we designed ourselves. Tests require real hardware, correctness is numerical rather than pass/fail, and failures can originate in any of several layers. You will set the technical direction for AI-enabled workflow automation and build the foundations other engineers rely on, including the agent harness, integrations into GitLab, Jira, test results, and logs, guardrails, and evaluation methods that show whether an automation actually helped. You will stay hands-on and ship the hardest pieces yourself, working alongside a Senior/Staff engineer in the same area while raising the bar for how the broader engineering organization uses AI in its daily work.

What You Will Do

• Set the technical direction for AI-enabled workflow automation across build, CI, test, and release.

• Build the shared foundation, including the agent harness and tool integrations into GitLab, Jira, test results, logs, and observability data.

• Develop evaluation methodology to measure whether an automation saves time and preserves correctness.

• Define guardrails and standards for where AI acts autonomously, where it proposes and a human decides, and how every change stays auditable.

• Deliver the first Quality Engineering automations, including cross-layer failure attribution, failure clustering and defect deduplication, coverage-gap analysis, and release-readiness summaries.

• Raise the bar across engineering through shared patterns, design reviews, and mentoring.

• Determine when an agent, a deterministic tool with a narrow model step, or a simple script is the right solution, and teach that judgment to others.

What You Will Bring

• Extensive production software engineering experience, with strong Python skills.

• Enough Rust and/or C++ experience to understand build flows and diagnose compiler errors.

• Experience shipping AI-enabled tools or automation that others relied on in production, beyond demos.

• Deep hands-on experience with LLM APIs, agent harnesses, tool integration, and context engineering.

• Experience designing evaluations for nondeterministic systems, showing that an automation helped without breaking something else.

• Sound judgment about when AI is the right tool, including examples of choosing not to use it.

• Strong fluency across the development lifecycle, including CI/CD, testing, and release processes.

• A track record of setting technical direction across teams that do not report to you.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to compilers, firmware, or hardware-in-the-loop test environments.

• Experience building tool integrations with MCP or similar protocols.

• Experience working with GitLab, Jira, or Prometheus APIs.

• Experience managing cost and latency in LLM-based systems.

• Daily use of AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot, with well-formed opinions on where they help and where they do not.

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

d-Matrix is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and affirmative action employer. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and empowered to do their best work. We hire the best talent for our teams, regardless of race, religion, color, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, or veteran status. Our focus is on hiring teammates with humble expertise, kindness, dedication and a willingness to embrace challenges and learn together every day.