Senior Manufacturing Test Software Architect

Performance Drone Works, LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health coverage

Safe Harbor 401(K) with company match

Employer provided life insurance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Generous PTO and flexible leave

Job summary

Performance Drone Works, LLC builds advanced tactical robotic systems and manufacturing test software. The Principal Software Engineer will lead the design, deployment, and sustainment of production test software supporting assembly, calibration, and validation in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

You will architect scalable test frameworks, manage deployment pipelines, and collaborate across electrical, firmware, and mechanical teams to ensure robust, repeatable production processes and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field.
• 10+ years in software engineering, manufacturing automation, robotics, or production test.
• Proficient in Python and at least one scripting or systems language (e.g., Bash, PowerShell, C/C++).
• Experience designing scalable automated test systems and HIL validation frameworks.
• Deep Linux systems administration, deployment automation, networking and security.
• Familiarity with CM, CI/CD, and release management workflows.
• Knowledge of hardware interfaces (UART, CAN, Ethernet, USB, I2C, SPI).
• Strong robotics/embedded systems experience and debugging skills.
• Experience with data serialization (JSON, Protobuf, REST).
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics and documentation.
• Clear communication, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership.
• Experience with PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB/InfluxDB for traceability.
• Ability to obtain/maintain U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, implementation, deployment, and sustainment of manufacturing test software in production.
• Architect scalable frameworks for automated test fixtures and diagnostics.
• Own CM, pipelines, version control, and release processes for manufacturing envs.
• Develop automation tools using Python, Bash, PowerShell to streamline production.
• Maintain Linux-based manufacturing systems, including user management and security.
• Collaborate with electrical, firmware, and mechanical teams to integrate software with hardware.
• Drive root-cause analysis of manufacturing defects and test failures.
• Establish validation methodologies for production systems and quality standards.
• Improve throughput, test coverage, traceability, and repeatability via automation.
• Develop data collection/serialization/logging infrastructure across systems.
• Mentor junior engineers and manufacturing staff on best practices.
• Contribute to long-term software strategy and production scalability.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Linux

CI/CD

Embedded systems

Robotics

REST/JSON

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Software Eng/EE/Robotics

Tools

Qt Framework

PyQt/PySide

MES/ERP integrations

OPC UA

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Performance Drone Works, LLC builds advanced tactical robotic systems and manufacturing test software. The Principal Software Engineer will lead the design, deployment, and sustainment of production test software supporting assembly, calibration, and validation in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

You will architect scalable test frameworks, manage deployment pipelines, and collaborate across electrical, firmware, and mechanical teams to ensure robust, repeatable production processes and