Senior Quality Assurance Engineer

Hayden AI; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Hayden AI is seeking a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer to drive quality across embedded software for transportation systems. You will define test strategies, manage regression cycles, and ensure release readiness with cross‑functional teams.

You own end‑to‑end quality processes, from test planning and risk assessment to release sign‑off and post‑release validation, emphasizing automation within CI/CD and reliable field deployments.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years in Quality Assurance, Test Engineering, or SDET roles with structured testing and software validation.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Experience with test management, defect tracking, and release processes.
• Experience with system-level, integration, and end-to-end automation.
• Hands-on experience with embedded devices, IoT platforms, and field deployments.
• Knowledge of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and automation-first QA methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Drive quality through well-defined testing processes and disciplined release management for embedded software in transportation environments.
• Establish and execute manual and automated test strategies; define quality gates; manage regression cycles.
• Own end-to-end quality for embedded software releases: test planning, risk assessment, defect triage, release sign-off, post-release validation.
• Collaborate with software engineers, product managers, and operations to embed quality into the lifecycle and improve workflows.
• Architect and maintain Python-based automation frameworks to streamline regression and release validation.
• Lead go/no-go evaluations, coordinate release alignment, and provide reports on release readiness.

Skills

Test strategy

Automation

Python

CI/CD

Root cause

Release management

Stakeholder comms

System-level testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Jenkins

Git

Grafana

Datadog

Job description

• As a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Hayden AI, you will drive quality through well-defined testing processes and disciplined release management for embedded software deployed in real-world transportation environments
• You will be responsible for establishing and executing manual and automated test strategies, defining quality gates, managing regression cycles, and ensuring release readiness across embedded software versions
• You will own the end-to-end quality process for embedded software releases, including test planning, risk assessment, defect triage, release sign-off, and post-release validation
• Working closely with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Operations teams, you will embed quality into the development lifecycle, improve testing workflows, and support reliable field deployments through structured validation and continuous process improvement
• Take ownership of end-to-end quality for vital embedded software, overseeing the planning, execution, and final approval of releases through a mix of rigorous manual testing and automation-first methodologies
• Orchestrate the embedded software release lifecycle, including defining test strategies, ensuring schedule alignment, assessing risks, and leading go/no-go evaluations in partnership with engineering and product teams
• Establish, execute, and iterate on comprehensive validation strategies for embedded systems, edge hardware, and complex system integrations
• Architect and maintain robust Python-based automation frameworks to streamline regression, smoke testing, and release validation efforts
• Direct release test cycles by managing regression execution, facilitating defect triage, and providing detailed reports on release readiness
• Implement automated and manual suites within CI/CD pipelines to maintain stringent quality gates across all embedded software versions
• Validate intricate system behaviors involving embedded devices, hardware interfaces, sensor data, and event-driven logic
• Investigate complex defects through root cause analysis, championing preventative measures and driving sustainable quality enhancements
• Collaborate with Embedded Software Engineers during the design phase to advocate for testability, reliability, and expanded automation coverage
• Develop and monitor quality metrics and dashboards to provide stakeholders with transparency regarding release health and long-term trends
• Ensure successful field deployments by validating device stability, environmental performance, and reliability throughout the release cycle
• Guide junior engineers and offer strategic leadership to scale quality workflows, documentation standards, and technical best practices across the engineering org

Experience: Minimum of 7 years in Quality Assurance, Test Engineering, or SDET roles, with a focus on structured testing and software validationPersonal Attributes: [Communication, collaboration, adaptability, problem-solving attributes]Familiarity with video pipelines, streaming systems, or sensor-driven workflowsStrong communication and cross-functional collaboration skillsExperience with test management, defect tracking, and release processesExperience with system-level, integration, and end-to-end automationExperience testing devices, embedded systems, or IoT platformsSolid understanding of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and automation-first QA methodologiesEducation: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experienceStrong proficiency in Python for building and maintaining automated test frameworksFamiliarity with backend services and distributed systems to support system-level and integration testingExperience testing AI/ML-driven systems, including model validation, data quality checks, and performance monitoring in production environmentsHands-on experience with observability and reporting tools such as Grafana, Datadog, or similar platforms for quality metrics, monitoring, and release health reporting