Software Development Engineer in Test

K2Spacecorporation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Medical/Dental/Vision coverage

Paid parental leave

Job summary

K2Spacecorporation in Los Angeles is seeking a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to build and maintain robust test automation frameworks. The ideal candidate will work closely with flight software engineers to ensure rapid and reliable software deployments.

This role involves designing, developing, and owning test frameworks, collaborating on hardware-in-the-loop testing, and maintaining CI/CD automation tools. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from $123,000 to $175,000 along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related STEM field.
• Experience building and maintaining test automation frameworks.
• Experience with CI/CD systems and version control (Git).

Responsibilities

• Design and develop software test frameworks for flight software stack.
• Build automation tooling for CI/CD pipelines.
• Collaborate with flight software engineers for test infrastructure.

Skills

Automation Framework Development

CI/CD Systems

Version Control (Git)

Debugging Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant STEM field

Tools

GitLab Pipelines

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

We are seeking a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to build and maintain test automation frameworks for K2’s flight software stack. You will work directly with flight software engineers to deliver rapid, reliable software deployments and lead hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and own software test frameworks targeting K2’s flight software stack, including subsystems for propulsion, GNC, power, thermal, and communications.
• Build and maintain automation tooling that integrates seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines, enabling fast and reliable flight software deployment.
• Develop hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) and software‑in‑the‑loop (SIL) test infrastructure in close collaboration with flight software engineers.
• Create tooling for test execution, data collection, and anomaly triage that gives engineers clear, actionable signals.
• Reduce flaky and nondeterministic tests; continuously improve coverage, pipeline reliability, and test execution speed.
• Collaborate with flight software, avionics, and systems engineers to define test requirements, write test plans, and execute verification campaigns.
• Analyze test results to identify and characterize failures, and drive resolution across the team.
• Maintain documentation for test infrastructure, procedures, and hardware configurations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related STEM field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience building and maintaining test automation frameworks, not just executing tests written by others.
• Experience with CI/CD systems (e.g., GitLab Pipelines, GitHub Actions, Jenkins) and version control (Git).

Nice to Have

• Experience with hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) testbeds or embedded systems testing.
• Experience testing avionics, spacecraft, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other safety‑critical hardware.
• Rust programming experience, including embedded or no_std environments.
• Knowledge of real‑time operating systems (RTOS) or bare‑metal embedded firmware.
• Familiarity with aerospace communication protocols (RS‑422/485, Ethernet, UART, SpaceWire, Ethernet).
• Experience with electronics test equipment: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies.
• Containerization experience (Docker, Kubernetes) for test environment management.
• Experience with Embedded Linux.
• Familiarity with shell scripting.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $123,000 – $175,000 plus equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

Export Compliance

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise be eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.