Sr. Software Development Engineer in Test, Infotainment

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 147,000 - 202,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSUs (equity)

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies seeks a QA Automation engineer for Infotainment and Connectivity infrastructure. You will build and maintain Python automation, assemble hardware test rigs, and keep CI/CD pipelines fast and reliable to support continuous testing.

You will collaborate with test engineers, firmware teams, and DevOps, troubleshooting across software, network, and hardware stacks in a hybrid role based in Palo Alto.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of Python for automation, scripting, or hardware/CLI interaction.
• Experience in Linux environments, including shell scripting, permissions, and package management.
• Hands-on experience assembling or maintaining physical computer hardware.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot across software, network, and hardware under time pressure.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Python-based automation frameworks for hardware test benches.
• Manage and optimize CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI) to support continuous testing and rapid deployments.
• Assemble, configure, and maintain computer systems and hardware test rigs.
• Administer Linux-based test environments for reliable performance.
• Serve as first responder for test bench failures and triage root causes.
• Collaborate with test engineers and firmware/software teams to define automation requirements.
• Monitor system health and pipeline performance to identify bottlenecks.
• Document automation tooling and bench configurations for team knowledge sharing.

Skills

Python automation

Linux environments

Hardware assembly/maintain

Troubleshooting (software/network/hw)

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab CI

GitHub Actions

Monitoring tools

Job description

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

The Infotainment and Connectivity QA Infrastructure team builds and maintains the automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and hardware test bench infrastructure that power quality assurance for RVTech's infotainment systems. This role is responsible for developing Python-based automation, physically building and maintaining hardware test rigs, and keeping CI/CD pipelines reliable and fast so the broader QA organization can test continuously and ship with confidence. The person will work closely with test engineers, firmware teams, and DevOps to troubleshoot failures across the code, network, and hardware stack. This is a hybrid role based out of Palo Alto.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Python-based automation frameworks to control and monitor hardware test benches.
• Manage and optimize CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI) to support continuous testing and rapid deployment cycles.
• Physically assemble, configure, and maintain computer systems and hardware test rigs, including component selection and setup.
• Administer Linux-based test environments, ensuring systems are configured, patched, and tuned for reliable performance.
• Serve as first responder for test bench failures, triaging whether root cause is a software bug, network issue, or hardware fault.
• Collaborate with test engineers and firmware/software teams to define automation requirements and integrate new hardware into the test infrastructure.
• Monitor system health and pipeline performance, proactively identifying and resolving bottlenecks or recurring failure patterns.
• Document automation tooling, bench configurations, and troubleshooting procedures to support team knowledge-sharing.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience writing Python for automation, scripting, or hardware/CLI interaction.
• Demonstrated experience working in Linux environments, including shell scripting, file permissions, and package management.
• Hands-on experience assembling or maintaining physical computer hardware.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and isolate root causes across software, network, and hardware layers under time pressure.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with system monitoring and observability tooling in Linux environments.
• Experience building or maintaining hardware test benches or lab infrastructure in a QA or engineering context.
• Exposure to network troubleshooting (e.g., basic packet capture, routing, connectivity diagnostics).
• Experience working cross-functionally with firmware, software, or DevOps teams in a fast-paced test environment.

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country.

Learn more about our global benefit programs.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

If you provide a mobile telephone number as part of your application or during the recruitment process, Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use that number to contact you via SMS text message for recruitment-related purposes, including scheduling, logistics, and status updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any text message you receive from us. Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of applying for or being considered for employment.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English) and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

Compensation Range: $146,900 - $201,950