Quality Assurance Test Engineer in Southampton

The company is a fast‑growing start‑up building the Trust Layer for physical AI and autonomous systems – next‑generation safety‑tech designed to unlock the true benefits of AI for humanity. Its software enables assured, trustworthy deployment of both traditional deterministic autonomy and AI‑driven control methods in safety‑critical environments, initially focused on aerospace and land domains. The organisation’s products are future‑focused, compliance‑ready and built from the ground up for safety‑critical applications. It aims to be a global leader in novel control assurance, pioneering trusted and ethical autonomy for humanity.

The company culture reflects its ambitious goals. The team is motivated by building meaningful technology, solving hard problems and moving quickly together, embracing collaboration and change as part of start‑up life. Individuals thrive here if they enjoy taking ownership, wearing multiple hats and learning quickly, and are comfortable going beyond core hours when work demands it – not because it is expected every day, but because seeing progress matters. The organisation looks for people who want to be part of something being built from the ground up and who bring commitment, curiosity and teamwork to everything they do.

The business is seeking an exceptional QA & Test Engineer to join the engineering team building cutting‑edge runtime assurance systems for AI and robotics applications. The role holder will play a vital part in developing and assuring safety‑critical embedded software components that underpin the safe and reliable operation of the company’s solutions. Reporting to the CTO, the QA & Test Engineer will lead the design, development and execution of test and verification activities for the runtime assurance platform across multiple hardware architectures and real‑time operating systems. The position combines hands‑on technical work with significant influence over QA processes, tooling and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development and implementation of embedded software for the runtime assurance platform across various hardware architectures and real‑time operating systems.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, regulations and best practices for safety‑critical software development, such as DO‑178C, ISO 26262 and IEC 61508.
• Manage build configuration and CI/CD pipelines, using services such as Jenkins, CloudBuild or AWS CodePipeline.
• Develop and maintain Software‑in‑the‑Loop and Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop test environments, including automated deployment across multiple platforms.
• Integrate performance testing techniques across multiple types of simulation (e.g. Gazebo, rosbag‑based workflows).
• Collaborate with hardware engineers, systems architects and AI/ML specialists to integrate embedded software and test frameworks into the overall system.
• Participate in code reviews, performance optimisation and comprehensive testing (unit, integration and system level) to maintain high quality standards.
• Develop, implement and execute test strategies and verification activities for safety‑critical software, including static and dynamic code analysis using tools such as Rapita RVS, LDRA, VectorCAST or Polyspace.
• Define and maintain test cases, procedures and automation frameworks to ensure consistency and repeatability.
• Support compliance with safety standards (e.g. DO‑178C, ISO 26262, IEC 61508, DEF STAN 00‑55) through rigorous testing and documentation.
• Lead defect reporting, tracking and resolution through structured QA processes, and prepare and present test results, coverage metrics and assurance evidence for internal and external reviews.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of verification and validation processes, tools and best practices.

Candidate profile:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience, with a strong focus on embedded systems QA and software development and/or testing.
• Hands‑on experience in embedded software testing and QA, with a proven track record in delivering safety‑critical systems.
• Solid understanding of software development methodologies such as Agile, Continuous Integration and Test‑Driven Development.
• Experience with one or more CI/CD pipeline services (e.g. Jenkins, CloudBuild, AWS CodePipeline).
• Experience with infrastructure and automation techniques (e.g. bash, Python) and source control tools such as Git.
• Experience with at least one automated test framework (e.g. pytest, GoogleTest/gtest).
• Experience developing and executing test strategies and verification activities for safety‑critical software, including static and dynamic analysis.
• Strong problem‑solving, analytical and debugging skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities, with the ability to work effectively in cross‑functional teams.

Rewards and benefits:

• Competitive compensation package, dependent on experience.
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme with a 5% matched company contribution.
• Generous holiday allowance.
• EV car scheme and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Additional benefits to be introduced as the company grows.

Candidates will have the opportunity to join a team that is enabling a future in which AI is not only intelligent but also assured, safe and trustworthy.