Firmware Validation Engineer

Company OverviewOmni Instrument is an early-stage startup building autonomous manufacturing tools using edge devices, custom hardware, and advanced perception and control systems. Our focus is delivering reliable, production-ready systems that operate on a scale in real manufacturing environments.Role OverviewWe are hiring a Firmware Validation and Certification Engineer to own firmware quality and release readiness for production systems.This role is responsible for defining validation strategy, building test infrastructure, and acting as the final authority for firmware certification prior to manufacturing release. The focus is not feature development, but ensuring firmware is reliable, repeatable, and robust across high production volumes and real-world conditions.This is an on-site role in San Francisco, CA reporting directly to the CEO.What You’ll DoDefine and own firmware validation strategy and release criteria for productionAct as the sign-off authority for firmware releases for manufacturingBuild and scale hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop validation systemsDevelop automated test pipelines for continuous regression and release validationEnsure traceability from requirements to test coverage and resultsValidate firmware across device populations, accounting for hardware variation and tolerancesDesign and execute firmware stress, fault-injection, and long-duration reliability testsInvestigate failures, perform root cause analysis, and document and report pass/fail criteriaWork closely with firmware, hardware, and manufacturing teams to ensure production readinessIntegrate validation into factory and end-of-line testing processesKey ResponsibilitiesDeeply analyze firmware behavior and confirm compliance with system requirementsDefine pass/fail criteria, coverage metrics, and release thresholdsBuild tools to validate communication protocols (Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, USB, Linux IPC sockets, ROS2)Validate real-time behavior, timing constraints, and system stabilityOwn validation documentation including test plans, reports, and certification recordsYou HaveDegree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related fieldStrong experience with embedded systems and firmware validationExperience with hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testingProficiency in C++ and/or Python for test development and automationExperience debugging embedded systems using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or JTAGStrong understanding of Linux systems and low-level interfaces (sockets, inter-process communication)Experience with communication protocols such as Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, or USBExperience building test infrastructure and automation frameworksAbility to independently define validation strategy and enforce quality standardsWe PreferExperience with NVIDIA Jetson, micro controls, and embedded Linux platformsFamiliarity with Linux kernel concepts, multithreading, shared memory, and inter-process communicationExperience with real-time systems and timing-sensitive applicationsExperience with continuous integration systems and automated testing pipelinesExperience supporting manufacturing validation or production test environmentsWhat Success Looks LikeFirmware releases are predictable, repeatable, and production-readyValidation infrastructure scales with product and manufacturing volumeFailures are quickly identified, reproducible, and resolved before releaseClear certification standards are defined, consistently enforced, and documented