DevOps Lead - Embedded

Dev Ops LeadA unique opportunity with a global leader in secure, smart-connected physical systems. They are currently scaling their next-generation IoT product ecosystem and seeking a highly specialized DevOps Lead for Embedded Systems to bridge the gap between physical hardware and cloud-enabled continuous integration.This is not a traditional web/cloud DevOps position. In this role, your code directly controls and validates physical, battery-operated devices. You will lead an automated testing team, scale physical Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environments, and pioneer the integration of AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate the firmware development lifecycle.ResponsibilitiesEngineering Leadership: Manage, mentor, and grow a team of Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) and automation engineers. Establish modern QA career paths, onboarding protocols, and KPIs.Infrastructure & CI/CD Ownership: Direct, scale, and optimize enterprise-grade CI/CD pipelines (GitLab) specifically tailored for complex firmware builds, cross-compilation, and secure artifact management.Physical Automation (HIL): Own and expand physical Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) server fleets and custom test fixture infrastructures to validate production-level hardware.Secure Release Management: Manage the end-to-end firmware release cycle, including secure cryptographic signing pipelines, Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware packaging, and version traceability.Workflow Acceleration & AI Integration: Design and implement intelligent automation workflows—including the integration of custom AI agents and developer tooling—to accelerate debugging and test generation.Critical Must-Haves (Requirements):Experience: 8+ years of DevOps/Infrastructure experience, with at least 5 years strictly dedicated to embedded systems, IoT, or firmware CI/CD pipelines.Team Leadership: Proven experience managing, mentoring, and scaling technical teams (QA, SDET, or test automation) in an Agile or Scaled Agile environment.CI/CD Pipeline Mastery: Expert-level capability designing and managing robust pipeline architectures, runner fleets, and containerized build environments.Test Automation & Scripting: Strong coding skills in Python alongside hands-on experience building structured, keyword-driven automated test suites.Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL): Direct experience configuring and maintaining physical HIL test environments to validate software on physical devices.IoT Protocols: Practical understanding of low-power wireless protocols (such as BLE, mesh, or standard serial communication) at the integration testing level.Preferred Qualifications:Familiarity with flashing, debugging, and testing major low-power microcontroller platforms (e.g., ARM Cortex-M architecture).Experience designing or integrating custom hardware test fixtures using microcontrollers.Familiarity with automated hardware/firmware simulation tools in a CI environment.Interest or hands-on experience developing custom AI/LLM developer tooling (such as API connectors, agent integrations, or specialized prompt engineering).Pay range and compensation package120-150K total comp including bonus, plus relocation and full benefits.