Platform System Engineer

We are looking for our first Platform Software and System Test Engineer to own system releases and quality across Saferide's hardware and software stack. This role will be central to ensuring that Saferide devices function reliably across hundreds of vehicle platforms, CANbus protocols, production releases and environments. You'll work closely with our engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams to develop software integration environment, CI/CD pipelines, design test plans, automate validation, and build the quality processes that will scale us from first units to mass production.

This is a ground-floor opportunity: you will define how quality is measured, tested, and ensured at Saferide.

Responsibilities

• Integration Framework Development: Design, develop, and maintain the initial setup and configuration for system integration, including Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems, embedded software systems, and data logging environments. OSAL, security and authorization mechanisms.
• Software driver development in Embedded Linux environment, including peripherals such as UART/SPI/I2C/Timers/LEDs/IMU sensors, CAN bus driver development.
• Middleware services development including OTA, diagnostics services, real-time data and video streaming services.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize the Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline for embedded software builds.
• Manage automated build processes, artifact storage, and release deployment to various test environments (HIL, bench, vehicle).
• Develop and execute validation plans across multiple makes and models to ensure seamless integration with different CANbus systems.
• Identify, log, and resolve compatibility issues with in-vehicle networks, sensors, and ECUs.
• Design and run regression tests for firmware, CANbus interfaces, and ADAS functionality.
• Validate the flashing process during production to ensure every unit meets spec.
• Build test harnesses, simulators, and frameworks for repeatable testing at scale.
• Test OTA update processes end-to-end, ensuring updates are robust, safe, and recoverable.
• Establish monitoring and validation for field updates across the installed base.
• Create and maintain automated test suites for hardware and software validation.
• Own bug tracking, root cause analysis, and issue resolution workflows.
• Define KPIs and metrics to measure and communicate quality across the company.
• Work with engineering to integrate Q/A earlier into the design cycle.
• Partner with manufacturing to ensure quality through production ramp-up.
• Build a feedback loop from field data into product improvements.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Solid understanding and hands-on experience with Linux-based embedded systems, including development, integration, and debugging on distributions including Yocto Project-based Embedded Linux, Ubuntu and Debian.
• Must have Driver level development experience in I/O peripherals including UART/SPI/I2C/Timers/LEDs/IMU sensors.
• Experience in AI model integration and optimization on real-time embedded devices.
• Proficiency in C/C++ for understanding code and writing module-level tests.
• Proficiency in scripting/automation (Python, Bash, etc.).
• Hands-on experience in developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps) for embedded systems.
• 3+ years of experience in Devops, Q/A for embedded systems, or automotive HW platforms.
• Hands-on experience with CANbus analysis tools (e.g. CANalyzer, SavvyCAN, SocketCAN).
• Strong foundation in hardware/software debugging.
• Familiarity with flashing tools, bootloaders, and embedded firmware processes.
• Experience with OTA update systems, CI/CD, or remote software deployment.
• Experience with Leveled Test Plan definition, development and execution.
• Comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment where you'll define the Q/A discipline.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Nice to Have

• Automotive industry experience (OEM, Tier-1, retrofit, or ADAS systems).
• Exposure to camera, radar, or sensor validation workflows.
• Experience building test rigs or vehicle simulation environments.
• Background in safety standards (ISO 26262, ASPICE, etc.).
• Experience with release management and version control tools (Git, Git LFS).
• Knowledge of containerization technologies (Docker) for creating consistent test environments.
• Knowledge of cloud microservices design and development.

Pulled from the full job description

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance, * Base salary: $110,000 - $145,000, depending on experience and fit.
• Meaningful equity grant in a venture-backed company scaling from prototype to mass production.
• Full health, dental, and vision coverage.
• On-site role at our San Diego office with a collaborative, mission-driven team.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $110,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance

Saferide is building the universal plug-and-play compute and vision platform for vehicles. Our mission is to eliminate 80-90% of road deaths by bringing advanced driver assistance and connectivity to the 1.5 billion cars already on the road. We've built the first true vision-based solution to road safety, and our product is designed to make every car safer, smarter, and software-defined., The only reason to join a startup is to take on problems you would never get to solve anywhere else. At Saferide we are solving one of the hardest and most meaningful challenges in the world: ending road deaths. We have built the first true vision-based solution that can prevent the crashes that kill more than a million people globally each year, and the product you will help bring into production is designed to eliminate 80 to 90 percent of road deaths. This is your chance to join a small team at the exact moment when our product goes from prototype to reality, and to directly build the systems that scale Saferide from 2,000 units to 100,000 units. Our Team Saferide is led by proven operators and engineers. Our CEO previously scaled his first consumer electronics company to over $100M in revenue, releasing dozens of iconic products loved by millions. Our CTO created 5G at Intel after more than a decade as a staff engineer at Qualcomm. The rest of our engineering team brings deep expertise in vision systems, ADAS, and hardware, giving you world-class peers to collaborate with as you build the future of vehicle safety.