Autonomy Test Engineer

At Serve Robotics, we’re reimagining how things move in cities. Our personable sidewalk robot is our vision for the future. It’s designed to take deliveries away from congested streets, make deliveries available to more people, and benefit local businesses.

The Serve fleet has been delighting merchants, customers, and pedestrians along the way in Los Angeles while doing commercial deliveries. We’re looking for talented individuals who will grow robotic deliveries from surprising novelty to efficient ubiquity.

Who We Are

We are tech industry veterans in software, hardware, and design who are pooling our skills to build the future we want to live in. We are solving real-world problems leveraging robotics, machine learning and computer vision, among other disciplines, with a mindful eye towards the end-to-end user experience. Our team is agile, diverse, and driven. We believe that the best way to solve complicated dynamic problems is collaboratively and respectfully.

This role supports the development of safe and reliable autonomy software by expanding simulation and real world autonomy software tests, data analysis, and creation of testing processes and tools. The position adds value by helping the team identify issues early, prioritize fixes, and ensure the robot performs well across a wide variety of real-world and simulated scenarios

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain frameworks to test and validate autonomy software systems (e.g., perception, localization, planning, and control)

• Develop tools and scripts for log, and real-time analysis of autonomy stack behavior

• Create, configure, and maintain simulation environments to test edge cases, failure recovery, and regression scenarios

• Collaborate with autonomy engineers to define system-level test plans and develop custom tools that integrate into the development pipeline
  

• Analyze system logs and telemetry to identify root causes of autonomy behavior issues and contribute to debugging

• Author and maintain test cases as part of structured software validation plans, with traceability

• Exercise independent judgment in selecting testing strategies, tooling approaches, and data collection methods to meet safety and coverage goals

• Write technical documentation to support autonomy testing infrastructure and data analysis processes

• Create and maintain test cases for new autonomy features (like detecting obstacles or stopping at crosswalks)

• Coordinate testing schedules across simulation, field testing, and software sprints

• Own and maintain technical reports for autonomy bugs with clear reproduction steps and analysis

• Work with engineers, QA, and field teams to make sure tests reflect real-world situations and robot challenges

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related discipline)

• 2–3 years of professional experience in a robotics, QA, test engineering, or autonomy-related role

• Experience working with Linux-based systems and command line tools

• Scripting knowledge (Python, Bash, or similar) to help automate tasks and organize data

• Experience with task management tools (e.g., Jira, Notion) and test tracking systems

• Organized and detail-oriented with a focus on reliability and safety

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, test-driven environment

• Understanding of basic software development workflows, version control (e.g., Git), and CI systems

What Makes You Standout

• Exposure to working with mobile robotics platforms or autonomy stacks (e.g., localization, perception, or planning)

• Familiarity with analyzing log files, simulation outputs, or autonomy metrics

• Prior experience coordinating field tests or working with test setups

• Interest in robotics safety, testing at scale, or data-driven performance evaluation

Additional Information

• This role may require occasional travel to test sites or field deployments (<10%)

• Candidates should be comfortable working near autonomous robots and test equipment

• Some flexibility in work hours may be needed during release cycles or field operations