Manufacturing Test Engineer - Embedded Software

About Knightscope

Knightscope (NASDAQ: KSCP) is a security technology company building the nation's first Autonomous Security Force — autonomous machines, AI-driven software, and elite security professionals operating as one integrated managed service. The Company is on a mission to make the United States of America the safest country in the world. One Team. One Force.

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on engineer to write the software that tests, calibrates, and releases every K7 vehicle that comes off our production line. This is primarily a software development role: you will design and write the test framework, station software, and embedded interfaces yourself, rather than configuring or maintaining an off-the-shelf test system.

The software will talk directly to K7 embedded hardware: controllers, sensors, and onboard compute. It will verify each subsystem, calibrate sensors, load and check firmware and software images, and enforce the factory gates that keep a unit from shipping until it passes.

Location - Sunnyvale, CA - Onsite

Starting Point

You will build the K7 end-of-line test software from the ground up: defining what gets tested and how, learning the hardware and firmware in detail, and designing the framework and station software yourself. You will work closely with hardware, firmware, autonomy, and manufacturing teams, and with the technicians who run the stations. We use modern tools, including AI assistants, as part of everyday development.

What You Will Do

• Develop the test software: Design and write the EOL test framework and station software from the ground up, including test sequencing, hardware drivers, logging, and pass/fail limits.
• Work with embedded systems: Communicate with vehicle controllers and onboard compute over standard interfaces (e.g., CAN, Ethernet, serial); write low-level tools and utilities to exercise and verify embedded hardware and firmware.
• Build factory software gates: Flash firmware and software images, verify versions and configuration, and enforce pass/fail criteria so every unit is released in a known, approved state.
• Develop sensor calibration: Implement calibration routines for vehicle sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, and IMUs, including target setup, algorithms, and acceptance limits.
• Create traceability: Log serial numbers, calibration data, and test results to a central database, and build reports on yield, failure modes, and station performance.
• Build operator tools: Create simple, reliable station interfaces that production technicians can run with minimal training.
• Support the line: Debug test failures on the floor down to the hardware, firmware, or software level, and work with the owning teams on root cause.
• Maintain the codebase: Use version control, code review, and automated testing; write test specifications and work instructions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Electrical, Robotics, or Controls Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of software development for hardware test, manufacturing test, or embedded systems on vehicles, robots, or complex electromechanical products.
• Track record of designing and writing test software or tooling from scratch, not only maintaining existing systems.
• Strong Python for test automation and tooling; solid C or C++ for embedded and hardware-facing code.
• Hands-on embedded experience: microcontrollers and/or embedded Linux, firmware flashing and bootloaders, and debugging with tools such as JTAG/SWD debuggers, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes.
• Working knowledge of hardware interfaces and protocols such as CAN/CAN-FD, Ethernet, USB, UART, SPI, and I2C.
• Experience controlling test instruments programmatically (e.g., via SCPI).
• Ability to read electrical schematics and wiring diagrams.
• Software engineering fundamentals: Git, code review, and automated testing.
• Effective, everyday use of AI assistants (e.g., Claude) for coding, debugging, and research: writes clear, well-scoped prompts, breaks problems into steps, and critically checks AI output before it reaches production or hardware.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience calibrating cameras, LiDAR, IMUs, or other sensors in a production environment.
• Experience with automotive diagnostics (UDS, OBD) and end-of-line flashing.
• Experience with RTOS-based firmware or Linux device drivers.
• Background in autonomous vehicles, mobile robotics, EVs, or automotive Tier-1 suppliers.
• Experience with ROS/ROS 2, test frameworks (e.g., pytest, OpenHTF), MES, or test databases.

What Success Looks Like

• Test coverage: Automated EOL tests and software release gates that the production team relies on for every unit.
• Calibration and traceability: reliable sensor calibration, with every unit traceable by serial number to its test and calibration records.
• Continuous improvement: A documented, measurable EOL process with tracked yield and cycle time, and a clear feedback loop into engineering.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base Salary: $150,000 - $185,000
• Equity: Stock options
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off
• Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ