Senior AV Test Engineer

Primary Purpose:  

The Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Test Engineering team at Motional is responsible for validating the safety, functionality, and performance of our self-driving technology through rigorous, system-level testing. As a Senior AV Test Engineer, you will take a lead role in the strategy, planning, and execution of comprehensive test campaigns that span perception, planning, and control systems across virtual, closed-course, and public road environments.

In this role, you will guide test development efforts across multiple AV subsystems, mentor junior engineers, and drive improvements to our tooling, test infrastructure, and methodologies. You will lead cross-functional initiatives that directly impact release readiness and safety assurance, translating high-level engineering requirements into scalable test plans and measurable quality outcomes. Your work will contribute to iterative development, fault injection analysis, and validation of safety-critical systems that meet the highest standards for reliability and compliance.

Essential Duties:

Technical Leadership & Validation

Lead the planning, design, and execution of validation testing across simulation, SIL, HIL, and on-vehicle environments, with a focus on perception, planning, and control systems.

Serve as the technical lead for scenario-based testing, utilizing platforms like Applied Intuition or equivalents for synthetic and resimulation use cases.

Own the creation and execution of test plans for complex mechatronic and software systems, including drive-by-wire (DBW), braking, steering, and system integrations.

Test Infrastructure & Analysis

Develop and maintain robust test infrastructure using Python, Shell, and automation frameworks, ensuring modular, reusable, and scalable test architecture.

Conduct detailed analysis of logs and system behavior, supporting root-cause investigations across AV software and hardware components.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

Participate in and lead QA review cycles, helping to define entry/exit criteria, regression coverage, and release readiness gates.

Ensure traceability and compliance by documenting procedures, results, and outcomes using Jira, GitLab, and Confluence.

Contribute to compliance with safety-critical standards such as ISO26262, ISO21448 (SOTIF), and ISO9001.

Collaboration & Mentorship

Represent the Test Engineering function in cross-functional planning meetings, collaborating closely with perception, planning, controls, and safety teams.

Mentor and support junior Test Engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Strategic Adaptation & Support

Continuously adapt and optimize test strategies in response to evolving product requirements, architectural shifts, and real-world findings.

Support after-hours testing or incident triage as needed by fleet or field operations.

Travel domestically on occasion to support on-site testing or operational deployments.

Perform additional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Robotics, ECE, Computer Science, or a related technical field.

5+ years of experience in software QA or system testing, including AV, ADAS, robotics, or safety-critical systems.

Demonstrated expertise in test strategy, test case development, test execution, and automation for complex mechatronic or autonomous systems.

Experience leading end-to-end testing across software stacks and physical systems, including SIL, HIL, and real-world deployments.

Strong analytical skills with proficiency in debugging, log parsing, and root cause analysis.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to drive cross-functional alignment and effectively report technical findings.

Proven ability to lead technical efforts, mentor junior engineers, and operate with minimal oversight.

High level of initiative, ownership, and accounta …