Test Engineer, R&D

Job description

Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role & Your Impact: You're a forward deployed embedded engineer who loves R&D testing. You write the firmware that exercises the system. You wire the electronics. You run the test scripts you wrote. You own the data path from scope trace to debrief slide. The thermal and ruggedization side of test will come from a different hire — your job is the full system integration testing from embedded to the electrical layer. We're transitioning from prototype to product on an electromechanical directed energy system. The test infrastructure you build now becomes the foundation for everything we ship. You're not inheriting a test bench. You're designing it. You're not running someone else's HIL setup. You're building it from scratch and making sure it actually reflects what happens downrange. You'll own verification and validation across embedded firmware, power electronics, electromechanical assemblies, and full-system integration. You're the single responsible party for ensuring all testing from top to bottom is completed and recorded as we move through the iteration process. What You'll Own: - Testing end-to-end: setup, operation, data collection, teardown, post-test analysis, and failure writeups - Write firmware and embedded test code that exercises the system end-to-end (C/C++, real time) - Wire test electronics, build harnesses, instrumentation setups, and test fixtures - Develop automated test procedures in Python - Debug across firmware, power rails, and electrical — root cause from first principles - Work directly with embedded, electrical, and mechanical engineers to reproduce bugs, validate fixes, and prevent regressions - Develop test plans, acceptance criteria, and readiness gates as we move from prototype to production - Partner with the hardware team on DFM and production readiness - Build HIL and SIL test environments - Enforce safety procedures in high-power, high-voltage testing environments What We're Looking For: - 3+ years embedded firmware development experience — C/C++, real-time systems, scripting test exercises directly against hardware - Strong electrical wiring and bench skills — scopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, DMMs, harness fabrication - Python or scripting for test automation. You build your own tools. - Strong debugging instincts across firmware, power rails, and electrical - Comfort with DFM concepts — you understand how production constraints shape what's testable - Performance, reliability, and safety testing as a combined skill set. You know how to stress a system, log what breaks, and define pass/fail criteria that actually matter. - Clear written communication around failures and root cause. Your test reports tell a story, not just a data dump. - Robotics or defense companies with real electromechanical products where you wrote test code and wired test setups. Not a fit if: Your test experience is purely environmental/mechanical (vibe table, thermal chamber operator). Your debugging stops at the firmware layer. You've only operated someone else's test infrastructure. You've never wired your own bench setup. Your test experience lives entirely in Jira. Nice-to-Haves: - HIL or SIL test environment build experience (we'll need to build these — having done it before is a plus, but not required day one) - MIL-STD, DO-178, or other safety critical testing standards exposure (even if informal) - Environmental, vibration, thermal, or shock testing exposure - High-voltage or high-power test environment experience - Familiarity with ITAR-controlled systems or working in cleared environments - Active security clearance or ability to obtain one Education: BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace, or equivalent. Equivalent hands-on experience also considered. What you've built matters more than where you went to school. How You Operate: - Extreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a month - Rigorous testing mindset. You characterize your own systems before the field does - Comfortable with ambiguity and fast, constantly iterating in a startup environment - Your brain only releases dopamine when you're building - You debug from first principles, not Stack Overflow - Clear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teams - Self-directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told Why Join Aurelius Systems? - Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet. - Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact. - Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck. - Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. How We Work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show. Benefits: - Competitive salary + equity - United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage - Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days - Travel to field test events and range days - Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks - E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500) - Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work Export Control Notice: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).