Firmware Engineer - Testing
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 1, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 30, 2026.
About 1X
We're building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back. Simple, but it's not.
To do this right, we have to solve robotics, AI, manufacturing - at the same time, at scale, in a form factor that has to be safe enough to live with your family. If you're inspired by this, you'll thrive here. We've been at this since 2014 and we're at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.
NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people. We're not demoing it - we're shipping it. We're excited to meet you, if this excites you.
If you've spent your career working on problems that matter and want to see them actually reach the world - this is that moment. We're scaling, we're hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.
About the Team
The Firmware team owns the embedded software on every hardware subsystem in NEO: communication architecture, power management and motor control. That firmware is what lets NEO move safely, take on new hardware quickly and scale across many embedded nodes, and it gates our biggest product milestones on the way to production.
Your Charter
The mission of this role is to make every firmware release safe to put on robots in people's homes, while keeping firmware developers shipping fast. You own firmware quality across NEO and are the testing partner for every firmware developer on the team. You decide whether a release is ready to go out, and you build the rigs, automation and test plans that tell the team quickly when something is broken.
Key Outcomes
Own firmware release quality: define release test criteria, run release qualification and sign off on every firmware release before it reaches the fleet
Partner with every firmware developer early in feature work to define test strategy, close coverage gaps and get feedback into their hands before code merges, so the team ships faster without breaking the robot
Build hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test rigs, from single boards to full actuator and robot setups, with fault injection for power, communication and sensor failures and validation of real-time buses (EtherCAT, CAN/CAN FD, SPI, UART, I2C)
Deliver automated Python regression suites that run in CI on every firmware change with clear pass/fail results, and turn field and fleet issues into new regression tests
Prove that safety-critical and security behavior works as specified, including fault detection, current and thermal limits, safe torque-off, secure boot and firmware signing, under edge cases and malformed inputs
Drive fleet robustness by confirming every node recovers to a known safe state without manual intervention after failed or interrupted updates, power loss during flashing, corrupted images and watchdog resets, backed by long-duration soak and stress testing
Key Competencies
You treat developer velocity as your own goal. You find out what each firmware engineer needs to test their work and get it to them before they have to ask
You do whatever the job calls for: manual bench testing, writing automation, building a custom fixture or modifying hardware to reach a hard-to-test condition
You break complex embedded systems into testable requirements and find the failure modes others miss, especially in fault handling and safety behavior, which you prove rather than assume
You can work out whether a bug lives in firmware, hardware or the test setup, using a scope, logic analyzer and bus analyzer
You script anything you run twice, write clear bug reports and push back on unclear requirements, working closely with firmware, electrical, actuator and operations engineers
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience, with 2+ years of firmware or embedded systems testing
Demonstrated ability to test embedded systems at the hardware-software boundary, including timing and fault conditions, and to read embedded C/C++ to design targeted tests
Proven track record of building test automation in Python and Bash, using Git and CI systems such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins or Buildkite
Experience with communication protocols such as CAN, UART, I2C and SPI
Experience with lab equipment, hands-on: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads and bus analyzers
Preferred Skills
Experience in building HIL test systems and automation frameworks (e.g. pytest, Robot Framework), including dynamometers, environmental chambers or fault-injection hardware
Experience in testing motor control or power electronics firmware (BLDC/PMSM drives, battery management systems, power distribution) and EtherCAT or CAN FD at 1 kHz and above
Familiarity with safety-critical standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 13849 or ISO 26262, including requirements traceability and verification
Experience in embedded security testing: secure boot, code signing, hardware security modules or TPMs, fuzzing, penetration testing or fault-injection attacks, and standards such as IEC 62443 or ISO/SAE 21434
Familiarity with real-time operating systems such as FreeRTOS, SafeRTOS or Zephyr, and a robotics, automotive or IoT device background
What does a successful 1X Team Member look like
Team members at 1X who thrive here are builders. They move fast, own their work completely, and treat time like it's the one thing you can't get back - because it is. They say what they mean, finish what they start, and hold themselves to a standard before anyone has to ask. We push each other to be better, and we do it with honesty and respect.
Compensation Range
$150,000 - $190,000 + Equity
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
Onsite snacks and catered lunches
Equal Opportunity Employer
1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.