Software Test Development Engineer

About Rugged Robotics
Rugged Robotics is on a mission to help the construction industry build better by solving tough problems with automation. We’re a fast-moving startup where every engineer wears multiple hats and contributes directly to product success. To help our customers build better, we need to build the best team.

Role Overview
As a Test Development Engineer at Rugged Robotics, you’ll be building our test infrastructure from the ground up. You’ll design, implement, and own automated testing frameworks that validate the performance and reliability of our autonomous layout robots. Your work will directly improve product quality, accelerate release cycles, and make our engineering teams more productive.

What You’ll Do

• Architect, build, and maintain automated test frameworks for functional, regression, integration, and end-to-end testing

• Create test strategies and tooling that exercise our robotic systems’ software and hardware interfaces

• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and drive adoption across the team

• Own and lead integrated testing sprints prior to releases, coordinating developers and field operators to validate the full software stack

• Collaborate with developers to design for testability and contribute to code reviews

• Triage and root-cause failures using robot logs, performance metrics, and field data

• Establish testing standards, best practices, and metrics to track quality over time

• Build internal tools and workflows that make testing faster and more reliable

• Execute manual tests when needed, always with an eye toward automation

You Are

• Experienced with 5+ years in a software test or SDET role

• Strong in coding (Python and C++) and building automation frameworks

• Strong with CI/CD tools, especially in regard to test automation (GitLab and GitHub)

• Skilled at designing and executing tests for hardware-integrated products or robotics

• Background in developing tools that accelerate developer productivity

• A strong collaborator who can influence design decisions and champion quality

• Motivated to create clarity and structure in a fast-paced startup environment

Great to Have

• Experience testing perception, control, or navigation stacks

• Familiar with ROS or robotic simulation environments (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, etc.)

• Familiarity with safety-critical testing practices (e.g. ISO 13849, ISO 3691-4, ISO/TS 15066)

• Knowledge of data visualization or log analysis tools

Perks

• Full-time, competitive salary with equity

• Flexible paid vacation from day one

• Paid Parental Leave

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Short & Longterm Disability, and Life insurance

• 401k Plan available

Rugged Robotics is headquartered in Houston, TX, in the vibrant neighborhood of East Downtown. This role is based in our office, with daily collaboration alongside software developers, on-robot testing, and testing with our robot operators who work in the field.

Rugged Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at our company. All qualified candidates will receive consideration regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other protected status.