Firmware Release & Test Automation Engineer

Who We Are Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, privacy-sensitive AI-powered platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management. We’ve got serious momentum in the market: more than 30,000 customers (including 100+ of the Fortune 500), a $5.8B valuation , more than $1 billion in annualized bookings, and backing from CapitalG, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, Felicis Ventures, Next47 and more. Physical AI is one of the most consequential technology shifts of our time, and Verkada is at the center of it. You can look at all kinds of communities to see our platform’s impact in the world. It's the retailer that uses our agentic AI to deter theft before it happens. The warehouse that uses AI-powered alerts to make sure its team is protected on the floor with proper PPE. The school that’s alerted to a threat in real-time and triggers a lockdown in seconds, not minutes. We’re rapidly scaling this impact: today, more than 2 million Verkada devices are deployed across 170+ countries. About the Role As a Firmware Release & Test Automation Engineer, you will own the final mile between embedded code development and physical deployment across our global fleet of connected devices. In this hybrid role, you sit at the intersection of build infrastructure, automated validation, and release governance. You won’t just run test suites or push buttons on a deployment train—you will architect the continuous integration pipelines, design Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) automation fixtures, define gatekeeping qualification criteria, and orchestrate safe, staged over-the-air (OTA) updates. You will work closely with firmware engineers, hardware validation teams, and cloud backend developers to ensure that every build that lands on a customer’s wall, ceiling, or door controller is stable, secure, and reliable. We are committed to a thriving in-office culture. This role requires you to be onsite at our HQ in San Mateo, CA. What You'll Do • Own the Release Lifecycle: Define, maintain, and optimize the end-to-end release pipeline for embedded Linux and RTOS builds across our devices. • Build Automated Validation Systems: Design, build, and scale automated Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) test harnesses to catch regressions before firmware ever reaches external hardware. • Set Quality & Gatekeeping Standards: Establish clear go/no-go qualification gates, track test flakiness, and lead triage for release-blocking bugs alongside core firmware developers. • Orchestrate Safe Deployments: Drive staged fleet rollouts, canary deployments, and automated telemetry monitoring to catch field anomalies early and execute fast rollbacks when needed. • Drive Developer Productivity: Build tools and CI/CD automation that speed up firmware compile, packaging, and local test cycles. • Self-motivated problem solver: At Verkada, you will tackle large, complex edge-case bugs spanning silicon, firmware, networking, and cloud services with no clear answers. • Teach and learn: You will take technical ownership of major validation systems while collaborating with and mentoring peers across software, firmware, and hardware engineering. What You Bring • BS or graduate degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field. • 3+ years of experience in software/firmware build infrastructure, embedded test automation, or release engineering. • Strong programming proficiency in Python and Bash for automation, scripting, and test framework development. • Working knowledge of C/C++ in embedded Linux or RTOS environments. • Hands-on experi