Software Development Engineer in Test I

About the Role

As a Software Development Engineer in Test I on the TRADE team, you'll execute well-defined testing and release tasks under the guidance of senior engineers, building the skills to take on greater release ownership over time. You'll write and maintain Python automation for release workflows, validation steps, and artifact management, starting with smaller, well-scoped scripts and tasks, with mentorship from staff engineers as you grow. This role is hands-on and detail-oriented. You'll follow established procedures to validate and help publish release candidates, support Run-for-Record campaigns, and coordinate directly with developers, systems engineers, test operators, and integration teams on smaller-scope items, while senior engineers lead broader cross-team alignment.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute assigned testing and release tasks following documented procedures, with review from senior engineers
• Write and maintain Python scripts to automate release validation steps and artifact handling, under mentorship
• Help validate and publish release candidates from multiple software teams (e.g. flight and embedded software), as directed
• Coordinate with developers, systems engineers, test operators, and integration teams on day-to-day release and testing needs
• Support Run-for-Record campaigns, helping prepare environments, capture results, and store test artifacts
• Assist with post-release deployment validation and basic troubleshooting
• Learn and contribute to CI/CD and pre-release testing improvements
• Help organize release documentation and support data reviews as directed

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Python scripting ability
• Basic awareness of CI/CD concepts and workflows
• Git/version control practices (familiarity is a nice to have)
• Conda (familiarity is a nice to have)
• GitLab CI/CD (familiarity is a nice to have)
• Artifact repositories (familiarity is a nice to have)
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing (exposure is a nice to have)
• Simulation environments (exposure is a nice to have)
• Systems integration (exposure is a nice to have)
• Data analysis (interest or early experience is a nice to have)
• Root cause investigation (interest or early experience is a nice to have)
• Quality/release audits (interest or early experience is a nice to have)

Qualifications

• 0-1 years of professional experience; new grads welcome. Internship, co-op, or academic project experience in software, systems, or test engineering is a plus.
• Basic Python scripting ability, from coursework, personal projects, internships, or professional experience
• Basic awareness of CI/CD concepts and workflows (through coursework or exposure, not necessarily hands-on production experience)
• Eagerness to learn software release and test engineering processes, with willingness to follow established procedures closely
• Strong attention to detail and documentation habits
• Good communication skills and ability to work well with guidance from senior team members
• Comfort working under deadlines while still being precise and thorough

Nice to haves but not required:

• Exposure to aerospace, launch vehicle, or other high-reliability/safety-critical systems (coursework, internship, or personal projects count)
• Familiarity with Conda, GitLab CI/CD, Git/version control practices, or artifact repositories
• Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing, simulation environments, or systems integration
• Interest in or early experience with data analysis, root cause investigation, or quality/release audits
• Coursework or interest in electrical, systems, or software engineering as applied to physical/hardware systems (not just mobile/cloud-only software)