Software Engineer III - QA/Test

Worker Type

Regular

Job Description

 

Summary
As a Software Engineer III - QA/Test you will work within a collaborative, Agile development environment to ensure the quality, reliability, and performance of mission-critical software systems. This role focuses on designing, implementing, and executing test strategies across application, system, and integration levels for software that interfaces with real-time data, backend services, and hardware-adjacent components.

Engineers in this role contribute to new product development and ongoing enhancements by defining test plans, building automated and manual test infrastructure, and partnering closely with software, systems, and hardware teams to identify issues early and drive continuous quality improvement. This position is in-person and based in Pittsburgh, PA to support close collaboration with local engineering teams and access to hardware-in-the-loop testing environments

Position Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute test plans and test cases for complex software systems.
• Work within a defined software development lifecycle, participating in design reviews with a focus on testability and verification.
• Translate software and system requirements into comprehensive validation and verification strategies.
• Create and maintain test documentation, including test plans, procedures, and reports.
• Develop and maintain automated test frameworks, tools, and scripts where appropriate.
• Execute manual, automated, regression, and integration testing across application and system boundaries.
• Collaborate closely with software, systems, and hardware engineers to reproduce issues and verify fixes.
• Identify, document, track, and help drive resolution of defects throughout the development lifecycle.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of QA processes, test infrastructure, and tooling.
• Deliver testing activities on schedule and aligned with project milestones.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to less experienced engineers in testing best practices.
• Work on problems of moderate to high complexity requiring analysis and judgment across multiple technical factors.
• Support cross-program reuse of test frameworks, tooling, and best practice.
• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Math, or Physics is required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• Minimum 5 - 8 years of relevant experience in Linux application software development. Object Oriented Design experience is required.
• Experience testing software written in C++ and/or similar application-level language.
• Experience with Git or similar source control systems.
• Works well in a small, cross-functional team.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced degree is preferred
• Experience testing systems that use RTI or other DDS-based middleware.
• Experience validating real-time, distributed, or hardware-integrated software system.
• Experience building or maintaining CI/CD pipelines with integrated test automation.
• Willingness to travel locally (Occasionally).
• Experience testing media pipelines or data streams (e.g., GStreamer or similar technologies).
• Experience with testing underwater systems.
• Familiarity with modern IDEs, debugging tools, and log-based troubleshooting.
• Experience using Python or similar scripting languages for test automation and tooling.
• Understanding of object-oriented design, data structures, operating systems, and basic networking concepts.
• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, drones, or other hardware-integrated software environments.
• Experience working within Agile software development processes.
• Experience with formal and structured lifecycle development processes, including verification and validation.
• Demonstrates good judgment in selecting testing methods and techniques to ensure coverage and risk reduction.
• Demonstrates effective listening, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing skills to communicate issues clearly with development teams.
• Demonstrates understanding of the system under test and how individual components contribute to overall behavior.
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment where small teams share a broad variety of responsibilities.
• Displays strong initiative and drive to improve product quality and development outcomes.
• Takes ownership and responsibility for test artifacts, results, and quality outcomes.
• Is committed to learning from defects and failures to improve software quality and team performance.
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Focuses on teamwork, collaboration and shared ownership of product quality.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
• Required to stand and sit for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Clearance Level

 

No Clearance

The salary range for this role is:

$107,370 - $152,250

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits:  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

 

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, se