Principal Automation Validation Engineer (Lead/Expert)
Role Overview
As a Principal Automation Validation Engineer in Automotive V&V;, you will be at the forefront of ensuring the safety, reliability, and performance of next-generation vehicle systems. You will lead the design, development, and implementation of sophisticated automation frameworks that streamline the testing of complex ECUs, ADAS features, and infotainment systems. This role requires a deep blend of automotive domain knowledge and high-level software engineering to transition traditional testing into fully autonomous CI/CD pipelines.
Key Responsibilities
- Framework Architecture: Design and maintain scalable automation frameworks for SIL (Software-in-the-Loop), HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop), and MIL (Model-in-the-Loop) environments.
- Test Strategy & Execution: Define automated test strategies for complex automotive systems, ensuring maximum coverage of functional and non-functional requirements.
- Scripting & Development: Develop high-quality, reusable test scripts and libraries using Python, C++,
or CAPL to automate diagnostic (UDS), communication (CAN/LIN/Ethernet), and functional tests.
- Tool Integration: Integrate automated testing into DevOps pipelines (Jenkins/Azure DevOps) to enable continuous integration and rapid feedback loops.
- Analysis & Debugging: Lead the root-cause analysis of complex system failures, utilizing bus logging tools to trace issues across distributed vehicle networks.
- Compliance: Ensure all automation processes and test cases align with industry standards such as ISO 26262 (Functional Safety) and ASPICE.
- Mentorship: Act as a technical authority for the V&V; team, providing guidance on coding best practices, automation logic, and modern testing methodologies.
Required Technical Skills
- Programming Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in Python (specifically for test automation) and C/C++. Familiarity with Java or Rust is a plus.
- Automotive Protocols: Deep understanding