Firmware Test Engineer II

We build electric motorcycles. The ride feels simple and alive. The rest should be too.

We are not there yet. You will help us get there.

The Product Experience (P.Ex) organization is responsible for how the motorcycle feels to use. We design and build the firmware that runs on the bike, the dash the rider sees, the mobile app they carry, the diagnostic tools used in the field, and the cloud systems that connect them.

The Firmware Products team, within the P.Ex org, is responsible for delivering the behaviour of the motorcycle itself. The team spans firmware development, battery performance engineering, and test engineering, owning the full value chain from firmware requirements to field validation. Every safety decision, performance characteristic, and response the bike makes to the rider runs through this system. Riders love and trust it.

We are looking for a Firmware Test Engineer who will help the team deliver firmware that protects the rider, honours their trust, and preserves the response and thrill that make it worth riding.

• Build and maintain automated tests that verify firmware behaviour across the battery management system, motor controller, display, and other vehicle subsystems.

• Validate CAN and UART communication used for vehicle behaviour, configuration, and diagnostics. Flag regressions early, and make failures clear enough to reproduce and act on quickly.

• Shorten the feedback loop between a firmware change and confidence in that change. Expand functional, boundary, regression, and failure-mode coverage, and help improve our HIL and SIL environments so more problems are found before firmware reaches a motorcycle.

• Use logs, telemetry, lab equipment, and firmware instrumentation to reconstruct unexpected behaviour. Turn field incidents into reproducible tests and improved coverage so failures become easier to catch.

• Look beyond the immediate bug. Ask what it reveals about our assumptions, test strategy, instrumentation, interfaces, or architecture, and help improve the system that allowed it to escape.

• Work with firmware, BMS, vehicle architecture, service, production, and product teams to understand intended behaviour, rider impact, risk, and the evidence needed before a change is ready.

• Bring a test engineering perspective to requirements, design discussions, and code reviews. Raise unclear behaviour early, challenge assumptions with evidence, and help prevent problems before they are built.

• Communicate directly and respectfully with engineers across the Netherlands, US, and India. Coordinate across time zones, write useful findings, provide the right context, and treat debugging as a shared effort to understand the system rather than assign blame.

• Use AI tools to explore unfamiliar code, generate test ideas, diagnose failures, and identify coverage gaps. Verify their output against the code, the system, and observed behaviour, and apply sound judgment in a safety-critical environment.

• You have a bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science, electrical engineering, or a closely related field.

• You have 3 to 5 years of experience testing embedded software or firmware on real hardware. The quality and relevance of your experience matter more than the exact number of years.

• You can read C or C++ well enough to follow relevant execution paths, understand the behaviour being implemented, and determine what a test should validate. Writing production firmware is not required.

• You can write maintainable Python and use it to automate tests and test infrastructure.

• You have hands-on experience using CAN to validate behaviour or investigate communication between embedded systems. You have also worked with UART or another serial interface for testing, configuration, or diagnostics.

• You investigate failures methodically and with curiosity, using evidence from code, logs, communication traffic, hardware, and lab equipment until you can explain what happened and why.

• You write findings that another engineer can understand, reproduce, and act on. You communicate directly and explain your reasoning.

• You use AI as part of your everyday engineering workflow to understand unfamiliar code, build and review test cases, investigate failures, and find gaps in coverage. You can show where it has made your work faster or better, and where you chose not to trust it.

• Experience building, maintaining, or using HIL or SIL test environments.

• Experience with an RTOS, bare-metal firmware, LIN, SPI, I2C, or other vehicle and industrial protocols.

• Experience with pytest or similar testing frameworks, and CI systems such as GitHub Actions or Jenkins.

• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, CAN tools, or similar lab equipment.

• Experience with automotive, powersports, transportation, or another safety-critical physical product. You understand that vehicle firmware is not abstract. Its behaviour and failures have consequences for riders.

• A motorcycle licence or meaningful riding experience. Rider perspective can reveal behaviour and edge cases that are difficult to understand from specifications or lab results alone.

• Work where safety, security, and thrill meet. The firmware must protect the rider, resist unintended behaviour and misuse, and still deliver the immediate response and performance that make the motorcycle exciting to ride.

• Ownership of test infrastructure the firmware team depends on, with the freedom and responsibility to improve how firmware is validated.

• A live system that is still evolving. The tests and tools you build will influence what reaches motorcycles in the field.

• Problems that are not fully defined. You will have room to investigate, challenge assumptions, and use your judgment about what should be tested next.

• Close work with firmware, BMS, vehicle architecture, service, production, and product teams from the start. You will have opportunities to lead investigations and improvements that require those teams to work as one.

• Teammates and managers who will tell you the truth about your work, fight for your growth, and have your back when things get hard.

We are an AI-fluent team, but every hiring decision is made and owned by people on our team.

• Step 0: Resume review. Typical response time: about 5 business days.

• Step 1: Recruiter Screen. 30min interview on Teams within 2 weeks of applications

• Step 2: Hiring Manager Interview. A 45-minute conversation with the hiring manager within max 2 weeks of recruiter screen

• Step 3: Team panel. A discussion with members of the team you would work with - within 1 week of hiring manager interview.

• Step 4: Offer.

Zero Motorcycles, a leader and innovator in electric motorcycles and commercial powertrains, incorporates advanced technology, stunning design and commitment to environmental benefits. The EV space is growing dramatically, with Zero a leader in the two-wheel category and a rising star in powertrain applications to other OEMs electrifying sport and utility vehicles for powersport and industrial applications.

At Zero Motorcycles, you’ll join a passionate, fast-growing global team with a truly international spirit. While our roots in the United States, have branched-out to Europe and stablished in The Netherlands, our team now spans across more than 10 countries, representing over 15 nationalities—and counting! We thrive in a multicultural, multilingual environment where fresh ideas are welcomed, big dreams are encouraged, and success is celebrated together.

Our team is united by a shared mission and a love for what we do. Whether we're collaborating across time zones or catching up in the office, you'll find a group that’s driven, committed, and always ready to share a laugh.

We value connection beyond the work itself. From office lunches and Friday drinks to spontaneous barbecues when the sun’s out, and legendary Xmas parties and team-building days, we believe in having fun while we work hard.

Working with Zero Motorcycles, you’ll also have opportunities to represent us at events and trade shows—locally and internationally—if that’s something you enjoy. And as we continue to grow, so can you. We’re invested in your development and success, and we can’t wait to see where your journey with us will take you.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Inclusive and open-door culture with driven, fun colleagues.
• Work in a dynamic, innovative environment leading the EV revolution.