At Hayden AI, we are on a mission to harness the power of computer vision to transform the way transit systems and other government agencies address real-world challenges.
From bus lane and bus stop enforcement to transportation optimization technologies and beyond, our innovative mobile perception system empowers our clients to accelerate transit, enhance street safety, and drive toward a sustainable future.
Job Summary:
As a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Hayden AI, you will drive quality through well-defined testing processes and disciplined release management for embedded software deployed in real-world transportation environments. You will be responsible for establishing and executing manual and automated test strategies, defining quality gates, managing regression cycles, and ensuring release readiness across embedded software versions.
You will own the end-to-end quality process for embedded software releases, including test planning, risk assessment, defect triage, release sign-off, and post-release validation. Working closely with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Operations teams, you will embed quality into the development lifecycle, improve testing workflows, and support reliable field deployments through structured validation and continuous process improvement.
Responsibilities:
Take ownership of end-to-end quality for vital embedded software, overseeing the planning, execution, and final approval of releases through a mix of rigorous manual testing and automation-first methodologies
Orchestrate the embedded software release lifecycle, including defining test strategies, ensuring schedule alignment, assessing risks, and leading go/no-go evaluations in partnership with engineering and product teams
Establish, execute, and iterate on comprehensive validation strategies for embedded systems, edge hardware, and complex system integrations
Architect and maintain robust Python-based automation frameworks to streamline regression, smoke testing, and release validation efforts
Direct release test cycles by managing regression execution, facilitating defect triage, and providing detailed reports on release readiness
Implement automated and manual suites within CI/CD pipelines to maintain stringent quality gates across all embedded software versions
Validate intricate system behaviors involving embedded devices, hardware interfaces, sensor data, and event-driven logic
Investigate complex defects through root cause analysis, championing preventative measures and driving sustainable quality enhancements
Collaborate with Embedded Software Engineers during the design phase to advocate for testability, reliability, and expanded automation coverage
Develop and monitor quality metrics and dashboards to provide stakeholders with transparency regarding release health and long-term trends
Ensure successful field deployments by validating device stability, environmental performance, and reliability throughout the release cycle
Guide junior engineers and offer strategic leadership to scale quality workflows, documentation standards, and technical best practices across the engineering org
Required Qualifications:
Experience: Minimum of 7 years in Quality Assurance, Test Engineering, or SDET roles, with a focus on structured testing and software validation
Core Skills:
Experience testing devices, embedded systems, or IoT platforms
Strong proficiency in Python for building and maintaining automated test frameworks
Experience with system-level, integration, and end-to-end automation
Solid understanding of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and automation-first QA methodologies
Familiarity with video pipelines, streaming systems, or sensor-driven workflows
Experience with test management, defect tracking, and release processes
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Personal Attributes: [Communication, collaboration, adaptability, problem-solving attributes]
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience testing AI/ML-driven systems, including model validation, data quality checks, and performance monitoring in production environments
Familiarity with backend services and distributed systems to support system-level and integration testing
Hands-on experience with observability and reporting tools such as Grafana, Datadog, or similar platforms for quality metrics, monitoring, and release health reporting
Skills Required
- Minimum 7 years of experience in Quality Assurance, Test Engineering, or SDET roles
- Experience testing devices, embedded systems, or IoT platforms
- Strong proficiency in Python for building and maintaining automated test frameworks
- Experience with system-level, integration, and end-to-end automation
- Understanding of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and automation-first QA methodologies
- Familiarity with video pipelines, streaming systems, or sensor-driven workflows
- Experience with test management, defect tracking, and release processes
- Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
- Experience testing AI/ML-driven systems, including model validation, data quality checks, and production performance monitoring
- Familiarity with backend services and distributed systems
- Experience with observability and reporting tools such as Grafana or Datadog
Hayden AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Hayden AI and has not been reviewed or approved by Hayden AI.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is described as competitive for senior technical roles, with multiple posted ranges and wage baselines converging around high six figures. Equity and a company-wide bonus plan are also referenced as parts of the overall package.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents is consistently listed, alongside FSA/DCFSA options. Some listings indicate very high employer premium coverage depending on role and location.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) plan with an employer match is repeatedly cited as a standard component of the package. The presence of a stated match suggests a more structured retirement benefit than many early-stage startups.
Hayden AI Insights
What We Do
Artificial intelligence is already impacting almost every aspect of our lives. But cities still rely on outdated technologies that are too expensive to scale and unable to deliver on their promise. As a result, streets are becoming unsafe, and cities are becoming unmanageable. Hayden AI was founded on the belief that by combining mobile sensors with artificial intelligence, we can help governments bridge the innovation gap while making traffic flow less dangerous and more efficient. Led by a team of experts in machine learning, data science, transportation, and government technology, we’ve developed the world’s first autonomous traffic management platform — simultaneously serving citizens and multi-agency missions to help cities become safer and more sustainable.
