Software Test Architect

For over five decades, Leidos has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space—designing and deploying sensor payloads that deliver critical information for national security. These systems operate where failure isn’t an option, turning raw signals into actionable insight in real time. 

We’re looking for a Software Test Architect to help validate the next generation of space sensing technologies. You’ll work at the intersection of software, hardware, and simulation—building the test architectures that ensure our systems perform flawlessly, whether in a lab environment or thousands of miles above the planet. 

Position Overview 

We are seeking a Software Test Architect to lead development of tools and processes for testing embedded and hardware-integrated software systems. This role is responsible for defining scalable test architectures, enabling test-driven development, and ensuring robust validation across software, firmware, and hardware interfaces. 

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in testing complex systems that span software and physical devices, with a strong emphasis on automation, simulation, and system reliability. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Define and implement test architecture and strategy for embedded and hardware-integrated systems  

• Design and scale automated test frameworks for validating software interacting with hardware components  

• Develop and promote simulation and emulation strategies (e.g., hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop)  

• Establish, using commercially available tools, test environments that replicate real-world device behavior and edge conditions 

• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, including regression testing  

• Drive risk-based and system-level testing across firmware, APIs, and user-facing applications  

• Partner with hardware, firmware, and software teams to ensure end-to-end validation  

• Lead efforts in test data management, observability, and failure analysis  

• Mentor engineers and establish best practices for embedded and systems testing  

Required Qualifications 

• 8–12+ years of experience in software testing or quality engineering, with exposure to embedded or hardware-integrated systems  

• Strong experience designing test strategies and automation frameworks  

• Hands-on experience with automation tools and scripting, particular those related to automated testing (e.g., Pytest, junit, testing, gherkin, cucumber or similar)  

• Experience testing APIs, system interfaces, and distributed components  

• Experience developing and using CI/CD pipelines and automated quality gates  

• Understanding of system-level testing concepts, including integration, regression, and reliability testing  

• Experience working in Agile or iterative development environments  

• Must be eligible to obtain a Secret level security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with embedded systems, firmware testing, or hardware/software integration  

• Familiarity with hardware simulation/emulation environments:  

• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)  

• Software-in-the-loop (SIL)  

• Device simulators or virtual test environments  

• Experience validating real-time or event-driven systems  

• Experience in Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and Test-Driven Development (TDD)  

• Background in robotics, IoT, medical devices, or other hardware-integrated domains, especially those with critical safety and security requirements  

• Experience with test automation for physical devices (e.g., device orchestration, sensor validation)  

• Familiarity with cloud-based test infrastructure and remote device testing  

• Experience leading or mentoring QA teams  

What We’re Looking For 

• A systems thinker who understands interactions between software, firmware, and hardware  

• A hands-on architect who can design strategy and contribute technically  

• Someone who can translate real-world device behavior into scalable test environments  

• Strong collaborator across hardware, firmware, software, and systems engineering teams  

• A focus on automation, reliability, and continuous improvement 

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.