Senior Engineering Manager, Software & System Verification & Validation (m/f/d)

As a Senior Engineering Manager you will take ownership of ensuring our teleoperated and autonomous robotic systems meet the highest standards of reliability, safety, and performance. Operating at the intersection of software, systems engineering, and testing disciplines, you will lead the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of verification and validation activities across the entire lifecycle. This includes the ownership of our HiL test platforms as well as the proving ground testing. This role is ideal for a technically grounded manager who thrives in fast-paced, multi-domain teams and is passionate about building robust, deployable defense technologies. 

 

Key Responsibilities 

• Develop and execute V&V strategies and test plans for complex systems that combine software, hardware, and autonomy components. 

• Lead system-level and software validation campaigns, including integration, regression, and acceptance testing. 

• Contribute to the definition and documentation of requirements traceability, ensuring complete coverage from system requirements to test cases and results. 

• Establish and maintain automated HiL-test frameworks to accelerate feedback loops. 

• Establish and lead proving ground test operations.. 

• Review and manage test documentation, including procedures, reports, and non-conformance analyses. 

• Collaborate closely with software, system, and hardware engineering teams to support issue triage, test readiness reviews, and release decisions. 

• Provide technical input to risk assessments, system safety analyses, and certification processes where applicable. 

• Mentor and guide engineers in best practices for validation, configuration management, and quality assurance. 

• Interface with external stakeholders (customers, suppliers, partners) on verification progress and compliance evidence. 

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the V&V domain (tools, methods, metrics, standards). 

 

Your Profile

• Experience in defense, robotics, or automotive systems development. 

• Strong background in Python, C++, or ROS-based test automation. 

• Familiarity with safety-critical or regulated environments (e.g., DO-178C, ISO 26262, MIL-STD testing). 

• Knowledge of DevOps pipelines and CI/CD test integration (e.g., GitLab CI, Jenkins). 

• Experience with simulation frameworks or HIL testing (Hardware-in-the-Loop). 

• Proven ability to manage multi-disciplinary V&V teams and steer technical reviews. 

• Understanding of communication bus protocols, embedded systems, or autonomy algorithms. 

• Demonstrated skill in balancing fast iteration with structured verification rigor. 

• Enthusiasm for robotics, field testing, and hands-on debugging in dynamic environments. 

• Fluency in spoken and written English and German.