Firmware QA Manager

Position Summary

We are seeking a Firmware Quality Assurance (QA) Manager to build, lead, and scale an AI-first firmware quality assurance team within our Firmware Engineering department. This is not a role where AI is a nice-to-have; it is foundational to how we expect this team to operate. You will establish QA strategy, processes, and tooling that treat AI as a core capability, not an afterthought, leveraging large language models, AI-assisted code review, intelligent test generation, and

automated analysis across our full smart water product portfolio. That portfolio includes MACH 10 ultrasonic meters for residential, commercial, and industrial applications; the R900 System of RF and cellular meter interface units (MIUs) supporting AMR and AMI deployments; R900 Gateway fixed network data collectors; and mobile data collection solutions. The ideal candidate is someone who is already using AI tools daily in their engineering workflows, has strong opinions about where AI accelerates quality outcomes, and is excited to build a team culture where AI fluency is a baseline expectation.

What We Mean by "AI First"

Our firmware engineering organization is committed to leading AI adoption, not just experimenting

with it. For this role, that means:

* AI is embedded in the workflow, not bolted on. You'll integrate AI tools like Claude,

Claude Code, Code Rabbit, Qodo, and emerging AI-powered testing platforms directly into

day-to-day QA operations, from test case generation and code review to defect triage and

root cause analysis.

* You'll hire and develop AI-fluent engineers. When building your team, AI proficiency is a

core competency, not a bonus. You'll set expectations that every QA engineer on your team

actively uses AI tools to multiply their effectiveness.

* You'll measure AI's impact. You'll establish metrics to quantify how AI tooling improves

test coverage, defect detection rates, time-to-release, and overall team throughput, and

you'll use that data to drive continuous improvement.

* You'll push boundaries. You'll continuously evaluate emerging AI capabilities and

advocate for their adoption where they can meaningfully improve firmware quality, from

AI-generated test harnesses to LLM-assisted specification analysis and anomaly detection in

field data.

Key Responsibilities

AI-Driven QA Strategy & Process

* Define and own the firmware QA strategy across the full product portfolio.

* Architect QA workflows that leverage AI for test case generation, automated code review,

regression analysis, and intelligent defect prioritization.

* Establish and continuously improve QA processes, testing frameworks, and quality metrics

aligned with the firmware development lifecycle.

* Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, test cases, and traceability matrices that

map to product requirements, using AI to accelerate creation and maintenance.

* Champion a quality-first culture within the firmware organization, integrating QA earlier

into the development process (shift-left testing) with AI-powered feedback loops.

* Lead post-mortem and root cause analysis efforts for field escapes and quality issues,

leveraging AI-assisted analysis to drive corrective and preventive actions faster.

Team Leadership - Building an AI-First Team

* Build, mentor, and manage a team of firmware QA engineers where AI fluency is a core

hiring criterion and performance expectation.

* Foster a team culture of experimentation and continuous learning with AI tools and

encourage engineers to find new ways AI can improve their work.

* Establish clear performance expectations that include effective AI tool utilization, conduct

regular 1:1s, and deliver meaningful performance reviews.

* Track and report on AI adoption metrics within the QA team, including usage rates,

productivity gains, and quality improvements attributable to AI tooling.

* Collaborate with firmware development leads to align QA priorities with project schedules

and release milestones.

Technical Execution

* Oversee the design and execution of test strategies for embedded firmware, including functional testing, regression testing, integration testing, stress testing, and field simulation.

* Drive AI-assisted test automation by using LLMs and AI tools such as Qodo to generate test scripts, review test coverage gaps, and analyze test results at scale.

* Establish and maintain firmware unit testing practices using frameworks such as CppUTest, ensuring consistent coverage across product lines.

* Implement and enforce static analysis standards using tools such as PC-lint Plus to catch

defects, memory issues, and coding standard violations early in the development cycle.

* Ensure thorough validation of wireless communication protocols including LoRaWAN,

cellular (LTE-M/NB-IoT), and proprietary RF protocols.

* Drive development and expansion of automated test infrastructure, including hardware-inthe-loop (HIL) test systems and CI/CD-integrated test pipelines.

* Validate firmware update mechanisms, boot loader integrity, and rollback…