The Americas Firmware Engineering group builds the Centrios IoT smart lock platform - a multi-hardware, multi-protocol connected device ecosystem spanning nRF52840 + STM32 targets, BLE, Zigbee, DPS, and OTA firmware delivery.
We are seeking a DevOps Lead who owns the full firmware lifecycle from commit to production artifact. This is not a generalist cloud DevOps role - it requires deep embedded systems knowledge, protocol-level test engineering, and hands-on hardware validation capability.
This onsite role will be based New Haven, CT reporting to the Director of Firmware and Hardware.
What will you own- GitLab CI/CD pipeline for all firmware product variants
- HiL server fleet and physical test fixture infrastructure
- Production firmware signing, OTA packaging, and release artifact pipeline
- Robot Framework test suite architecture and standards
- AI/agent tooling layer for CI debugging and test generation
What will you be doing- Lead Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET) and embedded automation teams across multiple SAFe program increments
- Define KPIs, career ladders, and onboarding paths for firmware QA and Software Development in Test (SDET) roles
- Collaborate with Firmware Architects, Product Owners, and System Architects to align test strategy with release goals
- Drive improvements in quality metrics, traceability, and feedback loop speed
- Build and maintain domain-specific Claude Code agent skills for CI debugging, test authoring, and embedded firmware analysis
- Develop MCP servers that expose CI/CD data (pipeline status, build logs, JSONL events) to AI agents
- Integrate AI tooling into team workflow without replacing engineer judgment - agents as accelerators, not oracles
- Own and improve our CI/CD pipelines for embedded firmware, ensuring fast, reliable builds and releases.
- Maintain the infrastructure that supports automated testing, build execution, and artifact delivery.
- Support and expand our HiL testing environment used to validate firmware across multiple device families.
- Develop lightweight test fixtures and automation tools that help validate hardware behavior.
- Build and maintain automated test suites covering BLE, Zigbee, OTA, and system-level functionality.
- Establish testing standards, improve test reliability, and contribute to overall product quality.
- Manage the firmware release workflow, including signing, packaging, and delivering builds across environments.
- Improve release traceability, versioning, and documentation.
- Create internal tools and lightweight AI-assisted workflows that help engineers debug, test, and ship faster.
- Integrate automation and intelligence into everyday engineering processes to accelerate development.
What we are looking for- 10+ years in DevOps/infrastructure engineering, with at least 5 years in embedded systems or firmware CI/CD
- Demonstrated team leadership: QA, SDET, or embedded automation engineers (3+ direct reports)
- Expert-level GitLab CI/CD: pipeline design, runner fleet management, conditional execution, artifact handling
- Robot Framework: authoring, keyword architecture, CI integration, Robocop linting
- Python 3.10+: test automation libraries, CLI tools (Typer/Rich), protocol parsers, CI scripting
- Hardware-in-the-Loop: operation and expansion of HiL (Hardware in Loop) test infrastructure with real device hardware
- Embedded protocol knowledge: BLE, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4 / ZCL), or UART at integration test level
- Firmware build systems: Make-based (ABS/MBS) or Bazel - understanding of cross-compilation targets
- OTA firmware update pipelines and firmware signing
- SAFe or equivalent large-scale Agile program coordination
Preferred Skills- nRF52840 or STM32 target familiarity: flashing (nrfjprog, OpenOCD), debugging, SWD/JTAG
- Custom test fixture hardware design with ESP32, RP2040, or equivalent microcontrollers
- EDHOC/OSCORE embedded cryptographic protocol experience
- AI/LLM tooling: Claude Code agent authoring, MCP server development, prompt engineering
- Multi-cloud infrastructure as code: AWS, GCP, Azure, CloudFlare - Terraform
- Docker-based CI toolchain image management
- Zigbee coordinator stack: zigpy-znp, Z-Stack 3.x.0, CC2652P hardware
- Renode or Wokwi embedded simulation CI integration
What we offerWe are passionate about providing amazing opportunities and benefits, so that you can enjoy a lifelong career with us.
- Annual Bonus.
- Continuous professional development opportunities and an environment that fosters internal growth and mobility.
- Competitive compensation and benefits package which includes multiple healthcare options, tuition reimbursement, and matching 401k.
- Generous holiday schedule and paid time off to refresh and recharge.
- Employee pricing on our products and discount programs for travel, entertainment, and more!
We review applications regularly, so don't hesitate, apply today!
