What are the responsibilities and job description for the Software Development Engineer in Test III position at assaabloy?
At ASSA ABLOY, our global teams collaborate seamlessly to craft products and services that integrate into our users’ lives, simplifying their everyday routines and enhancing convenience. By empowering users to control access, we provide unparalleled peace of mind through enhancing safety and visibility.
We’re expanding our Access & Egress Hardware Group, seeking to a hire a Software Development Engineer in Test III who will lead the next wave of Hardware-in-Loop (HiL) and automation for the Centrios smart-lock platform. As an SDET III, you’ll architect and scale test systems, own quality gates across multiple product variants, and integrate AI-assisted (CAT/RAG) workflows that supercharge test planning, execution, and analysis. This is a hands-on, lab-based role—perfect for a senior individual contributor who loves building tools that make real devices blink, latch, and lock with confidence.
This position will sit full-time in New Haven, CT at ASSA ABLOY Americas corporate headquarters reporting to the DevOps Lead.
What you will be doing
- Own HiL Systems & Fixtures: Design, standardize, and scale reusable HiL benches, jigs, and sensor/actuator rigs (incl. fault-injection and long-run stress/soak).
- Frameworks & Libraries: Lead Robot Framework and Python toolchains; extend libraries for BLE/Zigbee/UART (incl. encrypted inter-MCU protocol) and log/trace ingestion.
- Aux Firmware for Test Rigs: Build/maintain fixture firmware on ESP32 and RP-series (RP2350/RP2040) using esp32-sdk and pico-sdk to drive relays, servos, sensors, and signal capture.
- RTOS Know-How: Apply FreeRTOS or Zephyr RTOS concepts to improve testability, timing, and concurrency coverage of embedded features.
- Planning, Scoping & BDD:
- Translate requirements into test charters, coverage maps, and risk-based scope.
- Apply BDD/Specification-by-Example (e.g., Gherkin-style scenarios) to align stakeholders and generate executable acceptance tests.
- Define acceptance criteria, boundary/negative paths, and traceability to requirements.
- CI/CD & Quality Gates: Integrate suites into pipelines; enforce blocking criteria, flake controls, and dashboards for reliability trends, MTBF, and release readiness.
- AI in QA (CAT/RAG):
- Use modern LLM platforms for spec-to-test generation, log triage, and living documentation.
- Implement retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) over firmware docs/specs; manage prompt libraries, eval harnesses, and guardrails.
- Orchestrate workflows in n8n/Make.com (or similar) for authoring, scheduling, and report synthesis.
- Reliability & Security Validation: Own stress/soak, power/battery, OTA/rollback safety, secure-boot, encrypted storage, tamper detection.
- Mentor & Uplift: Coach SDET I/II, drive coding standards, DoD for tests, and review practices; lead small initiatives end-to-end.
- Cross-Team Partnering: Work daily with Sparks (NRF52) and Secure-Side (STM32) teams, Product, Security, and Manufacturing Test.
What we are looking for
- 4–6 years in embedded test automation/SDET roles shipping hardware firmware products.
- Expert Python; strong C/C for tooling and aux firmware (ESP32 or RP-series)
- Proven ownership of HiL frameworks/fixtures and CI/CD integration.
- Hands-on with BLE/Zigbee/UART, programmers/debuggers (ST-LINK, nrfjprog), scopes/logic analyzers.
- Practical use of AI-assisted QA (prompting, RAG, log analysis, doc generation) and workflow orchestrators.
Preferred
- Firmware experience on ESP32 and RP2350/RP2040 with esp32-sdk / pico-sdk; reusable drivers/HALs for fixtures.
- FreeRTOS or Zephyr RTOS proficiency; Make/Ninja/GCC/Clang; Git; artifact caching.
- Test strategy craft: coverage modeling, prioritization matrices, BDD scenario design, and measurable quality gates.
- Security/safety validations (secure boot, encrypted storage, tamper).
- Leading small squads, vendor coordination for jigs/fixtures, lab ESD/safety compliance.
Work Style & Environment
- 100% on-site lab presence in New Haven, CT.
- Occasional off-hours run for long-duration or staged release testing; light lifting of lab equipment.
We review applications regularly, so don’t hesitate, apply today!
#LI-VB1
What we Offer!
We believe in creating opportunities and providing benefits that empower you to grow, thrive, and build a rewarding lifelong career with us. Here is just a sample of what you can look forward to as a member of our team:
- Competitive Salary
- Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and paid Company Holidays
- Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Short and Long-term Disability, Life and AD&D Insurance
- Tuition Reimbursement, Learning and Career Development opportunities
- Flexible Spending
- Employee Assistance Program
- Discount portal
- Recognition, well-being, and employee experience programs designed to support and celebrate you throughout your career
We are the ASSA ABLOY Group
Our people have made us the global leader in access solutions. In return, we open doors for them wherever they go. With nearly 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries, we help billions of people experience a more open world. Our innovations make all sorts of spaces – physical and virtual – safer, more secure, and easier to access.
As an employer, we value results – not titles, or backgrounds. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions – supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even internationally.
As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.
