Software Quality Assurance Engineer - Platform and HRI Team

About this role:Pickle Robot is seeking a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Engineer to ensure the reliability, safety, and performance of our robotics software systems. You’ll work hand-in-hand with developers, hardware teams, and deployment engineers to design, execute, and automate test strategies for real-world robotic platforms operating in logistics warehouses across the U.S.
You’ll own the end-to-end testing lifecycle—from validating features in development to verifying robot behavior in staging environments to supporting test procedures in the field. Your work will directly improve the stability and scalability of Pickle’s growing fleet of robotic truck unloaders.This is a great role for someone who is highly collaborative, enjoys hands-on testing, and thrives in fast-paced, integrated environments that combine hardware and software.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with software, DevOps, and systems engineers during design and development phases to build meaningful test coverage.
• Actively participate in design reviews, offering insights on testability, reliability, and scalability, while identifying potential risks and areas for improvements.
• Pair with developers to write test cases and validate new functionality.
• Develop and execute manual test plans to verify complex systems, including infrastructure, state machine, and user interfaces.
• Perform frontend, backend, and infrastructure testing in simulated and physical environments.
• Analyze logged data to identify discrepancies, perform root cause analysis of issues, and verify fixes.
• Track and report bugs with detailed reproduction steps, logs, and telemetry data.
• Develop tools to monitor and analyze system performance, profiling, and metrics.
• Contribute to test documentation, QA processes, and best practices.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of our QA processes and methodologies.
• Support validation of system behavior in test labs and customer deployments.

Skills & Experience:

• 3+ years of experience in software QA, robotics QA, or data science QA roles.
• Experience testing complex systems involving infrastructure, backend, and frontend software, or robotic systems.
• Expertise in data science, statistics, or data analytics.
• Experience with tools such as Hashboard, Mezmo, Elasticsearch, and Datadog.
• Experience with test automation frameworks and tools (e.g., Python, C++, Robot Framework, Selenium).
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, C++, Java).
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git).Familiarity with networking, Docker, and cloud services.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills, with the ability to diagnose complex issues.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team.
• Excited to work in a fast-paced startup where QA processes are still evolving.
• Detail-oriented with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Willing to work at our HQ in Charlestown, MA, at least 3-4 times per week.

About Pickle RobotPickle Robot is a pioneer in Physical AI for supply chain applications. Today Pickle robots autonomously unload trucks, trailers, and import containers at human-scale or better performance. The alternative is manual work that is difficult, dirty, sometimes dangerous, and increasingly hard to staff at distribution centers around the globe. Pickle Robot is laser focused on automating truck unloading using generative AI, machine learning, computer vision, advanced sensors, and industrial robotics to deliver engineered products customers rely on. Pickle Robot Unload Systems work alongside people on loading docks to make the work safer, faster, and more efficient. Pickle robots are physical AI that unload trucks.
Pickle provides best-in-class benefits including health, dental, & vision insurance; unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays; 401K contributions of 5% your salary, travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive.