About Overland AI
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is transforming land operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver combined capabilities for unit commanders. Our OverDrive autonomy stack enables ground vehicles to navigate and operate off-road in any terrain without GPS or direct operator control. Our intuitive OverWatch C2 interface provides commanders with precise coordination capabilities essential for mission success.
Overland AI has secured funding from prominent defense tech investors including 8VC and Point 72, and built trusted partnerships with DARPA, the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. Backed by eight-figure contracts across the Department of Defense, we are strengthening national security by iterating closely with end users engaged in tactical operations.
Role Summary
Overland AI is hiring a Test Engineer within the Systems, Safety, and Test (SST) organization to partner with engineering teams in driving how our autonomous vehicle systems are tested, qualified, and released. This role is responsible for designing and running structured test campaigns that validate system performance, safety, and reliability across simulation, lab, and real-world field environments.
As a Test Engineer, work closely with systems, software, hardware and safety leads to translate system requirements, risks, and new capabilities into executable test plans and campaigns. You define how and when tests are run, what tools and automation are required, and what evidence is needed to support release decisions and customer readiness. You work hands-on with vehicles in rugged environments while also shaping the test infrastructure that enables repeatable, scalable validation.
This position is central to Overland’s test-forward culture, where frequent, high-quality testing in real environments—driven through strong technical collaboration—enables rapid iteration without compromising safety or rigor.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with engineering leads to design and execution of test campaigns that support broader system verification and validation efforts across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and field environments.
- Guide engineering teams in building validation test plans that align with system requirements and applicable defense standards.
- Plan and sequence test campaigns by translating requirements and risks into actionable test activities in collaboration with the technical owners.
- Own coordination and technical coherence of test execution within defined test campaigns, from requirements review and procedure design through successful execution.
- Provide technical guidance to engineers and test conductors during test execution. Leveraging domain expertise from technical leads, to ensure tests are run with clear intent and rigor.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for test requests from systems engineers and developers, working with feature owners to ensure appropriate validation and regression coverage.
- Ensure test execution produces the data and observability needed to identify performance issues and anomalous behavior, in close partnership with Test Analysts.
- Ensure test results and metrics are traceable to system requirements, safety considerations, and release criteria, reviewed with relevant engineering stakeholders, and communicated clearly to stakeholders.
- Define and evolve a test automation strategy, in partnership with the software teams, that supports repeatable testing across software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and full vehicle environments.
- Support software and vehicle qualification efforts by providing defensible test evidence for release and deployment to defense applications.
What You’ll Need to Succeed
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field
- Experience designing and executing test campaigns for complex hardware–software systems
- Strong system-level thinking and comfort reasoning across sensing, planning, control, and vehicle behavior
- Ability to translate requirements, risks, and ambiguous system behavior into structured tests
- Experience working across simulation, lab, and real-world test environments
- Comfort operating in fast-moving development environments with incomplete or evolving requirements
- Ability to communicate test intent, results, and risks clearly to technical stakeholders
- Working knowledge of autonomy, robotics, or embedded systems (hands-on or adjacent)
- Willingness to spend time in the field as needed to support test campaigns
- Familiarity with defense, automotive, or aerospace standards and qualification processes (e.g., MIL-STD-882, ISO 26262, SOTIF)
- Experience shaping test strategy in early-stage or rapidly evolving systems
- Strong judgment in balancing rigor, speed, and operational risk
What Will Set You Apart
- Ability to navigate a large code base and understand autonomy architecture at a high level
- Working understanding of command-line Linux
- Experience designing tests that directly inform release, safety, and deployment decisions rather than generating coverage for its own sake
- Ability to dive into code, autonomy logs (e.g., MCAP files), and databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) as needed to understand behavior, investigate failures, and validate test outcomes
- Skill translating noisy or complex test execution into clear findings, follow-ups, and next steps
- Experience influencing system design through testability, observability, and verification feedback
- Familiarity with safety-critical or defense contexts and how test evidence supports risk-based decisions
- Exposure to vehicle networks and diagnostics (CAN, Ethernet, UDS/J1939) and to logging/trace tools.
- Familiarity with MISRA C/C++, static analysis tools, and code coverage methodologies (incl. branch and MC/DC).
- Familiarity with cybersecurity validation for embedded systems (e.g., NIST 800-53, ISO/SAE 21434 test practices).
Location
The preferred location for this position is onsite in Seattle, WA.
Compensation
Annual Base Pay: $120,000 – $160,000 USD
Benefits
- Best-in-class healthcare, dental, and vision plans
- 401(k) with company match