Position Description:
As a Product Development Engineer, the candidate will be a key contributor within a team responsible for managing and operating a fleet of test vehicles supporting vehicle software development and validation. This role focuses on vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, software baselining, OTA and service software updates, scripting and tools development, and advanced root cause analysis across vehicle systems. You will own portions of the test-vehicle lifecycle, ensuring vehicles are properly configured, updated, maintained, and operational to support continuous software development, validation, and release activities. The role requires close collaboration with technicians, software engineers, feature owners, and test teams to diagnose complex vehicle and software issues, improve operational efficiency, and enable high-quality software delivery.
Skills Required:
Scripting, Software Testing, Test Automation, Test Execution, Root Cause Analysis, Fleet Management 1. Scripting / Software Testing The candidate is expected to develop and maintain scripts (preferably using Python, and/or C++ or similar languages as a plus) to support vehicle operations and efficiency. 2. Test Automation The candidate should leverage automation to improve operational efficiency by creating scripts to automatically read vehicle diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) using logs, CAN data, or diagnostic APIs, categorizing and flagging known error codes with recommended remediation steps 3. Test Execution The candidate is not responsible for executing test cases, but should support efficient test execution by ensuring vehicles are properly prepared and available for testing teams, verifying vehicles are on the correct software baseline, coordinating vehicle availability to minimize test delays, supporting test teams by quickly identifying and resolving vehicle-related blockers 4. Root Cause Analysis The candidate is expected to perform root cause analysis related to vehicle and fleet issues, including, investigating recurring vehicle faults, connectivity issues, or test failures, analyzing diagnostic data, logs, and usage history to identify root causes, differentiating between software, hardware, and operational issues, documenting findings and resolutions to support continuous improvement 5. Fleet Management Fleet management is a core responsibility of the role. Expectations include, managing vehicle sign-out and sign-in processes, ensuring vehicles are maintained in test-ready condition, tracking vehicle status, location, usage, and health, coordinating maintenance, updates, and repairs, supporting audits and ensuring compliance with fleet policies
Skills Preferred:
.NET Developer, API 1. .NET Developer Experience with .NET is preferred for: • Developing internal tools, dashboards, or lightweight applications • Integrating backend services with databases or APIs • Supporting enterprise-level tooling used for fleet tracking and auditing 2. API The candidate should have experience working with APIs to integrate vehicle data from multiple systems and support scalable and maintainable system integrations Recommended Tools & Technologies for This Role • Python (primary scripting and automation language), Other programing languages can be considered for this position.
Experience Required:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field. • 3–5 years of experience in software engineering, automotive product development, vehicle software operations, test systems, or complex embedded/software environments. • Demonstrated experience managing test vehicles and executing vehicle software updates. • Hands-on experience with scripting, automation, and diagnostic tools. • Proven ability to perform advanced root cause analysis and debug complex system issues.
Experience Preferred:
• Python or similar scripting languages • API interaction and data parsing • Log analysis and telemetry interpretation • Test automation frameworks • Toolchain development for vehicle operations • Technical writing and process documentation
Education Required:
Bachelor's Degree
Additional Information :
Hybrid (In office 4 days per week) • Manage and operate assigned test vehicles, ensuring readiness for software validation, and release activities. • Coordinate vehicle usage, availability, sign-out/sign-in, and configuration control to support multiple engineering teams. • Oversee preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance of test vehicles, including hardware, ECUs, Safety, power systems, and network components. • Execute and manage vehicle software baselining activities, including flashing, configuration management, and version control across multiple ECUs. • Perform OTA, service, manufacturing, and manual software updates on test vehicles. • Verify software integrity, configuration correctness, and system behavior following updates. • Support software release readiness by validating baseline stability and vehicle operability. • Develop and maintain scripts and tools (e.g., Python, shell, or similar) to automate vehicle auditing, health checks, log collection, dashboards, and reporting. • Enhance operational tooling to improve fleet utilization, reduce manual effort, and increase repeatability and reliability. • Perform advanced root cause analysis on vehicles. • Analyze logs, traces, diagnostics, and vehicle telemetry to isolate failures related to software updates, configuration issues, or vehicle behavior. • Accurately document findings and ensure defects are properly prioritized and tracked in JIRA or equivalent systems. • Work closely with product, software, validation, and operations teams to align vehicle readiness with program milestones and sprint objectives. • Provide accurate effort estimates for vehicle operations, software updates, and tooling tasks during sprint planning. • Contribute to technical documentation, operational procedures, and best practices for vehicle software operations. • Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives related to vehicle management, software update reliability, and operational efficiency.
Why work with us? We are a woman-owned company that values your ideas, encourages your growth, and always has your back. When you work with us you'll have training opportunities, flexible/remote work options, growth opportunities, 401K and competitive pay. Apply today! We are an EOE, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. https://www.optechus.com/eeo_self_identification/