Test Automation Engineer

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers - farmers, construction crews, and foresters to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff, pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task, leads to big gains. 

Blue River Technology aligns with John Deere’s vision to “innovate on behalf of humanity” by quickly identifying and solving high-value, high-uncertainty challenges in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. BRT acts as a research and development flywheel, building not only new products but also new platforms that reliably create value for both Deere and its customers. From fully autonomous machines to highly precise farming equipment, BRT and Deere are partnering to deliver technical breakthroughs across industries such as agriculture and construction. 

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, this mission-driven team is eager to define the new frontier of robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field to figure it out. We won’t give up until we’ve made a tangible and positive impact on the planet!

Blue River Technology is based in Santa Clara, CA. 

Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team as a junior/early-career Test Automation Engineer. This position supports our core engineering teams and works in a multidisciplinary environment with the mission of building robust testing infrastructure for our systems. Our ideal candidate (you!) will play a crucial role in building hardware and software hybrid simulators, as well as developing the automation required to configure, deploy, and test systems within a Continuous Integration (CI) environment. You have strong debugging skills, a hands-on approach to problem-solving, and a drive to develop new capabilities. Your contributions will be instrumental in ensuring the reliability and success of our deployments in the field.

• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Work Location: Santa Clara, CA (at least 3 days/week)
• Visa sponsorship: Open to visa sponsorship.

Job Responsibilities

A combination, not necessarily all-inclusive, of the following:

• Build, maintain, and interact hands-on with hardware and software hybrid simulators.
• Develop and maintain automation to configure, deploy, and test complex systems within a CI environment.
• Proactively design and develop new testing and simulation capabilities to meet evolving engineering needs.
• Collaborate on debugging and troubleshooting complex hardware-software integration issues across various environments.
• Work on-premises to physically configure, modify, and test hardware simulators.

Required Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), Electrical Engineering (EE), or a related field.
• 2-5 years of relevant engineering work experience.
• Proficiency in Python and general scripting languages; experience in C++
• Comfortable working and debugging in both Windows and Linux environments.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and analytical skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Willingness to take ownership and develop new capabilities from the ground up.
• Proficiency in CI/CD automation toolchains (GitHub, Jenkins, Buildkite), virtualization and containers (Docker, Kubernetes) across Windows and Linux environments.
• Solid understanding of communication protocols (serial, CAN, Ethernet)
• Familiarity with real-time, distributed communication middleware (e.g., DDS standards, ROS 2, RTI Connext).

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience with C++ programming.
• Hands-on experience with HIL hardware and SIL plant models, and developing abstraction layers.
• Hands-on electronics or automotive engineering experience.
• Experience with configuration management tools and infrastructure automation (e.g., Ansible).
• Familiarity with agricultural technology, agronomy, or farming.

Only individual applicants will be considered. We do not work with unsolicited third-party agencies or proxy interview services. 

At Blue River, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $122,000 - $183,000/year for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus and a competitive benefit package. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development, to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.