Principal Software Development Engineer in Test

Job Title

Principal Software Development Engineer in Test

Role Summary

Senior individual contributor responsible for designing and implementing GUI test automation frameworks, tools, and automated test suites for embedded software and firmware products. Works with global software, hardware and firmware teams to ensure reliable releases for digital controller and semiconductor products.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 15+ years of software development experience with at least 5 years working in Python-based automation.

Responsibilities

Primary duties focus on automation architecture, test development, execution, and quality improvements across software, firmware, and hardware integration.

• Design and implement test automation frameworks, tools, and reusable test suites (GUI and system-level).
• Create, maintain, and run automated and manual tests; report defects and coverage metrics.
• Debug test failures, perform root-cause analysis, and collaborate on fixes with development teams.
• Integrate test solutions with hardware/firmware environments and test infrastructures.
• Leverage AI/agentic tools to improve test quality, coverage, and efficiency.
• Define and drive test automation architecture and best practices; review code and mentor engineers.
• Identify risks and recommend product, test, and process improvements to increase release reliability.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience followed by concise preferred items.

• Must-have: 15+ years in software development with strong software engineering fundamentals.
• Must-have: 5+ years of hands-on Python development for test automation and framework design.
• Must-have: Proven experience with automation frameworks and test tools (examples: Squish, TestComplete, Ranorex, Selenium) and APIs.
• Must-have: Experience integrating tests across HW/SW/FW and managing end-to-end test data and coverage (unit, integration, system, exploratory).
• Must-have: Experience using AI-powered development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) and familiarity with agentic AI approaches.
• Must-have: Strong mentoring, code-review, test-architecture, and collaboration skills; familiarity with Jira, Git and QA best practices.
• Nice-to-have: Additional programming languages (Java, Kotlin), DevOps/CI-CD and automated test infrastructure experience.
• Nice-to-have: Electronics, microcontroller, communication-protocol knowledge or IC/Power engineering QA experience.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering or a closely related technical field.

About the Company

Company: Renesas

Headquarters: Hitachinaka, Japan

Renesas is a global leader in embedded semiconductor solutions, providing high-quality products across automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT sectors. With over 22,000 employees in more than 30 countries, the company focuses on scalable solutions that enhance user experience and drive innovation while committed to sustainability and energy efficiency.