---
title: 'Software Engineer, Verification & Validation at FieldAI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-verification-validation-fieldai-irvine-7p73gvhvtxa5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-15'
---

# Software Engineer, Verification & Validation at FieldAI

- **Company:** FieldAI
- **Location:** Irvine, CA
- **Compensation:** $135k–$190k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-04-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/field-ai/e4504581-90cc-45a0-8084-f04f8145c75d

## Job description

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications. Learn more at https://fieldai.com.

## What You'll Get to Do

1. Own End-to-End Robot Verification & Validation Design and execute verification and validation strategies for complete robotic systems, from individual capabilities through full autonomous missions Develop clear acceptance criteria, performance metrics, and test methodologies for new robot capabilities Validate system behavior across multiple robotic platforms, environments, and operating conditions Build repeatable qualification and regression processes that allow new capabilities to ship without compromising existing functionality Establish a clear understanding of what “deployment-ready” means and provide quantitative evidence that systems meet that bar.
2. Build Scalable Robotics Test Infrastructure Develop automated test infrastructure spanning simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, lab testing, and full robot operation Create reusable test scenarios and evaluation frameworks that exercise autonomy under nominal, edge-case, and failure conditions Build tools for experiment execution, telemetry collection, automated analysis, visualization, and reporting Improve the reproducibility of robot testing so failures can be recreated, diagnosed, and verified efficiently Help move validation from individual one-off tests toward continuously running, scalable system evaluation
3. Validate Real-World Robot Behavior Design tests that expose robots to the uncertainty and variability encountered in real deployments Exercise systems across changing terrain, obstacles, environmental conditions, sensor degradation, communication failures, compute limitations, and other realistic disturbances Evaluate not only whether a robot succeeds, but how reliably, safely, and consistently it behaves across repeated trials Identify performance boundaries and characterize where system behavior begins to degrade Work directly with physical robots in the lab and field to reproduce difficult system-level failures
4. Turn Failures Into Engineering Signal Debug failures across autonomy, sensing, state estimation, planning, control, system integration, compute, networking, and hardware boundaries Use telemetry and experimental data to isolate root causes rather than simply identify symptoms Develop tooling and instrumentation that make complex robot behavior easier to understand Convert field failures and difficult-to-reproduce issues into deterministic regression tests whenever possible Partner with subsystem owners to verify fixes and prevent recurrence
5. Drive System Reliability and Release Readiness Partner closely with autonomy, robotics software, hardware, systems, and field teams throughout the development lifecycle Identify integration and reliability risks early and ensure they are represented in the validation process Build dashboards, scorecards, and automated evaluations that provide a clear view of system health and capability maturity Help define release gates based on measurable system performance rather than subjective readiness Continuously improve the V&V process as the autonomy stack, robot platforms, and deployment environments evolve

## What You Have

- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent hands-on industry experience
- Strong software engineering fundamentals with proficiency in C, C++, and Python for developing, integrating, debugging, and testing robotic systems
- Hands-on experience developing, integrating, testing, or debugging physical robotic or autonomous systems
- Broad understanding of robotic systems, including sensing, state estimation, planning, control, communication, compute, and actuation
- Experience developing and debugging robotics software using ROS 2 and distributed message-passing architectures
- Strong experience working in Linux environments, with familiarity with real-time systems and RT-patched Linux kernels
- Proficiency with Git and modern collaborative software development practices, including code review, branching, integration, and regression workflows
- Experience diagnosing complex system-level failures where root causes may span software, middleware, networking, compute, sensors, and hardware
- Experience designing quantitative experiments, defining performance metrics, and analyzing robot telemetry and test data to evaluate system behavior and reliability
- Strong instincts for testability, observability, reproducibility, and systematic debugging, with the ability to turn ambiguous robot behavior into concrete hypotheses, experiments, and actionable engineering work

The Extras That Set You Apart

- Experience developing system-level V&V, qualification, or release processes for autonomous robots, vehicles, drones, or other complex physical systems
- Experience building automated regression testing or large-scale evaluation infrastructure for robotics.
- Familiarity with simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, fault injection, or scenario-based testing
- Experience defining reliability metrics, operational performance envelopes, or quantitative release criteria
- Experience with automated telemetry analysis, experiment management, or fleet-level performance evaluation
- Experience testing robotic systems in unstructured, dynamic, or safety-critical environments
- Experience bringing new robotic capabilities from initial integration through production deployment
- A track record of finding subtle system-level problems that were difficult to reproduce or crossed traditional subsystem boundaries
- The ability and willingness to get hands-on with robots, understand the complete system, and go wherever the problem leads

## Compensation

The salary range for this role is $135,000-$190,000. The actual offer for this position will be based on factors such as relevant experience, competencies, certifications, and how well the candidate meets the qualifications outlined above. Part of our compensation package also includes full benefits, equity, and generous time off.

Field AI Onsite Work Philosophy

At Field AI, we believe the most effective way to collaborate and solve complex challenges is by working together in person. This is a fully onsite role, and candidates will be expected to work from our Irvine, CA office. In-person engagement is essential to our success, and we offer flexible working hours to support focus and work-life balance.

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply

## About FieldAI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: FieldAI is building the first risk-aware, physics-first foundation model (the Field Foundation Model) that makes robots autonomous in complex, unstructured, and safety-critical real-world environments.
- **Entity Type**: Private (latest funding: Venture Round / Corporate Round; total funding ~$497M)
- **Headquarters**: Irvine, California, United States (with an office in Mission Viejo)
- **Founded**: 2023 (originally known as "AI for Humanity")
- **Founders**: Dr. Ali Agha (CEO) – former NASA JPL Principal Investigator and DARPA challenge winner; Dr. Shayegan Omidshafiei (President & Chief Scientific Officer) – former DeepMind Research Scientist

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Robotics Engineering / Artificial Intelligence (Embodied AI)
- **Target customers**: B2B, Enterprise, Government / Federal agencies, Commercial field operators (construction, industrial, urban operations, mission-critical)
- **Mission / purpose**: "Deploy autonomous robots at scale in any unstructured environment" without reliance on GPS, maps, or pre-trained routes.

## Products & Services
- **[Field Foundation Model (FFM)](https://www.fieldai.com/careers)**: An AI platform that acts as the "general-purpose brain" for robots. It combines data-driven learning with physics-based methods, assesses uncertainty, establishes risk, and adapts autonomously in field conditions. Works across any robot type and continuously improves through a virtuous data flywheel.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric (Total Funding)**: ~$497M across multiple rounds (Seed: $91M, Venture rounds, Corporate round led by Hyundai Motor Group, Series A: $980K led by Temasek Holdings and Prysm Capital) [[linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)] [[cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/field-ai)]
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Hyundai Motor Group (corporate round lead), Temasek Holdings, Prysm Capital, plus other visionary institutions.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount of 217 employees (+227.8% YoY) [[linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)]
  - LinkedIn followers grew +580.4% in the last year (51,728 total) [[linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)]
  - Technology deployed globally for a decade – from 900 feet underground to advanced commercial, federal, and mission-critical operations [[fieldai.com/careers](https://www.fieldai.com/careers)]
  - Won segments of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge (Urban phase) [[fieldai.com/team](https://www.fieldai.com/team)]

## Competitive Advantages
- **First risk-aware, physics-first foundation model** – unlike pure data-driven or transformer-only approaches.
- **Field-proven reliability** – systems work without GPS, maps, or pre-programmed routes, and dynamically adapt to uncertainty.
- **Virtuous data flywheel** – each deployment increases model reliability across the entire fleet.
- **Exceptional team** – drawn from DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX [[fieldai.com/team](https://www.fieldai.com/team)]
- **Strong IP & DARPA pedigree** – led by veterans who have shaped the field of autonomous robotics for nearly two decades.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale deployment** of the Field Foundation Model across commercial, industrial, and federal sectors.
- **Expand federal division** (FieldAI Federal) led by former DARPA PM and Toyota Research Institute exec Dr. Eric Krotkov [[fieldai.com/team](https://www.fieldai.com/team)]
- **Hire top-tier talent** in embodied AI, software engineering, robotics hardware, and field operations to accelerate product development and real-world impact [[fieldai.com/careers](https://www.fieldai.com/careers)]

## Why Work Here
- **Impact**: Directly shape how intelligent systems operate in the real world – from underground mines to urban search-and-rescue.
- **Culture**: "Creativity, resilience, and bold thinking" – a supportive environment that encourages pushing beyond conventional methods [[fieldai.com/careers](https://www.fieldai.com/careers)].
- **Team**: Work alongside world-class researchers and engineers from DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, and leading autonomy companies.
- **Resources**: Backed by over $100M in funding with strong institutional support – rapid execution and fast-paced growth.
- **Work model**: Likely office-centric given the hardware/robotics focus; headquarters in Irvine, CA, with a distributed presence across 9 countries (US, India, Singapore, Japan, Spain, etc.) [[linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)].
- **Perks / recognition**: Rated 4.5/5 on employer reviews (16 reviews), with top marks for Culture (4.3) and Career (4.4) [[linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)].

## Sources
1. [fieldai.com/careers](https://www.fieldai.com/careers)
2. [linkedin.com/company/fieldai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldai)
3. [fieldai.com/team](https://www.fieldai.com/team)
4. [cbinsights.com/company/field-ai](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/field-ai)
5. [jobs.lever.co/field-ai](https://jobs.lever.co/field-ai)

## Other roles at FieldAI

- [Robotics Research Intern, Robot Learning & Manipulation (Spring, Summer & Fall 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-research-intern-robot-learning-manipulation-spring-summer-fall-2027-661t926zt1g1) — Irvine, CA
- [Robotics Research Intern, Embodied AI (Spring & Summer 2027)](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-research-intern-embodied-ai-spring-summer-2027-fieldai-irvine-zaveaq0km9ea) — Irvine, CA
- [Robotics AI Engineer – Calibration, Localization, and Mapping](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-ai-engineer-calibration-localization-and-mapping-fieldai-boston-wv80jcj7tq7h) — Boston, MA
- [Mechatronics Engineer, Robotics Hardware](https://feeny.ai/job/mechatronics-engineer-robotics-hardware-fieldai-irvine-svta1gk62c3k) — Irvine, CA
- [Systems Engineer, Robotics Hardware, Large Wheeled Platforms](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-engineer-robotics-hardware-large-wheeled-platforms-fieldai-irvine-jfnq8d2w1vtp) — Irvine, CA
- [Mechanical Engineer Internship, Robotics Hardware](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-internship-robotics-hardware-fieldai-boston-x7ynwtzgaa67) — Boston, MA
- [Project Manager, Robotics Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/project-manager-robotics-deployment-fieldai-singapore-246fdyfz8f04) — Singapore
- [Robotics Test Engineer (Federal)](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-test-engineer-federal-fieldai-irvine-qp2d5cywrck1) — Irvine, CA
- [Robotics AI Engineer – Calibration, Localization, and Mapping](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-ai-engineer-calibration-localization-and-mapping-fieldai-irvine-94pjsq7v8n1c) — Irvine, CA
- [Forward Deployed Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-engineer-fieldai-south-korea-w34z8pyypfaw) — South Korea