QA Engineer & Team Lead, Robotics - Lexington, KY

About Badger Technologies

Badger Technologies, a Jabil company, develops innovative autonomous robots and data-driven solutions that help retailers enhance operational efficiency, improve inventory accuracy, and create safer, smarter shopping environments. By combining robotics, computer vision, and advanced software technologies, Badger is transforming how retailers manage store operations and customer experiences.

Jabil is seeking a highly skilled QA Engineer & Team Lead, Robotics to lead quality assurance efforts for our next-generation robotic platforms. This is a hybrid leadership and hands-on technical role, combining team management responsibilities with active participation in software and hardware quality engineering.

The ideal candidate will spend approximately 40-50% of their time developing automated tests, executing complex validation efforts, and investigating quality issues, while dedicating the remainder to leading a small QA team, driving quality strategy, and partnering with Engineering, Product, and Operations teams to ensure successful product releases.

This role supports the full product lifecycle, including new product introduction (NPI), feature development, sustaining engineering, and field reliability initiatives. While the primary focus is software quality assurance, the role also includes hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and validation of robotic systems to ensure reliable performance in real-world environments.

What can you expect to do?

Lead, mentor, and develop a small team of QA engineers, including performance management, coaching, career development, and daily task prioritization.

Define and execute the overall QA strategy, test methodologies, release readiness criteria, and quality standards across robotics platforms.

Establish and track key quality metrics, including defect leakage, automation coverage, reliability targets, and release health indicators.

Lead defect triage meetings, quality reviews, and risk assessments to proactively address product quality concerns.

Partner with Product Management, Engineering, and Operations teams to align testing priorities, release schedules, and project risk mitigation plans.

Champion continuous improvement initiatives and quality best practices throughout the organization.

Design, develop, and maintain comprehensive test plans, test cases, and automated test frameworks for software and robotic systems.

Actively participate in functional, integration, system, regression, performance, and user acceptance testing activities.

Build and enhance automated testing solutions for web, API, embedded, and robotics applications.

Perform root cause analysis of complex software, firmware, and hardware-related defects.

Validate new features and software releases throughout the development lifecycle and ensure readiness for field deployment.

Support hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) verification activities related to robotic hardware updates, end-of-life component replacements, and reliability improvements.

Participate in design reviews and technical discussions to identify quality risks early in the development process.

Work closely with software, firmware, hardware, and systems engineering teams to define acceptance criteria and ensure quality is built into products from inception.

Support CI/CD testing strategies and automated quality gates across development and release pipelines.

Perform diagnostic testing, log analysis, firmware flashing, and debugging activities on target hardware and robotic platforms.

Contribute to improvements in testing infrastructure, tools, processes, and automation capabilities.

What is the experience needed to be successful in this role?

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline required.

6+ years of experience in Software Quality Assurance, with at least 2 years in a QA leadership or team lead role.

Proven experience leading QA initiatives while remaining actively involved in hands-on testing and automation.

Experience developing and maintaining automated test frameworks and test automation solutions.

Strong experience with software testing methodologies, including functional, integration, regression, system, performance, and acceptance testing.

Proficiency with Python, C++, or similar programming/scripting languages.

Experience working in Linux environments and utilizing tools such as Pytest or comparable testing frameworks.

Experience with Agile/Scrum development methodologies and modern SDLC practices.

Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated quality validation processes.

Experience using defect tracking and project management tools such as Jira.

Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis skills.

Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership capabilities.

Familiarity with Robot Operating System (ROS/ROS2) preferred.

Benefits Package with Jabil

Along with growth, stability, and the opportunity to be challenged, Jabil offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

Competitive Base Salary

Annual Bonus

Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug, and Vision Insurance with HRA and HSA options

401K Match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance

Commuter Benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Pet Insurance

Adoption Assistance

Annual Merit Increases

Community Volunteer Opportunities

Jabil, including its subsidiaries, is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.