Software Engineer Intern - Validation & Verification

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.

We are looking for a Software Engineer, V&V Intern to support the quality bar for Field AI’s off-road autonomy, legged, and humanoid robotics stacks.

In this role, you will help design and execute scenario-based tests, improve automation and CI pipelines, and contribute evidence that demonstrates our systems are becoming safer, more reliable, and more deployment-ready over time. You will work closely with autonomy, robotics, and infrastructure engineers to turn logs, simulations, and field data into clear, actionable insights.

This is a hands-on internship where you will contribute directly to real validation efforts — from simulation and log replay to structured field testing — while learning best practices for safety-critical software development in robotics.

If you enjoy breaking systems so customers don’t have to, care about measurable safety, and want your work to translate into real robots operating in the world, this role is for you.

Our salary range is generous and we take into consideration an individual's background and experience in determining final salary; base pay offered may vary considerably depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Why Join Field AI? We are solving one of the world’s most complex challenges: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, ensuring our approach is explainable and safe for deployment.

You will have the opportunity to work with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. With a decade-long track record of deploying solutions in the field, winning DARPA challenge segments, and bringing expertise from organizations like DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise Self-Driving, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, we are set to achieve our ambitious goals.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution To tackle such ambitious challenges, we need a team as unique as our vision — innovators who go beyond conventional methods and are eager to tackle tough, uncharted questions. We’re seeking individuals who challenge the status quo, dive into uncharted territory, and bring interdisciplinary expertise. Our team requires not only top AI talent but also exceptional software developers, engineers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators.

We are headquartered in always-sunny Mission Viejo (Irvine adjacent), Southern California and have US based and global teammates.

Join us, shape the future, and be part of a fun, close-knit team on an exciting journey!

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

What You'll Do: Contribute to verification and validation across autonomy software stacks Design and implement tests for perception, planning, localization, and control Define clear pass/fail criteria for features and releases Maintain traceability between requirements, tests, logs, and results Build and execute scenario-based tests using simulation (SIL/HIL) and log replay Develop realistic and adversarial test scenarios (terrain, lighting, weather, sensor noise or faults) Support sim-to-real calibration through data replay and basic sensor or hardware characterization Improve test infrastructure and developer feedback loops Integrate tests into CI pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab) with actionable reporting artifacts Build tooling for log capture, analysis, and automated failure triage Track and visualize quality signals including scenario coverage, regressions, and safety or performance KPIs Support structured field validation activities as needed Assist with fault-injection and degraded-mode testing under supervision Produce clear, lightweight evidence reports for internal reviews

What You Bring: Strong interest in software or robotics testing, verification & validation, QA, reliability, or test infrastructure Coding experience in Python and/or C/C++ for test harnesses, automation, or analysis Familiarity with robotics logging workflows (e.g., ROS / ROS 2, bag files, telemetry) or willingness to learn quickly Basic understanding of CI/CD concepts and reproducible development workflows Comfort working with robotics sensor data (cameras, LiDAR, IMU, joint or force sensors) at a foundational level Clear technical writing skills for test plans, results summaries, and debugging notes An evidence-driven mindset with an interest in metrics, automation, and early issue detection

What Will Set You Apart: Experience with robotics simulators or testing frameworks (e.g., Gazebo, Isaac Sim) Exposure to autonomy components such as perception evaluation, planning behaviors, or control validation Familiarity with fault injection or robustness testing (sensor dropouts, time skew, GPS denial, actuator issues) Experience building dashboards, log visualization tools, or scenario libraries Field testing experience and strong safety discipline Coursework or project experience in robotics, autonomy, or safety-critical systems