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Havoc AI, founded in 2024 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, is a leader in all-domain collaborative autonomy. The company develops software-defined hardware for military and commercial-grade autonomous systems across sea, air, and land platforms. Havoc is seeking a Test Engineer to support the development, integration, and validation of Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) platforms and autonomy systems.
This is a highly hands-on role requiring an engineer who thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments and enjoys working at the intersection of hardware, software, autonomy, and field operations. You will work directly with engineering and mission operations teams to plan, execute, and analyze testing across mechanical systems, electrical systems, autonomy capabilities, sensors, communications, and embedded software.
Key responsibilities include developing and executing comprehensive test plans for mechanical, electrical, software, and integrated systems across multiple ASV platforms. You will define test objectives, success criteria, and data requirements in partnership with engineering teams, supporting testing from component validation through full-system and operational testing. You'll test and evaluate autonomy algorithms, control systems, sensors, and integrated vehicle behaviors in real-world maritime environments, validating system performance across navigation, communications, propulsion, and perception systems.
The role involves significant troubleshooting and root cause analysis across hardware, software, networking, and mechanical interfaces. You will diagnose issues, reproduce failures, isolate root causes, and validate corrective actions, often in real-time during test events and field operations. Data collection and analysis are critical—you'll capture telemetry and sensor data to evaluate vehicle performance and translate findings into actionable feedback for engineering teams.
Field testing and operations are central to this position. You will deploy to coastal, offshore, and maritime environments to support ASV testing, demonstrations, and field operations. You'll operate and support ASVs during dockside testing, sea trials, and open-water test events, maintaining high standards for safety, configuration control, and operational readiness.
Required qualifications include 3+ years of experience in test engineering, systems integration, field testing, or related engineering disciplines involving complex systems. You need a strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, software, and embedded systems and how they interact within robotic or autonomous platforms. Hands-on troubleshooting experience with complex integrated systems is essential, along with familiarity with embedded systems, networking, and communication protocols (CAN, UDP, TCP/IP). Experience testing or operating autonomous, robotic, or remotely operated systems is required.
Additional requirements: strong analytical skills, ability to read and interpret technical documentation, excellent written and verbal communication skills, comfort working independently in fast-moving field environments, willingness to work in marine and offshore environments, ability to travel up to 50% for multi-day deployments, ability to lift up to 50 lbs, and U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Security Clearance.
Preferred qualifications include a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Ocean Engineering, or related technical discipline, and experience testing ASVs, UUVs, UAVs, or other autonomous robotic platforms.
