Must have skills

• Audio functional QA
• Automation testing

Role Summary

Restore Tools Engineer responsible for the integration, development, documentation, support, andsustainment of the restore infrastructure with AirPods hardware and associated diagnostic tools (APA).This role creates a dedicated owner for restore tool integration and support — bridging the gap betweenthe restore platform and AirPods hardware. The role works alongside key firmware engineers who co-DRIrestore tools for their respective hardware targets. This role focuses on tools around our hardware — notfirmware development.

Responsibilities

• Core Integration & Development
• Develop, test, and maintain software shims and configurations to enable compatibility between theplatform restore environment and AirPods hardware
• Author and maintain restore sequences for upcoming hardware programs using the bespokeJSON-based sequencing tool
• Support the majority of cross-functional use-cases for automation and bench development,maintaining >99% reliability as measured by APFW CI tools
• Collaborate cross-functionally with key developers to ensure required features for the restoreprocess are in place for each hardware program
• Align with existing presubmission testing pipelines to regularly integrate development
• Implement enhancements to the restore tools in response to recurring restore challenges and userfeedback
• Streamline tools and processes based on frequent triage, support, and customer pain-point areas

Support & Documentation

• Act as a key point of contact for triage and debugging support for the hundreds of users across thecompany who leverage the restore tools, assisting via Slack and other communication channels
• Perform firmware-level triage of restore failures, including analysis of serial interfaces, USBcommunication, and embedded DFU flows
• Create and maintain comprehensive triage and debugging documentation in Confluence, capturingsolutions and best practices derived from real-time support and tool updates
• Actively update Confluence documentation after every support instance
• Target <5 restore escalations during sustainment periods (non-regression periods)
• Collaborate with hardware and software engineering teams to understand system requirements anddependencies for new and existing products
• Explore opportunities to build automated triage tooling (e.g., AI-powered chatbot) to assist userswith self-service troubleshooting and reduce manual support load
• Sustainment & Reliability
• Own the ongoing sustainment of the restore tool suite, focusing on maintaining and improvinglong-term reliability and performance
• ES - Restore Tools JD (1).md 2026-04-29
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware/software integration issues to ensure a reliable andseamless device restore process

Qualifications Required

• 5+ years of software development experience in tools, automation, or infrastructure for embeddedsystems
• Strong Python scripting skills; familiarity with firmware/embedded development workflows
• General understanding of shell programming (Bash/Zsh)
• Proficiency with git version control
• B.S. degree (or equivalent) in software engineering, embedded systems engineering, computerscience, or related field
• Experience with device restore, flashing, or provisioning toolchains
• Understanding of serial interfaces (UART, SPI), USB device communication, and embedded DFUflows
• Background in firmware triage and debugging embedded systems
• Comfortable working with command-line tools on macOS or Linux
• Strong written and verbal communication skills — this role supports hundreds of cross-functionalusers and is heavily collaborative
• Meticulous, highly organized, and able to thrive in fast-paced environments with frequent contextswitches

Preferred

• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines for embedded hardware
• Understanding of hardware security, device personalization, or signing infrastructure
• Background in AI/ML — ability to build automated triage tools or AI-powered chatbots for usersupport
• Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation in Confluence or similar wikiplatforms