Head of Quality Engineering

About the role

Sift builds the data infrastructure that powers hardware engineering. We transform high-frequency telemetry from rockets, satellites, autonomous vehicles, energy systems, and defense platforms into actionable engineering insights. Founded by former leaders who created the tools for Dragon and Starlink, we are constructing the data foundation for the AI era of physical systems. The Head of Quality Engineering will own the end-to-end quality strategy for our platform, setting the methodology and standards that ensure reliability for mission-critical operations. This individual will architect validation processes across web, desktop, and backend systems, establishing a scalable QA discipline from initial release workflows to long-term maturity. They will serve as the central accountability point for product quality, defining how testing evolves as the company grows from an early startup to a structured enterprise. Success in this role requires a strategic builder who can operate without precedent, translating ambiguous requirements into rigorous quality practices. The hire will mentor teams, manage external partnerships, and embed quality thinking into every product decision.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Own the end-to-end quality strategy and serve as the final authority for release sign-off across all customer-facing products.
• Build and lead the QA organization toward a target of roughly 30 people, initially focused on outsourced vendors with a plan to grow a small internal team.
• Select, integrate, and manage external QA vendor partners, enforcing strict quality benchmarks, throughput goals, and service-level agreements.
• Institute formal test planning for every significant feature and release, including comprehensive regression suites, with a mandate for QA approval on all products.
• Organize testing into squad-level testing and dedicated release testing, with test leads ensuring coverage across products and timelines.
• Create a structured system for customer bug intake, classification, prioritization, and resolution, moving issues away from ad hoc handling.
• Use AI to accelerate the quality function, employing modern tools for drafting test plans, cases, and documentation, as well as building administrative utilities for test setup.
• Collaborate with engineering to expand automated testing over time while preserving essential manual testing for UX and nuanced validation.
• Define and monitor quality metrics and service-level objectives, providing transparent reporting to engineering leadership and customers when required.
• Mentor engineers on self-testing practices and spread quality ownership throughout the product lifecycle.
• Leverage experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, or other mission-critical domains to inform testing approaches for safety-sensitive contexts.
• Establish QA discipline from near zero in a growth-stage company, creating processes that scale with product complexity and velocity.
• Apply familiarity with observability, telemetry, or large-scale data platforms to design tests that validate real-world system behavior.
• Partner closely with product, design, and engineering teams to embed quality practices into planning, development, and deployment workflows.
• Balance manual, AI-assisted, and automated testing methods to optimize speed, accuracy, and coverage across all customer-facing products.

Requirements

• Bring a minimum of 8 years of experience in QA, with a record of senior leadership and principal-level judgment in complex environments.
• Demonstrate at least 3 years of experience managing teams and test leads, developing both people and processes effectively.
• Show a proven track record of managing external QA vendor teams and delivering strong results under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Master core QA disciplines, including test planning, test case development, regression strategy, issue triage, and release coordination.
• Possess hands-on quality experience across frontend and backend systems, with depth in both web and desktop platforms.
• Apply an AI-forward mindset to testing, using modern tooling to accelerate test definition and documentation while understanding when manual testing adds the most value.
• Thrive in ambiguous, fast-paced settings, building structure and process while maintaining the ability to move quickly.
• Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and external partners, including customers and vendors, at all levels of technical and operational detail.
• Have a B2B background, with consideration for candidates who also bring strong B2C experience.
• Hold U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or authorization to work in the United States.
• Commit to in-office collaboration on Mondays and Thursdays, with a full week together every two months, and support for relocation to Los Angeles or remote work from the San Francisco office.

Nice to have

• Experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, or other mission-critical or safety-sensitive domains.
• History of establishing a QA discipline from near zero in a growth-stage company.
• Familiarity with observability, telemetry, or large-scale data platforms.

Practical notes

• The role is full-time, based in Marina Del Rey, California, with expectations for in-office work on Mondays and Thursdays and a full week together every two months.
• Qualified candidates may be relocated to Los Angeles or supported for remote work from the San Francisco office.
• Compensation ranges from $200,000 to $250,000 annually, supplemented by equity and comprehensive benefits.
• U.S. work authorization is required.