Staff QA Engineer (Cinema Imaging)

TL;DR

Staff QA Engineer (Cinema Imaging) (Python/PyTest/Digital Cinema): Leading end-to-end quality assurance for next-generation cinema imaging products and integrated theatrical systems with an accent on hardware-software integration, picture quality, and complex lab validation. Focus on designing scalable test automation, isolating failures across projectors, servers, firmware, networking, and content, and driving release readiness across multiple programs.

Location: San Francisco, California, United States; regular on-site work is required to support hardware laboratories and physical cinema test systems.

Salary: $152,900–$210,200 per year for the San Francisco/Bay Area, plus bonus, benefits, and potential equity.

Company

hirify.global develops audio, video, imaging, and entertainment technologies used across cinema, television, music, games, live sports, and consumer devices.

What you will do

• Lead QA strategy, test planning, risk assessment, and release-quality reporting for cinema imaging products.
• Design, configure, maintain, and document hardware labs and integrated test environments with projectors, cinema servers, networking, measurement equipment, and supporting infrastructure.
• Execute functional, integration, interoperability, performance, reliability, upgrade, regression, and system-level testing.
• Own picture-quality and video-path validation, including calibration, color processing, metadata, signal integrity, 3D workflows, and multi-projector configurations.
• Lead defect triage, root-cause investigation, partner coordination, and verification of fixes.
• Mentor QA engineers and collaborate with engineering, product, program, operations, and field teams to communicate quality risks and schedule impacts.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in QA, systems testing, hardware validation, or a related engineering discipline, including ownership of complex test plans and releases.
• Experience leading QA for video, imaging, projection, display, media, broadcast, cinema, or other complex hardware-software systems.
• Strong hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting integrated cinema systems, laboratory equipment, networking, and measurement tools.
• Proven experience building Python-based test automation with PyTest or similar tools and integrating automation into GitLab CI, Electric Flow, or comparable CI/CD systems.
• Deep knowledge of digital imaging, video formats, color spaces, signal paths, HDMI/SDI, image processing, DCP, MXF, JPEG 2000, hirify.global Vision, HDR, DCI workflows, and 3D systems.
• Proficiency with Unix/Linux and Windows, command-line tools, logs, networking protocols, Agile QA practices, source control, defect tracking, and release processes.

Nice to have

• Experience with cinema projectors, laser illumination, high-brightness displays, projection optics, stereoscopic 3D, hirify.global Cinema, hirify.global Vision, or Christie systems.
• Experience managing multiple hardware labs or shared test environments.
• Experience developing or adopting AI-assisted QA tools, custom agents, or data-driven quality workflows.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Imaging Science, or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative environment with challenging entertainment technology projects.
• Full-time employment with bonus, benefits, and potential equity depending on the role and location.
• Every other Friday off.
• Work directly with cinema, imaging, systems, and external hardware partners.