Teamleader Test, Validation & Release Management

Senhive is a technology leader specialising in advanced counter-drone systems and autonomous sensor networks designed for high-security and mission-critical environments. Leveraging cutting-edge detection, tracking, and mitigation technologies, Senhive provides robust, real-time solutions in support of air traffic management systems and protects airspace from unauthorized or hostile drone activity. Serving defence, aerospace, security and critical infrastructure sectors, Senhive enhances situational awareness and operational security through intelligent, scalable, and resilient systems.

Making sure you fit the guidelines as an applicant for this role is essential, please read the below carefully.

Job description

This is a newly created role. There is no existing team, no existing process, and no existing toolset. the Teamleader Test, Validation & Release Management will build all three from the ground up, in a hands-on, pragmatic way, while simultaneously running whatever validation and release work is already in flight.

You will build and lead the Test, Validation & Release Management function that takes our products from promising R&D prototypes to fully tested, documented and release-ready solutions.

You’ll put the right processes, standards and structure in place to make sure every product is ready for the next step: scalable manufacturing by Operations and confident selling by Sales. You’ll work closely with R&D, Operations and Sales to create a smooth and reliable path from prototype to production and market launch.

As the function grows, you’ll build and lead the team around it, establishing the expertise, ownership and ways of working needed to support our products as we scale.

What you’ll do

Test & Validation Methodology: hands-on, not theoretical

• You design and implement an end-to-end test and validation approach covering both hardware (including EMC, environmental, mechanical, reliability/HALT-HASS and safety) and software/firmware, from unit and integration testing through system, regression and field/OTA validation.
• You define clear, practical stage-gate criteria for moving from R&D prototype to engineering pilot and ultimately to mass production, including the evidence needed to confidently pass each gate.
• You create end-to-end traceability from requirements to test cases, defects and release notes, ensuring that you can always answer the question: what was tested, what wasn't, and why?
• You establish a clear Definition of Ready and Definition of Done for release readiness, jointly owned by R&D, Operations and your function.
• ou continuously evolve the methodology based on real project experience, lessons learned and changing product needs. This is a living process, not a document that sits on a shelf.

Release & Configuration Management

• You take ownership of end-to-end release management, ensuring that hardware revisions, BOM changes, firmware and software builds, and their compatibility, are properly controlled from the first pilot batch through end-of-life.
• You establish and drive consistent versioning and change-management processes across hardware and software.
• You lead release-readiness and go/no-go reviews and provide formal release sign-off based on clear, agreed criteria.
• You maintain a realistic release calendar, balancing R&D capacity, Operations constraints and Sales commitments.
• You make sure releases are predictable, transparent and well understood across the organisation.

Toolset & Infrastructure

• You select, implement and maintain the tools needed to support an efficient testing and release process, including test management, defect tracking, version control, CI/CD for embedded software, and release/configuration management.
• You build simple, transparent dashboards that give engineers and management a clear view of quality, test coverage, open issues and release readiness.
• You keep the toolset right-sized for the organisation: practical, intuitive and actually used, rather than theoretically complete but gathering dust.

Team Building & Leadership

• You shape the structure and roles of the team, develop job profiles and actively contribute to recruiting up to three test and validation engineers.
• You build, coach and develop the team, providing hands-on leadership, clear direction and regular feedback.
• You take ownership of day-to-day leadership and performance management while giving people the space to grow and take responsibility.
• You create a hands-on, quality-driven culture where people challenge issues openly, learn from mistakes and take accountability, without falling into a blame culture.

Cross-Functional Bridge & Stakeholder Management

• You act as a credible and pragmatic bridge between R&D, Operations/Manufacturing and Sales/Product Management, understanding and respecting the different priorities of each function.
• You navigate the natural tension between R&D's drive to innovate, Operations' need for stability and manufacturability, and Sales' pressure for fast and predictable releases without becoming a bottleneck or being perceived as “the department that says no.”
• You communicate quality status and release risks clearly and transparently, translating technical issues into business impact and enabling leadership to make informed go/no-go decisions rather than dealing with last-minute surprises.
• You bring structure and clarity to cross-functional discussions, helping teams align on priorities, make evidence-based decisions and move forward together.

Quality Ownership

• You take ownership of key product quality KPIs, such as first-pass yield, validation escape rate and field failure rate.
• You drive structured root-cause analysis and continuous improvement (CAPA) when validation escapes or field issues occur.
• You turn failures and lessons learned into concrete improvements in products, processes and ways of working.
• You coordinate with regulatory and compliance requirements where relevant, such as CE, EMC and RoHS, and support the use of formal quality frameworks such as ISO 9001 where applicable without necessarily owning certification itself.

Your profile

Education & Experience

You have:

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electronics/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience in a high-tech environment where electronics hardware and embedded or companion software are developed and released together.
• A proven, hands-on track record of building or substantially maturing test, validation and/or release management processes and teams in a comparable environment.
• Experience working directly at the interface between R&D and Operations/Manufacturing, ideally with exposure to Sales and Product Management dynamics as well.
• Hands-on experience as a hardware or embedded software developer is a strong asset, provided you are now equally, or more, motivated by process, quality and release management than by development itself.
• Experience leading a small team, either formally or informally as a senior/lead engineer who coached and mentored others, with the motivation and readiness to formally lead a team of up to three engineers.
• Employment is subject to obtaining Belgian, EU, and NATO security clearance, hence we require EU nationality.

Technical Competencies

You have:

• A solid understanding of the electronics hardware development lifecycle, including schematic capture, PCB design, prototyping, EMC and environmental testing, as well as Design-for-Manufacturing and Design-for-Test principles.
• A solid understanding of embedded and companion software development and release practices, including firmware development, CI/CD, version control, build and release management, and OTA updates where applicable.
• Practical experience with test methodologies across the V-model, including unit, integration, system and regression testing, as well as reliability and environmental testing such as HALT/HASS.
• Familiarity with quality frameworks and structured problem-solving methods such as ISO 9001, Lean/Six Sigma and 8D/CAPA. Experience with APQP/PPAP-type concepts is an asset.
• Working knowledge of relevant tooling for test and defect management (e.g. Jira/Xray, TestRail or similar), version control (Git), CI/CD platforms (Jenkins, GitLab CI or similar), and PLM/ALM systems.

Behavioural Competencies

You have:

• A hands-on, pragmatic builder mentality and enjoy turning a blank page into something that works. You focus on practical solutions and real results rather than process for process' sake.
• Strong empathy and diplomatic skills, with the ability to understand and balance the legitimate priorities of R&D, Operations and Sales.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical risks and quality issues into clear business language and build trust across teams and levels of the organisation.
• A structured and quality-minded approach, combined with a strong sense of commercial reality and time-to-market. You know when “good enough and safe” is better than “perfect, but too late.”
• A natural coaching mindset and genuine enthusiasm for developing people and building a team and function from the ground up.
• Resilience, adaptability and comfort operating in an environment where not everything is defined yet. You see ambiguity as an opportunity to create structure and improve.
• Fluency in English. Dutch is a strong asset, and French is a plus, given the Belgian context and the role's location in Hasselt, Limburg.
• Employment is subject to obtaining Belgian, EU, and NATO security clearance, hence we require EU nationality.

Offer

• A full-time position based in Hasselt
• The opportunity to grow within an innovative and ambitious company.
• A collaborative and informal working environment with short communication lines. xqknzec
• A competitive salary package with excellent career growth opportunities.