Automation Test Specialist

Qualitest Group • Santa Clara, CA

3d • $97,200 - $112,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a hands-on SDET to support election-critical systems through the November elections cycle. This person will work closely with the current Elections QA Lead and help offload testing and automation work, especially on the distribution side of the platform. The role requires strong automation, API testing, AWS observability, and backend validation experience. The person must have practical knowledge of U.S. elections and understand the risks associated with election result distribution. This is not a pure automation role; the person must be able to clarify requirements, challenge gaps, assess production risk, and help improve QE processes. The ideal candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-paced Agile environment while maintaining quality discipline. The person should be able to communicate testing progress, automation value, risks, and quality improvements to stakeholders.

Requirements

• Strong hands-on experience with Playwright for UI and API automation.
• Strong coding and scripting experience using TypeScript.
• Hands-on API automation experience using Rest Assured.
• Strong experience testing REST APIs, including: Request and response validation, Status code validation, Header validation, Error handling validation, Negative testing, Contract testing, Data integrity testing.
• Must have experience with XML and JSON schema validation.
• Ability to design test scenarios based on API specification documentation.
• Experience writing BDD-style test scenarios and acceptance criteria.
• Working knowledge of AWS, especially for test validation and production behavior analysis.
• Ability to analyze CloudWatch logs to determine API usage patterns, failure trends, and missing test coverage.
• Experience converting production usage patterns into meaningful automated test coverage.
• Experience working with MongoDB collections for backend data validation.
• Hands-on experience with Jira and Zephyr for test case management, defect tracking, test execution, and traceability.
• Strong understanding of risk-based testing and the ability to prioritize coverage based on production and business impact.
• Experience working in a highly Agile environment with fast-moving delivery teams.
• Ability to push back professionally when the team deviates from agreed process, quality gates, or acceptance criteria.
• Strong stakeholder communication skills.
• Ability to work with product owners, developers, QA leads, and business stakeholders to clarify requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Institutional knowledge of U.S. elections is a must, including: Election results workflows, Race-level data, Vote updates, Vote types, Race calls, Result distribution, Downstream consumer impact, Election-night risk areas.

Nice To Haves

• The ideal candidate should be more than a test automation engineer; they should operate like a quality engineer who understands production risk.
• Comfortable working under election-cycle pressure without cutting corners on quality.

Responsibilities

• Support election-critical systems through the November elections cycle.
• Work closely with the current Elections QA Lead and help offload testing and automation work, especially on the distribution side of the platform.
• Clarify requirements, challenge gaps, assess production risk, and help improve QE processes.
• Communicate testing progress, automation value, risks, and quality improvements to stakeholders.
• Take ownership of assigned distribution-side testing workstreams.
• Independently handle automation, API validation, log analysis, and test coverage expansion.
• Identify high-risk workflows and prioritize testing based on business and production impact.
• Review requirements critically and not simply test what is written in the ticket.
• Proactively work with stakeholders to clarify unclear requirements, missing acceptance criteria, and edge cases.
• Use CloudWatch logs to understand real API usage patterns and add tests where coverage gaps exist.
• Bring practical QE process improvements to reduce production misses wherever possible.
• Help improve test coverage across API, backend, data validation, schema validation, and distribution workflows.
• Communicate risks clearly without creating noise or unnecessary escalation.
• Show value to stakeholders by broadcasting automation improvements, risk reduction, coverage gains, and ROI.
• Participate in blameless postmortems and help convert findings into preventive actions.
• Bring a continuous improvement mindset and help strengthen the QE processes.

Benefits

• Internal rotation and international mobility opportunities
• 401k plan with company match
• Competitive healthcare benefits
• HSA match
• Qualitest Tech academy: 3000+ training courses, mentorship programs, technical tribes, sponsored certifications, leadership programs
• Corporate Wellness Program: Gym membership paid, opportunities to earn additional vacation times for gym attendance
• Client Referral and Employee Referral Program bonuses
• Qualitest Employee Perks for discounts on travel, electronics, etc.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed