DevOps Automation Test Engineer

Society of Actuaries Research Institute•Chicago, IL

9d•$80,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The DevOps Automation Engineer independently leads the design, implementation, and maintenance of automated testing frameworks and quality controls within continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. The role owns and documents the end-to-end DevOps automation lifecycle, from requirements and planning through deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and continuous improvement. It applies project management skills to prioritize work, coordinate stakeholders, track progress, manage risks and dependencies, and communicate plans, status, and outcomes clearly. Working with DevOps, Salesforce, Digital Platforms, Digital, Cyber Security, and stakeholder teams, the engineer embeds quality engineering throughout the software development lifecycle to improve software reliability, security, performance, and scalability, while reducing manual effort and accelerating delivery. The position is hybrid in Chicago, Illinois; applicants must reside within 100 miles of the Chicago office.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field.
At least four years of experience in Information Technology.
Automation-first and AI-first mindset, with strong analytical and systems-thinking abilities.
Experience with CI/CD tools and cloud platforms, including AWS and/or Azure.
Experience with Infrastructure as Code.
Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or similar languages.
Foundational knowledge of software testing methodologies and QA best practices.
Ability to independently plan, organize, prioritize, and advance multiple concurrent initiatives in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment, including identifying dependencies, risks, deadlines, and decisions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to support users with varying levels of technical knowledge.
Customer service mindset and strong attention to detail.
Ability to gather and document business and system requirements.
Working knowledge of SaaS platforms and cloud-based tools; AIOps platforms or AI-capable observability tools; web and mobile application behavior across devices and browsers; security, access control, and data protection best practices; and UI design and usability principles.
Ability to document processes, project status, decisions, ownership, dependencies, risks, and next steps in designated systems and maintain alignment across related documentation.

Nice To Haves

Four years of systems development lifecycle experience.
Two to four years of software testing experience.
One year of end-user support experience.
One year of user interface design and/or usability experience.
Hands-on experience using AI/ML tools or platforms within DevOps, QA, or automation workflows.
Terraform experience.
Experience with Gearset UI Testing, Testsigma, ACCLQ, Keysight Eggplant, or similar tools.
Relevant Salesforce certifications, such as Salesforce Associate, Salesforce AI Associate, Salesforce Administrator, Salesforce Advanced Administrator, Salesforce AI Specialist, or Salesforce Platform App Builder.

Responsibilities

Lead testing strategy, planning, and execution across assigned development teams, workstreams, and releases, translating objectives into plans, milestones, deliverables, ownership, dependencies, risks, and success criteria.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to QA testing team members.
Establish, document, maintain, and improve QA automation standards, frameworks, best practices, and operating procedures.
Coordinate testing across teams, ensure consistent quality coverage, identify stakeholders and approvals, and advance work toward milestones.
Facilitate test planning, defect triage, and release readiness meetings; document and follow through on decisions, owners, deadlines, and action items.
Promote early testing throughout the development lifecycle and use AI tools to improve test planning, defect prediction, and coverage.
Design, develop, and maintain automated frameworks for functional, integration, API, and end-to-end testing.
Implement test automation strategies that support CI/CD and create reusable regression, performance, and reliability test suites.
Build automated validation processes for infrastructure and deployment pipelines; ensure automated tests run in CI/CD and produce actionable reports.
Maintain test reports, dashboards, metrics, and status information covering quality, blockers, dependencies, risks, and potential delays.
Incorporate AI-assisted test generation, self-adapting test scripts, and intelligent test prioritization.
Partner with the Manager, DevOps, to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
Implement quality gates before deployment and ensure pipelines include automated unit, integration, security, and performance testing.
Monitor pipeline health and identify failures, bottlenecks, and quality risks; apply AI-driven insights to optimize performance, detect anomalies, and predict failures.
Perform manual functional, exploratory, and user acceptance testing when automation is impractical or deeper validation is needed.
Develop and maintain test plans, test cases, and scenarios aligned with product requirements and acceptance criteria.
Validate complex workflows, edge cases, and usability; support release validation and collaborate with product owners and business stakeholders during UAT and release readiness reviews.
Use AI-assisted tools to enhance exploratory testing and defect identification.
Integrate AIOps platforms for real-time anomaly detection, predictive incident management, and automated root cause analysis.
Develop self-healing systems that respond automatically to common failures and use machine learning insights to reduce downtime and improve resilience.
Collaborate with the Manager, DevOps, and platform teams to validate Infrastructure as Code configurations.
Develop automated infrastructure provisioning validation using tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible, and Kubernetes.
Implement testing strategies for containerized environments and microservices, and support consistency across development, staging, and production.
Develop automated performance and load testing frameworks and integrate monitoring and observability tools to validate system health and deployment quality.
Assist with production issue root cause analysis and implement preventive testing strategies; use AI-driven observability for predictive performance analysis and proactive issue resolution.

Benefits

Competitive compensation.
Generous paid time off.
Professional development and career advancement opportunities.
Tuition reimbursement and continuing education funding.
Comprehensive health benefits and wellness programs, including an Employee Assistance Program and wellness reimbursement.
Disability coverage, including life, short-term, and long-term disability benefits.
403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution.
Maternal/paternal leave.
Flexible hybrid work environment.
Diversity and inclusion.