Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Diaconia LLC•Gaithersburg, MD

9m•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to lead the design and implementation of an automation-first testing strategy for a modernized enterprise platform. This role is responsible for building test automation frameworks as a core engineering function, embedding quality into the software lifecycle, and enabling scalable, reliable CI/CD-driven validation.

Requirements

US Citizenship required
Active IRS Minimum Background Investigation (MBI). Active is defined as currently assigned to an active IRS contract and/or was assigned to an active IRS contract as a final MBI within the last two years
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience
7+ years of experience in test automation and software engineering
Strong proficiency in Java and test framework development
Extensive experience with API and microservices testing
Strong SQL skills and experience validating complex data transformations
Experience testing applications deployed in OpenShift / Kubernetes environments
Deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Git-based workflows, and automated quality gates
Ability to operate as a technical leader and influence engineering practices
This is a remote position that REQUIRES you live in the 48 contiguous states

Nice To Haves

Experience with ETL tools for data testing.
Experience with performance, load, or resiliency testing
Prior experience modernizing testing for legacy-to-modern platform migrations
Selenium certification or advanced automation certifications.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain scalable test automation frameworks for UI, API, and data layers
Define and enforce automation standards, patterns, and best practices across teams
Lead the shift-left testing strategy by partnering with developers to improve testability & design
Build API-first, contract, and integration tests for microservices-based architectures
Implement automated validation for ETL pipelines, data migrations, and reporting accuracy
Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines, enforcing quality gates for deployments
Perform root cause analysis by debugging test failures at the code and data level
Reduce dependency on manual regression testing through automation coverage and tooling
Mentor other test engineers in automation engineering and framework usage
Evaluate and introduce modern testing tools and techniques as appropriate.