Senior Software Quality Engineer

Protolabs•Maple Plain, MN

10d•$107,400 - $161,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Software Quality Engineer to help our agile engineering team deliver reliable enterprise web applications and APIs. This is a hands-on senior individual-contributor role for an engineer who combines strong test-automation skills with a practical, risk-based approach to quality. A primary focus of this role is building dependable automated testing into CI/CD pipelines so the team receives fast feedback and can release with confidence. You will work closely with software engineers, product managers, business analysts, and architects throughout the development lifecycle. Rather than acting as a final quality gate, you will help the team build quality into design, implementation, delivery, and production operations. You will influence testability, develop maintainable automation primarily in C#/.NET and Python, own the continuous-testing approach within CI/CD, and provide clear evidence about product and release risk.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
5+ years of experience in Software Testing, Software Quality Engineering or Quality Assurance
Experience in software quality engineering, software development in test, or a related engineering role
Proven ability to design maintainable test frameworks and automated coverage for enterprise web applications and APIs
Strong programming and debugging skills in C#/.NET or Python, with the ability to contribute in both environments
Experience designing CI/CD test automation, including test stages, quality gates, reporting, and failure investigation
Strong knowledge of API testing, integration testing, and defect investigation
Experience with Git-based workflows and agile, cross-functional product development
Ability to communicate quality risks, influence engineering practices, and mentor teammates

Nice To Haves

Experience with performance, load, or resilience testing for web applications and APIs.
Experience with browser and API automation tools such as Playwright, Selenium, or Postman/Newman.
Experience with Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or comparable CI/CD platforms.
Working knowledge of SQL, relational databases, observability, and production telemetry.
Familiarity with security and accessibility testing; relevant quality, cloud, or automation certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

Define risk-based test strategies for new features, integrations, and critical business workflows
Design and maintain reliable automated tests and frameworks using C#/.NET, Python, and appropriate testing tools
Own the team’s CI/CD test-automation strategy, including test stages, quality gates, reporting, and failure diagnostics
Build effective API, integration, system, and end-to-end coverage while balancing execution speed, reliability, and maintainability
Partner with engineers throughout development to improve testability, prevent defects, and strengthen shared ownership of quality
Validate API reliability and performance, supplemented by targeted exploratory and functional testing where appropriate
Investigate defects, flaky tests, and production issues; lead root-cause analysis and durable corrective actions
Assess release risk using test results, defect trends, and production signals, and mentor teammates in quality-engineering practices
Write clean, maintainable, and well documented code following established development standards
Participate in code reviews and contribute to continuous improvement of development practices
Collaborate effectively with engineers, analysts, QA, and operations teams
Communicate progress, risks, and dependencies clearly to team members and stakeholder
Explore and apply AI based tools or techniques to improve development efficiency and automation (where appropriate)