Test Automation Lead

Zantech•Camp Springs, MD

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you looking for your next challenge? Are you ready to work with a performance-based small company? At Zantech, we are a dynamic Woman Owned Small Business focused on providing complex, mission-focused solutions with a proven track record of outstanding customer performance and high employee satisfaction. We would love to talk with you regarding the next step in your career. Come join our team! Zantech is looking for a talented Test Automation Lead to contribute to the success of our upcoming Applied and Emerging Technology Support project for a Hybrid role based out of Camp Springs, MD. The Test Automation Lead provides strategic direction and hands-on leadership for all testing initiatives across USCIS OIT portfolios, including functional, performance, interoperability, and automated testing. This role drives the integration of testing automation into CI/CD pipelines, establishes reusable test frameworks, and ensures high-quality software delivery through comprehensive test coverage and rapid feedback mechanisms. The Test Automation Lead will work across multiple USCIS product teams to implement industry best practices in agile testing while bridging the gap between testing maturity levels across different systems.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of software testing and quality assurance experience
Minimum 5 years in test automation leadership roles
Minimum 3 years of federal government experience, preferably DHS or civilian agencies
Demonstrated experience with large-scale test automation initiatives
Experience testing complex, multi-tier enterprise applications
Track record of integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines
Experience with Agile/Scrum testing methodologies
Expert-level proficiency with test automation frameworks:
Selenium WebDriver, Cypress, Playwright, or similar for UI testing
REST Assured, Postman/Newman, or similar for API testing
JMeter, Gatling, or LoadRunner for performance testing
Strong programming skills in at least two languages (Java, Python, JavaScript, C#)
Experience with BDD frameworks (Cucumber, SpecFlow, Behave)
Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions)
Experience with test management tools (TestRail, Zephyr, qTest, ALM)
Knowledge of containerized testing environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
Understanding of API testing, microservices testing patterns
Experience with test data management and virtualization
Proficiency with version control systems (Git) and branching strategies
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field
Certifications (Required - Minimum 1):
ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer
OR ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager
OR equivalent professional testing certification
US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain an active Public Trust or higher clearance, per contract requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience with contract testing (Pact, Spring Cloud Contract)
Knowledge of chaos engineering and resilience testing
Familiarity with accessibility testing tools (JAWS, NVDA, axe-core)
Experience with mobile testing frameworks (Appium, Espresso, XCTest)
Understanding of AI/ML-based testing approaches
Experience with visual regression testing tools
Knowledge of synthetic monitoring and production testing
Understanding of DHS/USCIS system architectures and data flows
Familiarity with federal security testing requirements
Knowledge of Section 508 testing standards (basic understanding)
Experience with testing in AWS GovCloud environments
Understanding of PII/PHI data handling requirements in testing
Experience testing USCIS immigration systems or similar benefit processing systems
Familiarity with USCIS business processes and form types
Understanding of USCIS enterprise architecture and system interdependencies
Experience with USCIS Backstage or similar developer portals
Knowledge of USCIS Team Managed Deployment (TMD) quality gates
Master's degree preferred
ISTQB Certified Tester - Expert Level
Certified Agile Tester (CAT)
AWS Certified Developer - Associate
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Performance testing certifications (LoadRunner, JMeter)

Responsibilities

Develop and execute comprehensive test strategies aligned with USCIS product/portfolio objectives
Lead test automation team of 10-15 QA engineers and test automation specialists
Establish product-level and service-level testing standards across USCIS enterprise
Define test coverage requirements for functional, performance, security, and accessibility testing
Create and maintain test automation roadmaps aligned with DevSecOps maturity goals
Provide technical guidance on testing best practices to USCIS development teams
Design and implement automated test frameworks integrated into CI/CD pipelines
Build reusable, maintainable test automation scripts across multiple USCIS systems
Automate end-to-end integration testing across domains, systems, and services
Implement continuous testing to provide quick feedback on anomalies and defects
Establish automated regression test suites for critical business workflows
Create self-service testing capabilities for USCIS delivery teams
Optimize test execution time and resource utilization in pipeline environments
Design and execute end-to-end integration tests across multiple USCIS systems
Verify form types, business workflows, and cross-system data flows
Collaborate with development teams to ensure code testability
Perform early identification of product defects and quality issues
Coordinate test data management strategies across environments
Validate system integrations with external DHS and federal systems
Design and execute performance testing for USCIS systems handling millions of transactions
Conduct load testing, stress testing, and scalability assessments
Identify performance bottlenecks in applications, databases, and infrastructure
Establish performance benchmarks and service level objectives (SLOs)
Implement continuous performance testing in CI/CD pipelines
Provide diagnostic analysis and recommendations for performance optimization
Verify cross-system compatibility within USCIS enterprise architecture
Test API integrations and data exchange between USCIS systems
Validate compatibility across browsers, devices, and operating systems
Ensure proper functioning of microservices and containerized applications
Test against approved DHS/USCIS technology stack components
Coordinate testing for multi-system business initiatives
Select, implement, and maintain automated testing tools and frameworks
Evaluate and integrate commercial and open-source testing solutions
Build custom test harnesses for complex USCIS business logic
Implement behavior-driven development (BDD) and test-driven development (TDD) practices
Establish test reporting and analytics dashboards
Integrate test management tools with USCIS enterprise platforms
Establish quality metrics and KPIs for USCIS products and portfolios
Implement automated reporting on test coverage, defect density, and pass rates
Provide continuous feedback to delivery teams on quality trends
Track technical debt and quality degradation indicators
Present quality status and risk assessments to USCIS stakeholders
Support data-driven decision making for release readiness
Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with USCIS business stakeholders
Facilitate product demonstrations to internal and external end-user communities
Manage feedback collection and defect tracking from end-user testing
Validate business value delivery through testing with actual users
Support USCIS field office and service center testing activities
Work closely with DevSecOps, Security, and Development teams
Participate in Agile ceremonies and sprint planning activities
Identify and eliminate testing bottlenecks in delivery pipelines
Champion shift-left testing practices and early quality integration
Promote test automation culture and upskilling across USCIS teams
Contribute to continuous improvement of USCIS SDLC processes