Lead Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. Company; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. Company is seeking a Lead Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to design, build, and maintain scalable automation solutions.

The role partners with engineering, product, and DevOps to improve test strategy and increase automation coverage using AI-powered tools. The ideal candidate will drive quality earlier in the lifecycle, mentor peers, and contribute to test data and utilities while ensuring robust test environments and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software quality engineering or SDET roles.
• Strong programming in Java, Python, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Hands-on with automation frameworks and scalable test suites.
• Experience with APIs, services, and web apps.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks for UI, API, integration, and regression testing.
• Create scalable, reusable, and maintainable test automation solutions.
• Partner with developers and product teams to define acceptance criteria and test strategies.
• Analyze product requirements and translate into effective test coverage.
• Use AI tools to generate and refine automated test cases.
• Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines.
• Identify gaps in test coverage and propose improvements.

Job description

Overview

Collaborative. Respectful. A place to dream and do. These are just a few words that describe what life is like at Toyota. As one of the world's most admired brands, Toyota is growing and leading the future of mobility through innovative, high-quality solutions designed to enhance lives and delight those we serve. We're looking for talented team members who want to Dream. Do. Grow. with us.

An important part of the Toyota family is Toyota Financial Services (TFS), the finance and insurance brand for Toyota and Lexus in North America. While TFS is a separate business entity, it is an essential part of this world-changing company- delivering on Toyota's vision to move people beyond what's possible. At TFS, you will help create best-in‑class customer experience in an innovative, collaborative environment.

Toyota does not offer support or sponsorship of job applicants for employment‑based visas or any other work authorization for this role now or in the future. You must have the right to work in the United States and not require Toyota support or sponsorship for immigration‑related employment (e.g., H‑1B, O‑1, E‑3, H‑1B1, TN, F‑1 OPT, F‑1 STEM OPT, F‑1 CPT, 'job flexibility benefits' [also known as I‑140 or Adjustment of Status portability], etc.) now or in the future. You should not apply for this role if you will require Toyota to assist with immigration support or sponsorship now or in the future.

Who we're looking for

We are seeking a Lead Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to join our team as an individual contributor. In this role, you will design, build, and maintain scalable test automation frameworks and quality engineering solutions that enable rapid, reliable delivery of software. You will partner closely with engineering, product, and DevOps teams to improve test strategy, increase automation coverage, and shift quality earlier in the development lifecycle.

A key part of this role is the ability to leverage AI‑powered development tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude Code to accelerate test case generation, automate repetitive testing tasks, and build high‑quality test data and utilities more efficiently.

What you'll be doing

• Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks for UI, API, integration, and regression testing.
• Create scalable, reusable, and maintainable test automation solutions.
• Partner with developers and product teams to define acceptance criteria and test strategies.
• Analyze product requirements and translate them into effective test coverage.
• Use AI tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude Code to: generate and refine automated test cases.
• Accelerate scripting and framework development.
• Create synthetic or masked test data.
• Improve productivity in debugging and test maintenance.
• Build and maintain test data generation utilities and test environments.
• Integrate automation suites into CI/CD pipelines.
• Identify gaps in test coverage and recommend improvements to quality processes.
• Troubleshoot test failures and provide root‑cause analysis.
• Champion engineering best practices for quality, observability, and reliability.
• Mentor other engineers and SDETs through technical guidance and code reviews, while remaining an individual contributor.
• Contribute to quality strategy and help raise the overall bar for test automation across the team.

What you bring

• 7+ years of experience in software quality engineering, test automation, or SDET roles.
• Strong programming skills in one or more languages such as Java, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Hands‑on experience building automation frameworks and scalable test suites.
• Experience testing APIs, services and web applications.
• Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automation in modern development workflows.
• Experience with test data creation, management, and environment readiness.
• Proven ability to work independently as a senior‑level individual contributor.
• Demonstrated experience using AI coding tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or similar tools to improve automation productivity.
• Experience with Playwright/Cypress/Selenium or similar UI testing tools.
• Experience with Karate/Cucumber/REST Assured or similar API testing tools.
• Experience with Gatling/k6/jMeter/LoadRunner or similar Performance testing tools.
• Experience with cloud platforms, containerized environments, or test infrastructure.
• Strong debugging, analytical, and problem‑solving skills.

Added bonus if you have

• Familiarity with contract, chaos, event, and security testing.
• Experience in mobile applications
• Experience using AI‑assisted workflows to generate tests, refactor code, or create test utilities.
• Background in quality engineering practices such as shift‑left testing, risk‑based testing, or behavior‑driven development.

What we’ll bring

During your interview process, our team can fill you in on all the details of our industry‑leading benefits and career development opportunities. A few highlights include:

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