Lead Software Quality Assurance (QA) Automation Engineer

Peraton; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days PTO

Bonus plan eligibility

Job summary

Peraton is seeking a Lead Software Quality Assurance Automation Engineer to drive automation strategy for mission-critical satellite ground systems. You will design scalable Cypress-based frameworks, validate complex microservices, and lead QA efforts across cross-functional teams in a high-security environment.

You will also own CI/CD integration with Jenkins and GitLab CI, oversee test data reliability in Postgres/MySQL, and mentor engineers while engaging with government stakeholders to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Associates/Master's degree with significant experience in software testing and SDLC.
• 5+ years supporting large government programs in software testing or related leadership roles.
• Minimum Secret clearance with ability to upgrade to TS/SCI and maintain it.
• Proven hands-on experience building and scaling automated test frameworks (Cypress/JS/TS).
• Experience testing REST APIs and working with RDBMS (Postgres, MySQL).
• Strong Linux operational skills, scripting (Python/Bash), and CI/CD integration.

Responsibilities

• Architect and evolve scalable automated testing frameworks using Cypress/JS/TS for complex web interfaces and APIs.
• Provide technical leadership, define automation strategies, and guide Agile/SAFe execution.
• Develop, run, and maintain automated regression and functional test suites; drive root-cause analysis and quality improvements.
• Oversee test data governance across Postgres/MySQL and ensure data reliability for large-scale development.
• Perform deep-dive system analysis in Linux, guide junior engineers, and troubleshoot distributed apps.
• Lead formal test reviews and present results to government stakeholders with clear justification.

Skills

Technical leadership

Automation strategy

Systems thinking

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Associates degree + 14+ years OR Bachelor's + 12+ OR Master's + 10+ years

Tools

Cypress

Playwright

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Kubernetes

Postgres

MySQL

Docker

Kafka

ActiveMQ

Job description

Lead Software Quality Assurance (QA) Automation Engineer

Job Locations

US-CO-Colorado Springs | US-VA-Arlington | US-CA-Seal Beach

Requisition ID: 2026-169250

Position Category: Information Technology

Clearance: Top Secret/SCI

Responsibilities

Peraton is delivering advanced mission planning, digital engineering, and commandandcontrol capabilities supporting the U.S. Government's space communications enterprise. Our team uses modern MBSE practices to translate mission needs into precise, traceable, and verifiable technical requirements across a complex, multisystem environment.

As a Lead Software Quality Assurance (QA) Automation Engineer, you will play a critical role in ensuring the reliability, performance, and security of core platform services that enable scalable, resilient satellite ground communications and datatransport capabilities. You will design and maintain automated testing frameworks, validate complex web interfaces and microservices, and drive quality assurance practices that uphold missioncritical standards for U.S. Government systems. In this role, you will lead automation strategy, collaborate closely with crossfunctional engineering teams, and ensure test solutions align with system requirements, technical objectives, and program compliance expectations.

This position may be supported from any of the following locations: Colorado Springs, CO; Arlington, VA; or Seal Beach, CA.

What You'll Do

• Architect, design, and evolve scalable automated testing frameworks using Cypress (JavaScript/TypeScript) to validate complex web interfaces, microservices/APIs, and endtoend system workflows essential to mission operations.
• Provide technical leadership to the QA automation team, defining automation strategies, establishing robust test procedures, and shaping bestpractice approaches to Agile/SAFe execution.
• Lead the development, compilation, and execution of automated regression and functional test suites, ensuring consistent delivery of highquality software across multiple integrated subsystems. Drive defect management activities in Jira with a focus on rootcause identification and longterm quality improvement.
• Oversee the design, maintenance, and governance of test control databases (Postgres, MySQL), ensuring highconfidence data sets, accuracy, and proper distribution of test data supporting enterprisescale development and integration efforts.
• Perform advanced system analysis in Linux environments-conducting deepdive log reviews, troubleshooting distributed applications, running diagnostics, and guiding junior engineers through complex debugging scenarios.
• Lead formal test reviews and customer-facing discussions, clearly presenting acceptance criteria, test results, and technical rationale to government stakeholders while addressing highpriority concerns with confidence.
• Own the integration of Cypress automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI) across AWS cloud and containerized environments, optimizing pipeline performance, reliability, headless execution, and parallelization strategies.
• Collaborate at a technical lead level with developers, system engineers, analysts, and mission specialists to influence requirement definition, shaping testability considerations early in the lifecycle and mitigating architectural risks.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Associates degree and 14+ years of experience; OR bachelor's degree and 12+ years of experience; OR master's degree and 10+ years of experience. Additional four (4) years of relevant experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 5+ years supporting large government programs in software testing, development, or management roles with a strong understanding of software testing methodologies and the full software development life cycle (SDLC).
• This position requires the candidate possess a minimum of Secret clearance with ability to upgrade to TS/SCI. The candidate must maintain the clearance.
• Proven experience in a technical lead or software engineering leadership role.
• Proven hands on experience creating, maintaining, and scaling automated test frameworks using Cypress and JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Demonstrated experience in the space domain industry (e.g., satellite systems, ground control, space related data).
• Experience working with Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) like Postgres or MySQL.
• Experience testing REST APIs.
• Strong operational experience in Linux environments, including command line navigation, file manipulation, script execution, and log analysis.
• Automation Frameworks: Hands on experience with Cypress and Playwright for end to end testing.
• Scripting and Languages: Strong scripting capabilities in Python and Bash.
• Test Frameworks: Proficiency in PyTest and JUnit.
• Infrastructure and Containerization: Practical experience working within Kubernetes environments.
• Messaging and Data Flow: Familiarity with message buses (e.g., Kafka, ActiveMQ) to test event driven architectures.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Hands on experience with Cypress advanced features (e.g., API testing via cy.request(), custom commands, fixture management, and Cypress Cloud/Dashboard integration).
• Experience testing microservices architectures (Docker focused) and cloud platforms like AWS (e.g., S3, Amazon RDS).
• Hands on experience with tools such as Jira, Jenkins, GitLab, and Ansible.
• Demonstrated ability supporting unit, system, interface, integration, and verification testing events.
• CompTIA Security+ or other IA certification in accordance with DoD 8570 01.M (IAT/IAM levels).
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with experience supporting customer facing test events and requirement sell off activities.
• SAFe Agilist (or equivalent Agile certification).

Benefits:

• Peraton offers enhanced benefits to employees working on this critical National Security program, which include heavily subsidized employee benefits coverage for you and your dependents, 25 days of PTO accrued annually up to a generous PTO cap and eligible to participate in an attractive bonus plan

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

$135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.