Lead Test Engineer

Amentum; Dahlgren (VA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Amentum is seeking a Lead Test Engineer in Dahlgren, VA to lead software testing for mission-critical systems on the SLCM-N program. You will guide testing activities in a highly collaborative, cross-functional Agile team and ensure quality across the development lifecycle.

The role requires facilitating automated testing, test strategy development, and strong leadership of a testing team, with experience in DoD/weapon systems and secure environments.

Qualifications

• BS degree or 5 years of demonstrated testing expertise in lieu of degree.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain comprehensive software test strategies and plans.
• Develop, review, and execute test scenarios, cases, scripts, and data.
• Lead testing activities across multiple levels (exploratory, system, integration, unit, end-to-end).
• Promote Test-Driven Development (TDD) in an Agile environment.
• Evaluate and implement test automation tools and frameworks.
• Manage the test team: assign tasks, set priorities, mentor, train.
• Review artifacts for quality and traceability.
• Track defects and coordinate resolution with development teams.
• Report metrics on test coverage, defects, automation, and team utilization.
• Collaborate with sponsors, end users, contractors, developers, and engineers.
• Provide technical leadership and resolve complex testing issues.

Skills

Test engineering

Agile

DevSecOps

Automation testing

Test data management

Education

Bachelor of Science degree

5 years testing experience (in lieu of degree)

DoD/weapon system testing knowledge

Tools

DOORS

Jira

Confluence

Docker

OpenShift

GitLab/Jenkins

Azure DevOps

Job description

Amentum is seeking a Lead Test Engineer to support a large-scale Agile software development team for the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile–Nuclear (SLCM-N) Program in Dahlgren, VA. This position will lead software testing activities for mission-critical systems and work within a highly collaborative, cross-functional environment utilizing Agile and DevSecOps methodologies.

The Lead Test Engineer will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive testing strategies, managing test activities and personnel, supporting automated testing, and ensuring software quality throughout the development lifecycle.

Lead Test Engineer Responsibilities Include:

• Develop and maintain comprehensive software test strategies and test plans, including objectives, scope, schedules, test levels, techniques, environments, deliverables, resources, and execution requirements.
• Develop, review, and execute test scenarios, test cases, test scripts, and test data to validate software functionality and requirements.
• Lead testing activities across multiple levels, including exploratory, system, integration, unit, end-to-end, contract, security, and performance testing.
• Promote and support Test-Driven Development (TDD) practices within an Agile software development environment.
• Evaluate and implement test automation tools and develop and maintain automated test scripts and frameworks.
• Support testing tools and technologies including JUnit/Jest, JaCoCo, Graphene/Selenium, JMeter, Burp Suite, JavaScript, Jira Requirements & Management, and Jira X-Ray.
• Manage the test team by assigning tasks, establishing priorities, monitoring progress, and providing technical guidance, mentoring, and training.
• Review test artifacts for quality, consistency, completeness, and adherence to established test strategies and plans.
• Track and manage software defects, coordinate defect resolution with development teams, and monitor key test-performance indicators.
• Maintain test traceability and report metrics such as test coverage, defect density, execution rate, defect resolution time, defect leakage, automation rate, test-case effectiveness, and team utilization.
• Analyze test results and prepare comprehensive reports for Program Test & Evaluation Management (PTEM) and Release Readiness Reviews.
• Continuously evaluate testing processes and implement improvements to enhance software quality and testing efficiency.
• Collaborate with program stakeholders, including sponsors, end users, contractors, software developers, and engineering personnel.
• Provide technical leadership and support resolution of complex software testing and engineering issues.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from an accredited college or university in an engineering, scientific, or technical discipline, or five (5) years of demonstrated and established knowledge and subject‑matter testing expertise in lieu of the degree.
• Five (5) years of software engineering experience supporting a real‑time, software‑intensive weapon system, command system, or intelligence system, including software requirements definition activities.
• Three (3) years of specialized experience in areas such as software engineering, requirements analysis, design tradeoff studies, structured requirements analysis, software requirements definition, engineering analysis, or software specification development.
• Experience developing specifications for weapon systems using requirements‑management tools such as DOORS (Dynamic Object‑Oriented Requirements System).
• Experience with software engineering activities including analysis, requirements, design, code, and testing.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to software development efforts involving distributed systems such as databases, application servers, and web front ends.
• Ability to lead a critical technical area, prioritize multiple tasks and resources, solve technical problems, and work effectively within a dynamic, self‑organizing team.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain a Secret security clearance. Note: U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Test Lead experience supporting NAVSEA systems.
• Experience with large‑scale Agile software development and DevSecOps environments.
• Experience with virtualized or containerized infrastructure, including Docker, Red Hat OpenShift, vSphere, TFS/Azure DevOps Server, or similar technologies.
• Experience with microservice architectures and CI/CD pipelines, including GitLab or Jenkins.
• Experience with collaborative development tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira, and Confluence.
• Top Secret security clearance.

Compensation Details:

$150000

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good‑faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview:

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)
• Educational reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tax‑saving options
• Disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara‑O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.

Original Posting:

10/05/2026 - Until Filled

Amentum anticipates this job requisition will remain open for at least three days, with a closing date no earlier than three days after the original posting. This timeline may change based on business needs.

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low‑income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law. Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.