Prin. Software Test Architect (Contingent)

Prattwhitney; Aurora (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

3 weeks vacation

401(k) plan with employer match

Tuition reimbursement program

Life and disability coverage

Flexible working arrangements

Relocation assistance

Job summary

RTX is seeking an experienced software quality engineer to architect and maintain automated test frameworks for cloud-native, microservice-based applications deployed in Kubernetes. The role emphasizes integrating security gates in CI/CD pipelines and driving resilience across distributed systems.

You will collaborate with software engineering, DevOps, SRE, security, and product teams to ensure architecture-aligned testing and long-term reliability improvements across feature work and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience architecting test strategies and automated test frameworks for cloud-native, microservice-based applications.
• Strong proficiency with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and testing distributed systems deployed in modern CI/CD environments.
• Ability to design scalable, maintainable test solutions aligned with engineering architecture, coding standards, and secure development workflows.
• Expertise in validating security requirements, enforcing security gates in CI/CD pipelines, and ensuring compliance with DevSecOps best practices.
• Demonstrated success driving code quality through automated testing, continuous integration, API validation, and contract-testing patterns.
• Proficiency with observability and distributed tracing tools to evaluate system behavior, resiliency, and performance (Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, OpenSearch, etc.).
• Experience supporting both new feature development and sustainment activities, ensuring test coverage remains aligned with product priorities and architectural direction.
• Strong communication skills to clearly convey system risks, testing strategies, and quality metrics to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Architect, maintain, and optimize automated test frameworks for cloud-native applications running in Kubernetes environments.
• Design and implement automated testing across CI/CD pipelines, including integration, regression, API, contract, performance, and security testing.
• Integrate security, resiliency, and quality controls directly into the pipeline to support secure and reliable software delivery.
• Collaborate daily with software engineering, DevOps, SRE, security, and product teams to ensure alignment with architecture and product objectives.
• Use observability and distributed tracing tools to validate system behavior and diagnose issues within microservices and distributed systems.
• Identify systemic quality gaps, lead root-cause analysis, and drive long-term improvements in reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Support both sustainment and new feature development by ensuring test coverage evolves with changing architecture and requirements.

Skills

Test architecture

Kubernetes

CI/CD security

Distributed testing

Observability tools

Contract testing

API validation

Root-cause analysis

Communication

Education

STEM advanced degree

Tools

Prometheus

Grafana

Jaeger

OpenSearch

Job description

What You Will Do

• Architect, maintain, and optimize automated test frameworks for cloud‑native applications running in Kubernetes environments.
• Design and implement automated testing across CI/CD pipelines, including integration, regression, API, contract, performance, and security testing.
• Integrate security, resiliency, and quality controls directly into the pipeline to support secure and reliable software delivery.
• Collaborate daily with software engineering, DevOps, SRE, security, and product teams to ensure alignment with architecture and product objectives.
• Use observability and distributed tracing tools to validate system behavior and diagnose issues within microservices and distributed systems.
• Identify systemic quality gaps, lead root‑cause analysis, and drive long‑term improvements in reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Support both sustainment and new feature development by ensuring test coverage evolves with changing architecture and requirements.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience architecting test strategies and automated test frameworks for cloud‑native, microservice‑based applications.
• Strong proficiency with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and testing distributed systems deployed in modern CI/CD environments.
• Ability to design scalable, maintainable test solutions aligned with engineering architecture, coding standards, and secure development workflows.
• Expertise in validating security requirements, enforcing security gates in CI/CD pipelines, and ensuring compliance with DevSecOps best practices.
• Demonstrated success driving code quality through automated testing, continuous integration, API validation, and contract‑testing patterns.
• Proficiency with observability and distributed tracing tools to evaluate system behavior, resiliency, and performance (Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, OpenSearch, etc.).
• Experience supporting both new feature development and sustainment activities, ensuring test coverage remains aligned with product priorities and architectural direction.
• Strong communication skills to clearly convey system risks, testing strategies, and quality metrics to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Minimum eight years relevant experience (or a STEM advanced degree with six years experience). Paid background check and security clearance is required: active TS/SCI‑Current clearance; U.S. citizenship is mandatory.

Benefits

• Competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees.
• Generous 401(k) plan with employer match and separate retirement contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement program and student loan repayment program.
• Life and disability coverage with optional additional insurance.
• Flexible working arrangements and relocation assistance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class.