Quality Assurance Tester 1 - TS clearance required to apply - Washington DC area

Bow Wave LLC; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Bow Wave LLC is seeking a Junior QA tester to help design and execute functional tests for Pega applications and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure quality throughout the SDLC.

You will translate requirements into test steps, maintain regression artifacts, and participate in Agile ceremonies to support sprint testing efforts. Prior internship or coursework in QA is valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent.
• Foundational QA knowledge and ability to create test cases and report defects.
• Able to translate user stories into test steps and acceptance criteria.
• Familiarity with Agile (Scrum/Kanban) processes.
• Good written and verbal communication, and documentation skills.
• Experience with or knowledge of Jira or Azure DevOps.

Responsibilities

• Support design and execution of functional test cases for Pega applications.
• Collaborate with developers, business analysts, and QA to understand requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Validate system functionality against documented requirements.
• Identify and document defects, coordinate resolution with engineering.
• Assist with test planning and estimating testing effort.
• Maintain regression test cases, results, and checklists.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and support testing in sprints.
• Promote quality standards across the SDLC.
• Review test results and flag risks or issues to seniors.

Skills

Pega testing concepts

QA principles

Read requirements to test steps

Agile methodologies

Communication & documentation

Test management tools

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

Job description

Education: Bachelors Degree

Responsibilities (Junior / 0–1 YOE)

• Support the design and execution of functional test cases for Pega applications by following established testing guidelines and workflows.
• Work closely with developers, business analysts, and senior QA team members to understand requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Assist with validating system functionality against documented requirements to ensure expected behavior.
• Help identify and document defects clearly, and collaborate with engineering teams to follow up on resolutions.
• Participate in test planning activities by providing input on test scope and helping estimate testing effort under guidance.
• Maintain and update test documentation such as regression test cases, test results, and testing checklists.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies (stand ups, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives) and support testing activities throughout each sprint.
• Collaborate with cross functional teams to promote quality standards across the SDLC.
• Review and analyze test results, raising potential risks or issues to senior QA team members for further evaluation.

Required Skills & Experience

• 0-1 Years of Professional Experience
• Exposure to or foundational understanding of Pega testing concepts or Pega functional testing tools (coursework, training, or internship experience acceptable).
• Basic understanding of Quality Assurance principles such as test case creation, defect reporting, and regression testing.
• Ability to read and interpret requirements or user stories and translate them into simple, clear test steps.
• Familiarity with Agile ways of working (Scrum or Kanban) through coursework, internships, or previous roles.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to describe issues and testing outcomes clearly.
• Experience with or knowledge of common test management or defect tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps).

Bonus / Preferred Qualifications

• Pega certification (CSA, CSSA, or other entry level certifications).
• Exposure to automated testing tools for Pega (e.g., PegaUnit, Selenium for Pega UI) through coursework or hands on learning.
• Familiarity with Agile focused testing methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, hybrid environments).
• Interest in or basic exposure to test automation or hybrid testing frameworks.
• Awareness of CI/CD concepts and how testing fits into automated pipelines.