Senior SDET / QA Automation Engineer

Eccalon LLC; Hanover (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extensive benefits package

Job summary

Eccalon is seeking a Senior SDET / QA Automation Engineer to build and own automated testing strategy across web apps and backend services supporting DoD, Intelligence, and enterprise programs. You will design and maintain robust test frameworks, integrate quality gates into CI/CD pipelines, and ensure reliability of systems in regulated environments.

This is a hands-on senior role collaborating with software engineers, DevOps, and product teams to shift quality left and keep mission-critical

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of SDET/QA automation experience.
• Proficiency with Playwright or Cypress for end-to-end UI testing.
• Strong API testing using Postman and REST Assured.
• Solid JS/TS and/or Python programming skills.
• Experience integrating automation into CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with AWS services and testing auth flows.
• Ability to work independently and communicate risk clearly.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain end-to-end UI automation frameworks.
• Develop API and backend test suites and validate authentication flows.
• Write clean test code and enforce standards via reviews.
• Integrate test suites into GitLab CI/CD and monitor quality gates.
• Mentor engineers on best practices and maintain test docs and traceability.

Skills

SDET experience

Test automation

API testing

CI/CD integration

Programming (JS/TS or Python)

REST/JSON understanding

Independent work

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Playwright

Cypress

Postman

REST Assured

GitLab CI/CD

Jenkins

Newman

AWS services (Cognito, RDS, DynamoDB)

Job description

EOE Statement Eccalon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

EEO is the law.

Category

Test Engineer

Description

Job Description

Eccalon is seeking a Senior SDET / QA Automation Engineer to build and own the automated testing strategy across our web applications and backend services supporting DoD, Intelligence, and enterprise programs. You will design and maintain robust test frameworks, integrate quality gates into CI/CD pipelines, and ensure the reliability of systems operating in regulated, compliance-driven environments. This is a hands-on senior role with broad visibility across the full engineering stack - working directly with software engineers, DevOps, and product teams to shift quality left and keep mission-critical software shipping with confidence.

Responsibilities

• Test Automation & Framework Development
  • Design, build, and maintain end-to-end UI automation frameworks using Playwright and/or Cypress across multiple web applications (e.g., lynxconnect.io, eccalon.com).
  • Develop and maintain API and backend test suites using Postman collections and REST Assured; validate authentication flows, data integrity, and service contracts.
  • Write clean, maintainable test code in Python and/or JavaScript/TypeScript; enforce consistent standards through code reviews and shared libraries.
  • Build reusable test utilities, fixtures, and data factories that reduce test setup overhead and improve suite reliability.
• CI/CD Integration & Quality Gates
  • Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI/CD) to enforce quality gates on every pull request and deployment.
  • Configure and maintain synthetic monitoring scripts (e.g., Playwright-based uptime checks) for production applications; triage and resolve false positives.
  • Define and track test coverage metrics, pass rates, and flakiness trends; report quality signals to engineering leadership.
• API & Backend Testing
  • Validate REST APIs against specifications; test authentication and authorization flows including OAuth2, SAML, OIDC, and JIT provisioning patterns.
  • Develop data-driven test scenarios against AWS-hosted services (RDS/PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, Cognito) and Azure-backed platforms (GCC High).
  • Collaborate with backend engineers to identify testability gaps in service design and recommend interface contracts that support automation.
• Cross-functional Collaboration & Quality Strategy
  • Partner with DevOps, software engineering, and IT teams to embed testing earlier in the development lifecycle; contribute to definition-of-done criteria.
  • Serve as the quality subject matter expert on the team—mentoring engineers on test best practices, automation patterns, and tooling selection.
  • Maintain test documentation, test plans, and traceability matrices that satisfy compliance audit and ATO evidence requirements.
  • Evaluate and recommend improvements to the overall QA toolchain and processes as applications and team scale.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field—or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in software development engineering in test (SDET), QA automation, or a related discipline.
• Hands-on proficiency with Playwright and/or Cypress for end-to-end UI test automation.
• Strong API testing skills using Postman (including collections, environments, and Newman for CI execution) and/or REST Assured.
• Solid programming skills in JavaScript/TypeScript and/or Python; ability to write production-quality test code, not just record-and-playback scripts.
• Experience integrating test automation into CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI/CD, or Jenkins).
• Familiarity with AWS services (Cognito, RDS, DynamoDB, CloudWatch) and how they factor into end-to-end test design.
• Experience testing authentication and authorization flows (OAuth2, SAML, OIDC, MFA).
• Strong understanding of HTTP, REST, JSON, and web application architecture.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize across multiple projects, and communicate quality risk clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with synthetic monitoring and uptime automation (e.g., Playwright-based health checks, Pingdom scripting).
• Familiarity with NIST 800-171, CMMC, or FedRAMP testing and traceability requirements.
• Experience testing applications hosted on Azure GCC High or AWS GovCloud environments.
• Background in performance or load testing (k6, JMeter, or Locust).
• Experience with accessibility testing (WCAG 2.1, 508 compliance) and security-focused test cases (OWASP Top 10 validation).
• ISTQB certification or equivalent QA/testing credential.

Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time

Exempt/Non-Exempt Exempt

About the Organization

Eccalon provides global solutions to the most challenging technological issues of the 21st-century, and our evolving portfolio spans five major markets: Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Aerospace & Defense, Material Sciences, Advance Manufacturing, Sports Science, Biotechnology, and Health & Life Sciences.

Why Join Us?

Eccalon's Executives foster a supportive work environment allowing our teams to thrive, and have a fierce dedication to innovation, security, and people. Our culture is built on inclusion, teamwork, trust, and we are committed to offering career advancement opportunities to all employees. Encouraging a healthy and balanced life, we offer an extensive benefits package to support the wellness of our employees and their families. You will be joining a team of innovators, working with cutting edge technologies, supporting mission critical projects, and making an impact.

This position is currently accepting applications.

Senior SDET / QA Automation Engineer On-site in Detroit, MI