Software Development Engineer in Test

Plaud Inc.; East Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 114,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Equity

Top-spec laptops

Job summary

Plaud Inc. is seeking a Software Engineer in Test (SDET) to build quality engineering from the ground up.

You will own test automation across consumer and enterprise platforms, embedding quality into the SDLC and shipping with confidence. This engineering role emphasizes building robust automation, exploring AI/LLM-assisted testing, and driving release readiness for both D2C and enterprise products in a fast-moving, outcome-driven environment.

Qualifications

• 6+ yrs in software testing with an automation focus.
• Proficiency in Playwright for web end-to-end testing.
• Test code in Python or Typescript.
• API testing experience.
• CI/CD integration experience.
• Experience in an agile product/engineering team.
• Curiosity about AI/LLM tools applied to testing.
• Ramps up fast with curiosity and product obsession.

Responsibilities

• Own test automation across Plaud's consumer and enterprise platforms.
• Embed quality into the SDLC and drive a culture of ship‑with‑confidence.
• Build end‑to‑end automation framework for plaud.ai and related products.
• Integrate tests into CI/CD for continuous feedback.
• Pioneer AI/agent‑based testing techniques to scale coverage.
• Shift testing left and define acceptance criteria with PMs/engineers.
• Define and track quality metrics and report release readiness.
• Lead release sign-off for major launches.
• Perform manual testing during initial automation rollout.

Skills

Automation focus

SDET experience

Agile teamwork

AI/LLM curiosity

Self-driven

Tools

Playwright

Python

Typescript

CI/CD

API testing

Job description

About Plaud Inc.Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance, loved by over 2,500,000 users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud captures, structures, and compounds the intelligence generated in conversations — so humans can think better, decide faster, and execute with clarity.

About Plaud Inc.Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance, loved by over 2,500,000 users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud captures, structures, and compounds the intelligence generated in conversations — so humans can think better, decide faster, and execute with clarity.
Plaud Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-based company pushing the boundary of human–AI intelligence through a hardware–software combination. With full ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, GDPR, EN18031, and HIPAA compliances, Plaud is committed to the highest standards of data security and privacy protection.
To learn more about Plaud, please visit https://www.plaud.ai and follow along on Instagram, X, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube

Why You Should Join Us

Plaud is building the next generation intelligence infrastructure and interfaces to capture, extract, and utilize intelligence from what people say, hear, see, and think.

• Plaud is a bootstrapped, skyrocketing, profitable company with a $300M revenue run rate achieved in just three years.
• Define the next-gen paradigm for human-AI interaction.
• Gain exposure to cutting-edge AI for Pro tools and play a direct role in our global expansion.
• Work with passionate teammates who value innovation, collaboration, and customer success.
• Grow your career in a culture that champions continuous learning and fast career development.
• Market-competitive compensation, global exposure, and a vibrant, creativity-fueled work atmosphere.
  

What You Will Do

About the Role

• We're looking for a Software Engineer in Test (SDET) to build our quality engineering function from the ground up. You'll own test automation across our consumer and enterprise platforms, embed quality into every stage of the development process, and help build a culture where engineers ship with confidence. This is an engineering role first. We expect you to build, not just test.
• Build the Test Automation Platform
  

Build an end-to-end automation framework covering Plaud's D2C consumer platform (plaud.ai, web.plaud.com) and B2B Teams product. Integrate tests into CI/CD for continuous feedback. You'll also pioneer the use of AI-agentic tools — LLM-driven test generation, agent-based exploratory testing — to scale coverage in ways traditional approaches can't.

• Shift Testing Left Embed into the SDLC from day one — review requirements, define acceptance criteria, and flag testability gaps before code is written. Partner with PMs and engineers so quality is a design input, not an afterthought.
• Evangelize a Quality-First Engineering Culture Be the voice of quality in planning, sprint reviews, and design discussions. Coach engineers on writing testable code and owning quality in their own work. Make quality visible across the team.
• Define and Track Quality Metrics
  

Own key KPIs: test coverage, defect escape rate, regression pass rate. Report quality health to engineering leadership and build dashboards that give the team real-time release readiness visibility.

• Own the Release Quality Bar
  

Be the go/no-go voice on release readiness. Lead release sign-off for major launches across consumer and enterprise products.

• Manual Testing (Short-Term)
  

For the first 3–6 months while the automation framework is being built, cover critical user flows manually and write clear, reproducible bug reports.

Required

Skills, qualifications and experience we look for

• 6+ yrs in software testing with a strong automation focus
• Proficiency in Playwright for web e2e testing
• test code in Python or Typescript
• API testing experience
• CI/CD integration
• Expeirence working in an agile product/engineering team
• Curiosity about or early experience with AI/LLM tools applied to testing
• Ramps up fast - curious, self-directred, product-obssessed
  

Preferred

Subscription billing, D2C platform, or enterprise SaaS experience

What We Offer

• Meaningful Ownership An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that gives a real stake in Plaud’s long-term success.
• Competitive Compensation $114K-176K base salary+performance bonus+Equity.
• High-Impact Environment Work in a fast-moving, product-driven environment where your ideas directly shape the future of AI productivity.
• Cutting-Edge AI Tools for Productivity Access to best-in-class AI tools, including Cursor, GPT models, Gemini, Claude, and other frontier AI systems to maximize engineering and execution efficiency.
• Best-in-Class Equipment Choice of top-spec laptops, high-performance workstation setups, and cutting-edge Plaud devices for all new hires.
• Team & Culture Annual company offsites, team events, and a culture that values craftsmanship, ownership, and velocity.