Senior Software Development Engineer in Test - AI Tooling & Automation

Salesforce; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 148,500 - 223,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time off programs

Medical, dental, vision

Mental health support

Paid parental leave

Employee stock purchasing program

Job summary

Salesforce is seeking a Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS) to lead quality assurance efforts in AI-driven solutions. This role involves designing AI-first testing frameworks and collaborating with various teams to ensure high-quality software delivery.

The ideal candidate will have strong Java skills, experience with Large Language Models, and a proven track record in fast-paced environments. Benefits include comprehensive health coverage, parental leave, and an equitable compensation package.

Qualifications

• Strong technical fundamentals of Java, particularly in data structures and algorithms.
• Hands-on experience evaluating Large Language Models (LLMs) for quality response.
• Proven track record of delivering automation solutions in a fast-paced CI/CD environment.
• Excellent communication skills to work cross-functionally with product managers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to identify quality gaps.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, AI-first testing frameworks and automation suites.
• Translate high-level quality strategies into actionable automation plans.
• Dig deep into the application code to understand system architecture and perform white-box testing.
• Implement and support evaluation processes for AI features' subjective quality dimensions.
• Partner closely with developers and product managers to ensure quality integration.

Skills

Strong Java skills

AI/LLM validation mindset

Agile delivery at pace

Collaboration & communication

Problem-solving & analytical skills

Tools

AWS/Azure/GCP

Job description

Job Title

Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS)

Job Category

Software Engineering

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.

We are infusing AI into every aspect of our software engineering. While AI is writing the code, validation is what needs to be done to meet enterprise quality. We are looking for an enthusiastic Senior engineer who follows the AI‑first approach to build and maintain validation of the code and ensure it is production‑ready for our customers. This individual will work on Product‑Led Growth within the Self‑Service and Growth organization, focused on helping new customers self‑service and get started with Salesforce with a prescriptive out‑of‑the‑box experience that shortens time to value across the entire Customer 360 of Marketing, Sales, Service, and Commerce. The Product‑Led Growth team is currently focused on exciting initiatives including Onboarding Workflows, Agentic Getting Started, and Slack UI. This engineer should have an AI‑first approach and be able to help the team translate from traditional testing to using AI in driving acceleration and accuracy in testing and be a multiplier using AI tools. Prior experience working with agentic products is a plus.

As a quality SMTS, you will play a key role in defining, implementing, and maintaining the quality strategy for Product‑Led Growth. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including product development and AI teams, to ensure that Salesforce’s AI‑driven solutions meet the highest quality standards for enterprise applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive Innovation & Adoption: Design, build, and maintain scalable, AI‑first testing frameworks and automation suites to validate complex PLG workflows and agentic capabilities.
• Execute Quality Strategies: Translate high‑level quality strategies into actionable automation plans, focusing heavily on validating LLM integrations, prompt accuracy, and deterministic system behaviors.
• Hands‑on Code Quality & White‑Boxing: Dig deep into the application code to understand system architecture, identify quality gaps, perform white‑box testing, and actively contribute to fixing code and test flakiness.
• Human‑in‑the‑Loop & Model Evaluation: Implement and support evaluation processes for subjective quality dimensions of our AI features, including response relevance, user safety, and contextual accuracy.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with developers, product managers, and engineers within the PLG ecosystem to ensure quality is integrated early and continuously throughout the agile delivery lifecycle.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Strong Java skills: Strong technical fundamentals of Java, particularly in data structures and algorithms.
• AI/LLM validation mindset: Hands‑on experience evaluating Large Language Models (LLMs) for quality response, including familiarity with GPT‑like models and AI evaluation frameworks is a big plus.
• Agile delivery at pace: Proven track record of delivering automation solutions in a fast‑paced CI/CD environment, supporting rapid deployment schedules without compromising quality.
• Collaboration & communication: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work cross‑functionally with product managers, engineers, AI/ML engineers, and data scientists.
• Problem‑solving & analytical skills: Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities with a focus on identifying quality gaps and driving improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• A software engineer with a strong coding background and understanding of delivering software at pace in agentic PDLC.
• Strong experience with white‑box testing and fixing code is a huge plus.
• Experience working with public cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP) and/or foundational knowledge of the Salesforce platform (Salesforce Certifications are a plus).
• Prior experience testing autonomous agents, conversational UIs, or generative AI workflows.

Accommodations

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.

Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non‑discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.

Benefits

Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at https://www.salesforcebenefits.com. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions. The typical base salary range for this position is $148,500 - $223,900 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $178,900 - $246,000 annually. The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.