Software Test Engineer 2

Illumina; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Illumina is seeking an experienced Software Test Engineer II to support instrument manufacturing and NPI software development for sequencing platforms. You will perform hands-on system testing on physical instruments, design test strategies, and collaborate with Quality, Manufacturing, and Development teams to ensure product quality and reliability.

The role blends test design, exploratory testing, and troubleshooting across software, server, and hardware boundaries on current and future

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years of professional experience in software test/quality/systems integration.
• Experience with functional, integration, system and regression testing.
• Experience independently owning feature- or subsystem-level software verification.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills across software, firmware, hardware and system boundaries.
• Familiarity with defect tracking and requirements management platforms such as Jira and Jama.
• Ability to work with physical instruments in a laboratory environment.
• Familiarity with Linux and Windows OS environments and command-line tools.
• Familiarity with data management and processing via server or compute engines.
• Familiarity with production and customer network/IT setups that may impact installation/mfg processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication, willingness to learn and share knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Manufacturing floor support and troubleshoot software, server, cybersecurity, and system-level issues in production and NPI prototype development.
• Create and implement ECO changes to product and manufacturing processes and system configurations.
• Lead projects to resolve trending issues in manufacturing and the field.
• Collaborate with Quality, Manufacturing, Development, Regulatory, and Supply Chain to meet instrument manufacturing goals with compliance and security.
• Develop test strategies, plans, and test cases from product, system, and software requirements.
• Execute functional, integration, system, and regression tests for software features, server apps, and integrations on DNA sequencing instruments.
• Perform exploratory testing to identify defects, usability concerns and system-level risks.
• Own software verification activities for assigned features or subsystems including planning, execution and documentation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure software solutions meet user and system needs.
• Investigate defects and perform root-cause analysis with software, firmware, hardware, manufacturing, and systems teams.
• Work within established software development, quality and requirements management processes for regulated products.
• Participate in requirements, design and planning to identify risks and improve testability.
• Use AI-assisted tools to improve test design and workflow while ensuring data privacy and regulated-product quality.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Test design

Testing across layers

Linux

Windows

Test automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE

Tools

Jira

Jama

Job description

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

We are seeking an experienced Software Test Engineer II to support the instrument manufacturing and NPI (new product introduction) development of software for Illumina's sequencing instruments. This role combines hands-on system testing, technical problem-solving, and close collaboration with cross-functional teams to help ensure the quality and reliability of our next-generation sequencing platforms. The ideal candidate thrives in a multidisciplinary environment and brings curiosity, sound technical judgment, and a quality-first mindset to their work.

This is primarily a manufacturing floor support engineer as well as a hands-on, system-level software testing role involving physical sequencing instruments , on-market & future NPI . The role emphasizes test design, exploratory testing, execution, troubleshooting , communicating and collaborating . Coding and test automation skills are valuable but are not the primary focus of the position.

Responsibilities:

• Manufacturing floor support and troubleshoot software , server, cybersecurity, and system- level issues in production and NPI prototype development, evaluating manufacturing Non Conformances
• Create and implement ECO changes to product and manufacturing processes and system configurations
• Lead projects to resolve trending issues in manufacturing and the field
• Work with cross functional teams (Quality, Manufacturing, Development, Regulatory, Supply Chain) to achieve Instrument Manufacturing Operation Goals while maintaining Compliance and security requirements
• Develop test strategies, plans, and test cases from product, system, and software requirements.
• Execute functional , integration, system, and regression tests for software features , server applications , and integrations on DNA sequencing instruments.
• Perform exploratory testing to identify defects, unexpected behaviors, usability concerns, and system-level risks.
• Own software verification activities for assigned features or subsystems, including planning, execution, defect reporting, and results documentation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure software solutions meet user and system needs.
• Investigate defects and perform root-cause analysis in collaboration with software, firmware, hardware, manufacturing, and systems teams.
• Work within established software development, quality, and requirements management processes for regulated products.
• Participate in requirements, design, and planning activities to identify risks, improve testability, and strengthen verification strategy.
• Use approved AI-assisted tools to improve test design, exploratory testing, failure analysis, documentation, and workflow efficiency while applying appropriate human review and complying with data privacy, security, and regulated-product quality requirements.

The responsibilities listed above are essential but not exhaustive. Individual responsibilities may change based on business needs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science , Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years of professional experience working in software test , software quality, software systems integration, or a related role.
• Experience with functional , integration, system, and regression testing.
• Experience independently owning feature-level or subsystem-level software verification activities.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills, including the ability to isolate failures across software, firmware, hardware, and system boundaries.
• Familiarity with defect tracking and requirements management platforms such as Jira and Jama.
• Ability to work regularly with physical instruments in a laboratory environment.
• Familiarity with Linux and Windows OS environments and command-line tools.
• Familiarity with data management and processing via server, single-board compute or compute engines
• Familiarity with production and customer network/IT setup & different configurations that may impact installation or manufacturing processes
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a willingness to learn from and share knowledge with others.

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with embedded systems, communication protocols, or integrating software with hardware modules.
• Has experience developing/executing simple and co