Sr. Software Engineer – QA / Test Automation Engineer

Ontrac Solutions; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ontrac Solutions in Chicago seeks a Senior QA / Test Automation Engineer to own the full test lifecycle for a Google Cloud-based government platform. You will design test strategies, build automated E2E and API suites, and work with developers and stakeholders to ensure delivery quality.

This on-site role requires strong automation, SQL, and CI/CD integration, with performance and accessibility considerations as applicable.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional QA / automation experience.
• Experience testing cloud-hosted, service-based apps in production.
• Bachelor's degree in CS or equivalent.
• Web E2E automation with Playwright or similar.
• API test automation for REST services with REST Assured, Karate, or Postman.
• CI/CD integration of automated tests.
• SQL for test data setup and validation (PostgreSQL).

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the test strategy and plans.
• Build automated E2E suites for web and API surfaces.
• Develop API test coverage for microservices.
• Coordinate with client tech lead and stakeholders.
• Support UAT cycles and release readiness.

Skills

Test strategy

Defect lifecycle

Exploratory testing

CI/CD integration

Manual testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Playwright

Cypress

Selenium

REST Assured

Karate

Postman/Newman

PostgreSQL

Job description

OVERVIEW

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior QA / Test Automation Engineer to join a contractor program supporting a critical customer engagement: a state government professional licensing and regulatory compliance platform built on Google Cloud. This role is ideal for a senior QA engineer who owns the full test lifecycle, from test strategy and case design through automated regression, across web, API, and mobile surfaces. The successful candidate will work closely with the client technical lead, the development team, and customer stakeholders to ensure project success from initial definition through final delivery.

REQUIRED CREDENTIALS

• 5+ years of professional QA / test automation experience
• Experience testing cloud-hosted, service-based applications in production environments
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Web E2E test automation with Playwright or a comparable framework (Cypress, Selenium)
• API test automation for REST services (REST Assured, Karate, or Postman/Newman)
• Test strategy, test case design, and defect lifecycle management
• Manual and exploratory testing alongside automation
• SQL for test data setup and validation (PostgreSQL)
• Testing asynchronous, event-driven behavior (queues, webhooks, scheduled jobs)
• Integrating automated suites into CI/CD pipelines

USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS

• Mobile test automation for React Native (Detox, Maestro, or Appium)
• Performance and load testing (k6, JMeter, or Gatling)
• Accessibility testing (WCAG 2.1 AA)
• Familiarity with Google Cloud Platform services
• Experience in government or regulated environments
• Experience testing workflow- or rules-driven systems (BPMN engines, decision tables)

SCOPE AND SOLUTION EXPECTATIONS

Below covers the scope of work we anticipate the contractor supporting throughout the project timeline.

• Define and maintain the test strategy and test plans for the platform's web portals, backend services, and external integrations
• Build and maintain automated E2E suites for the public citizen portal and staff operations console
• Build and maintain automated API test coverage for the platform's microservices
• Validate dynamic intake forms and business rule outcomes through data-driven regression suites
• Test payment, notification, and document upload flows, including webhook and failure scenarios
• Integrate automated suites into CI/CD pipelines and report on coverage and release quality
• Support performance and load testing of high-traffic endpoints such as public license search
• Extend automation coverage to the React Native field inspection application
• Support UAT cycles, defect triage, and release readiness sign-off