SDET/QA Engineer

Mission of the Role:

The mission of the Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) is to establish and evolve our approach to test automation, test strategy, and quality standards from the ground up—designing scalable, maintainable frameworks and partnering closely with engineering, product, data, and QA teams to deliver reliable, high-quality software with confidence.

Essential Functions

• Design and implement scalable, maintainable test automation frameworks for web applications, APIs, and distributed systems, and establish the best practices, patterns, and tooling that scale across teams.
• Define and execute comprehensive test strategies and plans—covering integration and end-to-end testing across a distributed system architecture—and ensure alignment with product and business requirements.
• Identify high-risk areas, including those involving sensitive or regulated data, and ensure appropriate test coverage and validation.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD workflows to improve reliability, speed, and confidence in deployments.
• Partner with engineering teams to ensure systems are designed with testability, observability, and maintainability in mind.
• Partner with product, data, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into testable scenarios and acceptance criteria, and coordinate with offshore QA to define scope, prioritize efforts, and validate results.
• Establish and track quality metrics to drive continuous improvement and reduce production defects.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on quality engineering best practices, helping to elevate standards across the team.

Requirements

Minimum:

• 5–7+ years in software engineering or SDET roles with production-grade test automation
• Strong programming skills in TypeScript/JavaScript, Python, or similar languages.
• Experience testing distributed systems and event-driven architectures
• Hands-on CI/CD integration experience
• Experience working with systems undergoing active migration or decomposition.
• Demonstrated AI fluency: hands-on experience using enterprise AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) in your engineering workflow to accelerate work such as test design, code review, debugging, and documentation.
• Strong judgment in AI-assisted work: a track record of critically reviewing AI-generated outputs before acting on them, and a clear point of view on where AI augments quality engineering versus where human oversight is non-negotiable.

Preferred:

• Experience with contract testing (Pact or similar) across service boundaries
• Experience in HIPAA-regulated environments with PHI handling requirements
• Familiarity with saga patterns, Step Functions, or orchestration testing
• Experience with service-oriented or microservices architectures
• Experience coordinating manual QA, including offshore teams

Nice to have:

• Familiarity with AWS-native tooling (EventBridge, SQS, Lambda, Step Functions)
• Experience testing e-commerce platforms.
• Exposure to testing subscription billing or payment processor integrations.
• Experience with observability tooling as part of a quality strategy
• Familiarity with feature flag testing strategies (LaunchDarkly or similar)
• Exposure to mobile testing surfaces (iOS/Android) in addition to web

Location:

• Remote (Pacific Time Zone preferred)

Benefits

  Benefits & Perks:

• Competitive compensation and equity package (RSUs)
• Comprehensive benefits: Medical, dental, vision, FSA and HSA, supplemental coverages (critical illness, accident, hospitalization), and 401(k)
• ‍♀️ Access to wellbeing perks, including OneMedical, Spring Health, SoFi, and Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible paid time off and holiday policy
• Paid parental leave (birthing and non-birthing parents)
• Employee donation matching program
• ‍ Culture Committee and employee resource groups for virtual and in-person connectivity
• ✨ Complimentary VIP Subscription to Curology or Agency, plus online retail discount

Compensation:

The estimated base salary range for this role is $130,000 – $150,000 per year , plus a competitive equity package and benefits. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors, including location, skills, experience, and job-related expertise.

Our Typical Interview Process*:

*Subject to change based on role

• 30 minute Recruiter screen (phone)
• 60 minute technical assessment, case study, or peer interview(s) (Google Meet or Zoom)
• 30-45 minute final round interview with Hiring Manager or Team Leader (Google Meet or Zoom)

Candidates Using AI:

At Curology, we invest in responsible use of AI tools to help our teams innovate and solve challenges. Please feel free to use AI to:

• Refine and polish your application materials
• Research Curology and the role
• Prepare for your interviews

Please refrain from using AI tools during live interviews, unless our hiring team has instructed you otherwise. (Note: These guidelines do not apply to reasonable accommodations. If you require a reasonable accommodation at any point during our interview process, please notify your recruiter.)

Curology’s Operating Principles:

• One Curology, One Team
• Be Candid, Then Commit
• Lead with Curiosity
• Trust but Verify
• Use Peripheral Vision
• Move Quickly, Think Deeply
• Protect Trust at Every Touchpoint

Equal Employment Opportunity: Curology provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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. Curology is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all team members feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to do their best work.

Fair Chance Statement: In accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and other applicable laws, Curology will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in a manner consistent with those requirements. 

CCPA Notice: As required under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), applicants residing in California can review our Privacy Notice to California Employees, Contractors and Applicants to learn more about how we collect and use personal information.

Disclaimer: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.