Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) with a Performance Focus

Job Description

Job Description

The exciting world of scientific research is fueled by people with a passion for solving complex problems. At Cayuse, we are committed to our customers' success by empowering organizations to conduct globally connected research that advances their impact on science, discovery and society. We build on that commitment with proven, integrated and easy-to-use technology that delivers exceptional value, and world class service and support that accelerates outcomes.

But we are more than just an empowering platform powered by advanced technologies. We are a collaboration of exceptional, highly skilled people with multi-disciplinary expertise, and are building our team to support our ambitious growth plans. Cayuse's foundational strength comes from our customer and employee focused values and commitment to industry-leading solutions. It's an exciting time to become a key member of our growing team.

As an SDET, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining the performance testing framework and automated test frameworks. The performance testing focus includes responsibility to evaluate application reliability, scalability, and responsiveness under varying levels of load and stress both at a Team level and at an Enterprise level. You will design and execute performance test strategies, build performance test scripts and frameworks, analyze system bottlenecks, and collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure products meet performance and stability requirements. Once teams are set up and working in the performance model, you will shift focus to an SDET team testing execution, designing comprehensive test plans, and working closely with developers and product teams to ensure software quality and performance. 

An effective SDET combines deep technical knowledge with a strong understanding of testing principles to build reliable, scalable, and maintainable test systems. You will be expected to provide comprehensive coverage including both automation and manual testing.

 

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and execute comprehensive test strategies - including functional automation, load, stress, endurance, spike, and scalability testing.
• Establish and maintain performance baselines and analyze test results over time to identify trends and performance regressions.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret performance metrics (CPU, memory, throughput, response time, latency, and error rates).
• Identify system bottlenecks, performance degradation, and root causes through profiling and diagnostics.
• Partner with DevOps and Engineering teams to define and use realistic test environments and datasets.
• Provide detailed performance test reports and recommendations for optimization.
• Partner with software engineers, product owners, and QA to define test strategies and acceptance criteria.
• Design, develop, and maintain automated test scripts and frameworks for web, API, and backend systems.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to ensure continuous testing.
• Identify, document, and track bugs through resolution.
• Perform code reviews for test code and contribute to best practices in test automation.
• Develop tools and utilities to improve test automation and test coverage.
• Analyze test results and provide insights into product quality and potential risks.
• Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies and contribute to sprint planning and retrospectives.

Minimum Qualifications and Skills Required (Knowledge) 

• 3+ years of experience in software testing, with demonstrated experience in both test automation and performance testing.
• Hands-on experience with k6 as a primary performance testing tool.
• Hands-on experience with Playwright for test automation (Cypress or Selenium also considered).
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, TypeScript (or JavaScript).
• Strong understanding of QA methodologies, test processes, and best practices.
• Experience testing APIs using tools such as Postman, REST-assured, or similar.
• Experience with CI/CD tools and repository management (Bitbucket, Jenkins, or similar).
• Experience with creating, setting up, and executing manual test cases (preferably in Zephyr).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• A passion for quality and a proactive attitude toward improving development and testing processes.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).

Competencies 

Programming Skills

• Proficient in at least one programming language (e.g., Java, Python, TypeScript or JavaScript).
• Able to write clean, maintainable, and reusable code.
• Familiarity with object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.

Performance Monitoring & Diagnostics

• Working knowledge of APM tools (Grafana, New Relic, Datadog, Dynatrace, AppDynamics).
• Ability to interpret logs, metrics, and traces to pinpoint performance issues.
• Familiarity with profiling tools (GC analysis, thread dumps, heap dumps).

Test Automation Development

• Building and maintaining performance testing frameworks using K6 (JMeter, Gatling, LoadRunner, are a plus).
• Building and maintaining automation frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Cypress, Selenium).
• Writing automated tests for UI, API, and backend components.
• Experience with data-driven, behavior-driven, or keyword-driven testing.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

• Integrating test automation into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Bitbucket, Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
• Automating new feature functionality, regression testing and smoke tests as part of deployment cycles.

API Testing

• Designing and executing tests for REST/SOAP APIs using tools like Playwright or Postman.
• Validating status codes, response schemas, performance, and edge cases.

DevOps & Infrastructure Knowledge

• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Understanding of version control systems (e.g., Bitbucket) and infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform).

Test Strategy & Planning

• Ability to model real-world user behavior and traffic patterns.
• Risk-based planning to identify high-impact test areas.
• Defining testing testing scope, scenarios, workloads, and success criteria based on requirements.
• White box and risk based testing mindset.
• Defining and tracking metrics such as test coverage, defect leakage, test execution rate.
• Defining and tracking KPIs such as response times, error rates, throughput, resource utilization, and scalability.
• Communicating test outcomes effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Test Design & Coverage

• Writing test cases/scenarios that cover functional, integration, regression, and edge cases.
• Strong understanding of white box testing techniques with the ability to collaborate with others to build coverage.
• Strong understanding of system-level and architectural dependencies.

Defect Tracking and Management

• Using tools like JIRA or Azure DevOps to log, track, and manage bugs.
• Root cause analysis and collaboration with developers for resolution.
• Working closely with developers and architects to drive performance fixes.

 

Benefits

• Competitive Medical Benefits (PPO + HSA available)
• Vision, Dental, Short-Term Disability fully covered by Cayuse
• Unlimited PTO + Holidays + Flexible Work Schedule
• Remote Work Stipend
• Equal Paid Parental Leave
• 401k with Employer Matching
• Quarterly Wellness Reimbursement
• Remote Work Environment, supporting the Ultimate Employee Experience 

 

Cayuse does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or any Cayuse employees. Cayuse is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Our culture is one of inclusion and belonging where everyone feels respected, treated justly, supported and nourished. We all share responsibility for creating and sustaining a work environment where differences are celebrated and we are empowered to strive for excellence. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively seek to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.