Automation Test Engineer

Automation Tester

Improvix Technologies | Federal Program | Washington, DC

Compensation: $140,000 – $150,000

Location: Washington, DC (Foggy Bottom) — hybrid, 3 days onsite / 2 days remote

Clearance: Active Secret clearance required.

Employment Type: Full-Time

THE REGRESSION SUITE IS THE JOB, NOT THE SIDE PROJECT

On most programs, automation is what somebody promises to get to after the release. The suite goes stale, half the scripts fail for reasons nobody investigates, and the team quietly goes back to running the same 200 manual cases every sprint.

Improvix Technologies is hiring an Automation Tester for an active federal program in Washington, DC. You'll build and maintain Automation Framework tools and scripts that covers regression, run it in the CI pipeline, and validate what the application writes to the database — not just what it renders on the screen.

This is hands-on testing work with real ownership. You'll write the scripts, read the failures, decide whether it's a defect or a flaky locator, and be the person who can say with confidence whether a build is safe to ship.

WHY TESTERS TAKE THIS ROLE

• Automation is funded here. Framework maintenance, new coverage, and CI integration are the role — not overtime work squeezed around a manual test queue.
• You own the framework, not a folder of scripts. Page Object Model, data-driven and BDD structure, the CI/CD jobs that run it. If something about the design is wrong, you're the one who fixes it.
• A clearance that follows you. Active Secret required for this seat — cleared QA automation experience is a durable, portable credential in this market.
• Real hybrid, stated plainly. Three days onsite at Foggy Bottom, two remote. It's a fixed schedule, not a moving target.
• Room above you. The program runs QA leads and senior automation engineers. There's a next step from this role, and people who've taken it.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Test Automation

• Design, build, and maintain automated test scripts using Automation frameworks like Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, Junit, NUnit etc.
• Extend and maintain the automation framework — Page Object Model, data-driven, modular, and BDD structure using Cucumber and Gherkin.
• Integrate automated suites into the CI/CD pipeline with Gitlab or similar CI/CD tools, so regression runs on every build, not on request.
• Triage failures: separate real defects from environment issues and brittle locators, and fix the scripts that are lying to you.
• Execute cross-browser and cross-platform runs and keep coverage current as the application changes.

Test Design & Execution

• Review user stories, acceptance criteria, and business rules to build test scenarios and cases with clear traceability to requirements.
• Execute functional, smoke, integration, system, and regression testing across sprint and release cycles.
• Support User Acceptance Testing — preparing scripts, walking business users through them, and capturing what comes back.

Defect Management & Release Support

• Log defects in Jira with reproduction steps precise enough that a developer can act on them without a follow-up meeting.
• Drive the defect lifecycle — triage, prioritization, retest, and closure verification.
• Validate critical functionality ahead of production releases and report test status, coverage, and risk to the team.
• Work onsite at Foggy Bottom three days a week for sprint ceremonies, stakeholder sessions, and network-restricted testing.

WHAT YOU BRING

These are the requirements — everything in “Bonus Points” below is genuinely optional. If you meet this list, apply.

• 4+ years of software testing experience, including 2+ years writing and maintaining automated tests using open source frameworks like Playwright, Cupress, Selenium etc.
• Hands-on automation experience with Playwright, Cypress or similar JS tools.
• Experience building or extending a test automation framework — Page Object Model, data-driven, or BDD with Cucumber and Gherkin or similar tools.
• Working knowledge of CI tooling: GitLab or similar tools and running suites as part of an automated build.
• Experience across the full STLC — test planning, design, execution, defect tracking, and reporting — in an Agile/Scrum environment.
• Defect management in Jira, with the writing skills to make a defect report unambiguous.
• Clear communication with developers, business analysts, and government stakeholders.
• U.S. citizenship and an active Secret clearance.
• Ability to work onsite in Washington, DC (Foggy Bottom) three days per week.

BONUS POINTS

• Experience supporting federal customers or working in a cleared environment.
• API testing with REST or SOAP services (Postman, RestAssured, or similar).
• Experience with SQL Scripting to create and test backend database.
• Performance or load testing with JMeter.
• Test management experience in ALM, Azure DevOps, or TFS.
• Automation in a second language or toolset — C#, Typescripts, Python
• Experience contributing to a CMMI-appraised process or a formal QA standards effort.
• ISTQB certification, or comparable formal QA training.
• Accessibility (Section 508) testing exposure.

WORKING HERE

Improvix Technologies delivers secure, modern, integrated technology solutions that keep the nation's most critical systems running. We're small enough that a good idea reaches a decision-maker in a day, and close enough to the mission that you'll know exactly what your work supports.

A straight answer on schedule: three days onsite at Foggy Bottom, two days remote. The onsite days are set by the program, not chosen week to week, and they're where sprint ceremonies and stakeholder time land. It isn't a preference we'd trade away later, so we'd rather you know now.

How quality actually works here: testers are in requirements conversations before code is written, and a “no-go” from QA is a real outcome, not a formality. You'll be expected to have a view and to back it with evidence.

Ready to apply? Send us your résumé. If there's a framework you built from scratch, a flaky suite you made trustworthy, or a defect you caught that would have been ugly in production, tell us about it — that's the conversation we want to have.

WHY IMPROVIX

At Improvix Technologies, we don't just deliver IT solutions — we deliver mission success. Our teams support critical government programs by building secure, innovative, and scalable technology that helps agencies operate more efficiently and securely.

We believe great technology starts with great people, so we invest in our employees' growth, well-being, and long-term success. Our benefits include:

• Competitive compensation and performance-based incentives
• 401(k) with company match
• Three weeks of paid annual leave that increases with tenure
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Transit and commuting benefits
• Professional development and paid training opportunities

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Improvix Technologies, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Improvix is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities during the application and employment process. If you require assistance or accommodation, please contact our Human Resources team.

Security Clearance / Citizenship Requirements

Due to the nature of our government contracts, U.S. citizenship may be required for certain positions, and some roles may require the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Pay Transparency Statement

In accordance with applicable laws and regulations, Improvix Technologies will not discharge or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants for discussing, disclosing, or inquiring about compensation.