Senior Automation Tester

Senior Functional and Automated TesterThe Senior Functional and Automated Tester plans, designs, and executes functional and automated testing for modern applications, with a focus on quality, security, performance, and operational readiness. This role works closely with product, development, DevSecOps, and stakeholders to ensure solutions meet business requirements and are released with confidence. The tester leads test strategy and automation approaches, drives defect prevention through early engagement, and helps establish consistent testing standards across teams and projects.Key Responsibilities:Lead or contribute to project planning by identifying testing scope, risks, environment needs, test data requirements, and tooling to support delivery timelines.Translate business and technical requirements into test strategies, test plans, and detailed test cases, covering functional, integration, regression, performance, and security-related validation.Design and build automated tests (unit, API, integration, and user interface) using a disciplined approach that supports repeatable and reliable execution within a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline.Perform hands-on functional testing of workflows, edge cases, data validations, and error handling; verify that solutions meet user and operational expectations.Validate event/message-based services and distributed workflows, including systems that use message queues such as Apache Kafka, ensuring correct processing, resiliency, and traceability.Test and validate API-centric and cloud-friendly designs (microservices, serverless applications), including backward compatibility, contract expectations, and integration with internal and external partners.Partner with DevSecOps and engineering teams to ensure consistent application of development standards, procedures, and processes, including secure development expectations.Support system compatibility and environment readiness by coordinating with technical teams on test environments, deployments, configuration changes, and release readiness.Apply data security procedures in testing activities; identify potential data security risks and ensure defects and risks are documented, escalated, and tracked through resolution.Produce and maintain clear testing documentation (test evidence, defect reports, dashboards, charts/diagrams, and runbooks as needed) suitable for leadership and audit reviews.Drive defect triage and root-cause analysis with developers and stakeholders; verify fixes and help implement preventative quality controls.Promote strong operational practices including observability validation (logging, metrics, tracing), performance baselines, and readiness checks.Use AI-assisted development and testing workflows (where approved) to accelerate test creation, analysis, and triage while maintaining quality and security expectations.Perform other job-related duties assigned to support delivery and operational goals.Required Skills:Strong experience leading and executing functional testing and test automation across the software development lifecycle.Proven ability to define and implement an effective test strategy for distributed/cloud applications, including regression planning and release readiness.Experience with automated testing tools for unit, API, and user interface testing; familiarity with test-driven development (TDD) concepts and automation-first approaches.Experience working in CI/CD pipeline environments using source code management and build/deployment tooling (for example: GitLab, Jenkins) within a DevSecOps/SecDevOps culture.Working knowledge of secure coding and secure engineering expectations, including risk identification and validation of security controls.Experience validating message/event-driven systems, including Kafka-based workflows and asynchronous processing behaviors.Experience testing API-centric architectures such as microservices and serverless applications, including contract validation and integration testing.Cloud and data pipeline familiarity, including one or more of the following: Dataflow, Pub/Sub, Redis.Strong troubleshooting skills, including analyzing logs/metrics/traces, isolating failures across components, and supporting defect triage.Solid technical fluency in one or more languages used for test automation and validation, such as Java, Python, SQL, and/or JavaScript (and familiarity with modern web stacks such as React is a plus).Knowledge of performance and reliability concepts, including performance tuning, multi-threading awareness, and validation of high observability principles.Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to explain quality risks and recommendations clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.Preferred Qualifications:Experience working in Agile delivery teams and applying Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) practices.Familiarity with change/configuration management and lifecycle tooling (for example: VersionOne, ServiceNow) and Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) practices.Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration (for example: Docker, Kubernetes), including security and environment considerations.Experience with Kubernetes security practices and testing in containerized production-like environments.Familiarity with AI-assisted development/testing tools such as OpenCode, Claude Code, and Gemini Vertex AI to improve efficiency in test creation and analysis (within approved governance).Experience producing test evidence and documentation suitable for audit or compliance reviews.Additional Required Skills/Experience:A minimum of Thirteen (13) years experience in software development, software quality assurance/control, and/or related field;A degree from an accredited College/University in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline is preferred;Able to perform all functional duties independently on high-visibility programs, or mission critical aspects of a given program;Able to oversee the efforts of direct reporting resources and/or be responsible for the efforts of all staff assigned to a specific job;Experience training/mentoring less experienced personnel;Extensive knowledge of and experience with formal software testing for complex software applications;Extensive experience testing software applications, identifying/documenting defects, and working with developers and end users to resolve defects;Extensive experience with multiple defect tracking tools (e.g. Rational, Mercury);Extensive experience authoring software-quality-related documentation such as requirements specifications, test plans, test cases, test scripts and test reports;Able to obtain Postal clearance;Excellent communication skills.Additional Provisions:Pass both a client mandated clearance process to include drug screening, criminal history check and credit check.Once candidate's resume is approved and interview passed, the agency is responsible for providing drug screening. Failure to submit the drug screening results will delay the security clearance process.If a candidate is given an interim clearance, continuation of employment is then based on the candidate receiving a sensitive clearance.All candidates must be a US Citizen, or have permanent residence status (Green Card).Candidate must have lived in the US for the past 5 years.Cannot have more than 6 months travel outside the United States within the last five years. Military Service excluded. (Exception does not include military family members.)All overtime must be pre-approved in writing by the client manager or his/her designated representative.Agency will not be reimbursed for overtime charges without previous written authorization.Authorized overtime will be reimbursed at straight time.The enforced dress code is business casual, i.e. collared shirt with slacks for men, no skirts above the knee for women.Place and Period of Performance:Hours of support: The standard work week for contract staff will be 5 days a week and 8 hours per day preferable Monday through Friday. Contract staff may be required to travel to support business efforts.