Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET)

Staff Software Development Engineer in Test San Mateo, CA Do you have a passion for development and automation as well as a driven vision for delivering the best experiences to users? At PlayStation, we are looking for engineers to join a global initiative in building innovative test automation and CI/CD systems. We are seeking self-motivated, quick-starters who are highly proactive to join our Client QA team, responsible for ensuring delivery of features on PlayStation's Mobile App. At PlayStation, we are passionate about innovation, teamwork and technology. We love building the systems that millions of people use and are our own first customers. We strive to be at the forefront of development technologies and are a diverse company with teams on four continents. Primary Responsibilities Lead and influence the overall quality engineering strategy across PlayStation console, mobile, portal, hardware, and service ecosystems. Drive architecture-level automation solutions and scalable quality engineering practices across multiple teams and product areas. Define and evolve enterprise-level automation standards, CI/CD quality gates, and testing strategies to improve release confidence, scalability, and engineering velocity. Design, build, and scale automation frameworks across UI, API, integration, telemetry, hardware, portal, and end-to-end testing layers. Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on automation stability, flakiness reduction, infrastructure modernization, and long-term QE scalability. Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Program Management, and QE leadership to drive shift-left testing practices and shared ownership of quality. Drive R&D initiatives around AI-assisted testing and modern quality engineering solutions to address automation gaps, improve coverage, accelerate test generation, enhance failure analysis, and reduce manual effort. Evaluate emerging technologies, AI-driven tooling, and innovative automation approaches to future-proof the organization’s testing strategy. Lead strategic improvements in hardware/device testing, cloud/device lab orchestration, telemetry validation, observability, and production-like validation environments. Mentor and guide SDETs and QEs across teams on automation architecture, testing methodologies, debugging, quality strategy, and engineering standards. Define and track quality metrics, automation health, pipeline stability, release risk indicators, and defect trends to drive data-informed quality decisions. Influence organizational quality culture by establishing scalable operational models, governance mechanisms, and engineering standards. Lead complex root-cause investigations and drive systemic fixes to recurring quality issues across platforms and teams. Qualifications BS/MS degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience. 8+ years of experience in Software Development Engineering in Test (SDET), automation engineering, or quality engineering roles. Proven experience leading large-scale mobile quality engineering initiatives across multiple teams or product areas. Deep experience designing automation frameworks and implementing automated testing solutions across UI, API, integration, telemetry, portal, hardware, and end-to-end layers. Strong programming/scripting experience in Python, JavaScript, or similar languages. Strong expertise with automation frameworks such as Playwright, Pytest, Appium, Selenium. Experience architecting and optimizing CI/CD pipelines, quality gates, and release validation systems using Jenkins or similar platforms. Practical experience with development and deployment tooling such as Git, Jenkins, Docker, Appium, cloud/device lab solutions, browser-based portal testing, and hardware/device validation workflows. Experience leveraging AI-assisted testing tools and driving innovation in AI-based automation, test generation, defect analysis, and productivity improvements. Experience driving test strategy, release quality planning, risk management, and operational quality improvements for large-scale systems. Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and systems-thinking abilities with a focus on identifying and solving systemic quality gaps. Proven ability to influence engineering organizations, drive adoption of best practices, and align teams on scalable quality strategies. Experience mentoring engineers and leading cross-functional technical initiatives. Comfortable operating in fast-paced Agile environments with evolving requirements and multiple stakeholders. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration abilities. Compensation and Benefits At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including market data for the location. The base pay range may vary with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on knowledge, skills, experience, and location. This role is eligible for SIE’s benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, paid time off, wellness program and employee discounts for Sony products. This role may be eligible for a bonus package. Estimated base pay range: $208,200 – $312,400 USD. Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks. Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights. Equal Opportunity Statement Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category. We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond. Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment. #J-18808-Ljbffr Sonyinteractiveentertainmentglobal