Software Development Engineer in Test

SDET Automation EngineerWe are seeking a highly experienced and technically proficient SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) Automation Engineer to join our team at a prominent Randstad client in the DC area. The ideal candidate will have over a decade of hands-on experience in designing, building, and maintaining robust automation frameworks for a wide range of applications, including web, mobile (iOS/Android), and API services. This senior-level role requires a deep understanding of advanced Java concepts, integration with CI/CD pipelines and cloud infrastructure, and a passion for promoting a "shift-left" testing culture. The successful candidate will not only write and execute automation scripts but also act as a technical leader, mentoring other engineers, defining best practices, and collaborating closely with DevOps, SRE, and development teams to ensure software quality and reliability.ResponsibilitiesCreate, maintain, and evaluate software automation test scripts for both UI and API, incorporating dynamic test data to ensure comprehensive test coverage.Provide training and guidance on automation test concepts and best practices to other team members.Gather and validate application requirements, including functional, performance, and load testing needs.Develop and maintain test plans and test cases, and manage defect reporting and tracking within JIRA.Execute manual and automated software testing for installation, functional, performance, load, integration, and regression testing as required.Document process improvements related to test automation and generate detailed test execution reports.Coordinate and prioritize test development activities while working with multiple development teams and software projects.Collaborate with DevOps, SRE, and engineering teams to integrate AI insights and automation into CI/CD pipelines.Champion "shift-left" testing practices by sharing automation expertise with development teams.Qualifications10+ years of hands-on experience in Automation Testing using Selenium, Cucumber, TestNG, Appium, or Webdriver IO. Previous experience with Amtrak is highly preferred.Advanced proficiency in Java, including multi-threading, POJO, and JS scripting.Extensive experience in building and enhancing automation frameworks.Hands-on experience with mobile automation testing (Android/iOS/AVD/Xcode/XCUITest/XCTest) using Appium for native and hybrid apps.Expertise in API automation with Rest Assured framework, including JSON/GSON objects and various protocols (GET/PUT/POST/DELETE).Working knowledge of integrating automation pipelines with cloud infrastructure (AWS) for automated file management.Experience with custom reporting tools such as HTML-based reports, clientD reports, Kibana, or other dynamic reporting solutions.Proficiency in web-based mobile testing, ADA testing, and PCI vulnerability testing.Experience in testing Mainframe applications and working with AWS applications.Hands-on experience with Charles Proxy servers for debugging and analysis.Knowledge of integrating UI automation codes with API request/response structures.Familiarity with GitHub Copilot and Codium (qodo) for test automation and CI/CD optimization.Experience with writing SQL queries and testing stored procedures.