Software Design Engineer in Test — Columbia, MD

Leads the design, development, and continuous improvement of scalable test-automation frameworks for complex backend applications, APIs, transactional databases, and data integrations. Defines automation standards and quality gates, develops risk-based test strategies, reviews automation code, analyzes quality metrics, leads complex defect investigations, and provides technical direction and mentoring to SDETs and delivery teams.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the design and evolution of enterprise test-automation frameworks.

• Define automation architecture, coding standards, reusable components, and quality gates.

• Design, develop, code, test, and debug automated software testing systems and harnesses.

• Develop and maintain automated test suites targeting SQL programmability (stored procedures, functions, triggers) and backend/transactional database systems.

• Integrate and execute automated test suites within Azure DevOps (or TFS) CI/CD pipelines.

• Perform engineering evaluation, ad-hoc and structured software testing, statistical analysis/modeling, data warehousing, and analytics as needed.

• Work with users and stakeholders to define system scope, objectives, and test requirements.

• Provide analytical support and technical advice during conceptualization, development, and implementation phases.

• Plan and schedule testing/automation project tasks with users, systems software, and operations personnel, including objectives, time frames, costs, and manpower requirements.

• Identify and document software/system hazards using established analysis tools and techniques.

• Review and evaluate systems and software for adherence to government and commercial directives, standards, guidelines, and criteria concerning software and systems safety.

• Confirm design mitigations are captured in design documentation and verify their implementation.

• Maintain configuration management procedures for test assets and automation harnesses.

• Coordinate testing across development, data, DevSecOps, security, and business teams.

• Mentor junior personnel and lead root-cause analysis of complex defects.

• May serve as project lead, instructing, assigning, directing, and monitoring the performance of assigned systems developers/analysts.

• Experience developing automated tests using programming or scripting languages such as Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript and tools or frameworks such as Playwright, Selenium, REST Assured, Postman/Newman, pytest, JUnit, NUnit, or equivalent.

• Support corporate initiatives, knowledge-sharing activities, continuous improvement efforts, and business-growth opportunities beyond assigned project responsibilities

REQUIRED EXPEREINCE:

• Minimum 7 years of experience supporting software quality assurance, quality engineering, software testing, or test automation.

• Minimum 5 years of experience developing and maintaining automated test frameworks.

• Expert level experience with SQL using relational databases such as SQL Server

• Experience testing cloud-based applications and data platforms.

• Experience with API, integration, system, regression, and end-to-end testing.

• Experience validating complex data transformations and data integration pipelines.

• Experience working within Agile development environments.

• Experience with defect management and requirements traceability tools.

• Experience supporting CI/CD and automated testing processes.

• Experience developing automated tests using programming or scripting languages such as Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript and tools or frameworks such as Playwright, Selenium, REST Assured, Postman/Newman, pytest, JUnit, NUnit, or equivalent.

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

• Must have lived in the United States 3 out of the past 5 years.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience supporting CMS, HHS, or other federal healthcare programs.

• Experience analyzing complex relational and dimensional data models.

• Experience testing ETL/ELT processes, data migrations, and large-scale data integrations.

• Experience optimizing automated test suites, execution time, coverage, and maintainability.

• Experience with Section 508/accessibility, performance, security, or resilience testing.

• Familiarity with federal security, privacy, and system-authorization requirements.

• Relevant certifications in software testing, Agile, cloud, or DevSecOps technologies.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; an associate degree with two additional years of relevant experience; or a high school diploma/GED with four additional years of relevant experience.