QA Automation Engineer II in Chicago, Illinois at Ocient Inc.

About Ocient:Ocient is building OcientAIQ™ – a complete ecosystem for delivering trusted agentic AI solutions at petabyte scale, for the organizations that can't afford to get AI wrong. Our customers protect networks, secure nations, and power the global economy. The problems we solve are genuinely hard, and the work matters. Founded in 2016 by the team that built Cleversafe (acquired by IBM in 2015), Ocient is headquartered in Chicago with a remote-first global team. We are a carbon-neutral company backed by leading investors including Greycroft, OCA Ventures, In-Q-Tel, and Buoyant Ventures.
Please do not contact Ocient employees directly, including the recruiting team, to apply for a role. For security purposes, any applications received via email will be deleted.

Job Title: QA Automation Engineer IILocation: Remote (US Based Only)

• We cannot sponsor or transfer any visas, of any kind now or in the future (ex. OPT, EAD, H1B, H4, etc.)*

Hiring Manager: Staff QA Software EngineerEstimated salary range: $125,000 - $165,000

• The salary offered for this position will be based on a candidate’s experience and skill demonstrated during interviews and other evaluations

Position Overview:Ocient is seeking a QA Automation Engineer II with strong expertise in automated test tooling and infrastructure. This role is hands-on and code-focused, working within Ocient’s automation infrastructure to validate backend services, APIs, query processing, and data workflows.You will partner closely with software engineers, QA Automation Engineers, and QA Leads to translate quality strategy and risk priorities into reliable, scalable automated test tooling and infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain automated test frameworks and tooling using Ocient’s infrastructure.
• Build automated validation for backend services, APIs, distributed workflows, and data pipelines
• Improve the reliability, readability, and maintainability of existing automated test suites
• Identify and reduce flaky or low-signal tests with component owners
• Collaborate with Software and QA engineers to improve testability and coverage
• Contribute to performance and scalability testing through automated approaches
• Follow automation targets and testing policies to ensure consistent quality signal

Ideal Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in software quality engineering with a strong focus on automation
• Strong hands-on experience writing and maintaining automated test infrastructure within a shared test framework (e.g., pytest or similar).
• Experience writing code in Python and Java that is readable, maintainable, and reviewed as part of a shared codebase.
• Comfort working primarily in Linux-based environments, including command-line workflows for building, running, and debugging automated tests.
• Experience testing backend systems, APIs, or distributed services
• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines and automated test execution
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively with software engineers and QA partners

Interview Requirements: All interviews are conducted via video and require candidates to have their camera on for the duration of the session. The use of video filters, face-altering effects, or virtual backgrounds is not permitted for security and verification purposes.
We are not open to using an agency or staffing company at this time. We do not accept unsolicited agency or staffing resumes and we are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
Ocient is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, parental status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please contact recruiting@ocient.com for more information.
All official Ocient job postings and recruiting communications will come directly from our team via our Careers page, LinkedIn, or from an ocient.com email address. If you receive communication about a role from any other source, please treat it with caution and direct questions to recruiting@ocient.com.