SDET - Automation Engineer in Kirkland, Washington at SmarTek21

Position OverviewWe are seeking an experienced and highly skilled SDET - Automation Engineer to lead, optimize, and execute our automated and manual testing strategies. This role requires 10+ years of hands-on experience in software development engineering in test (SDET), strong programming and scripting expertise, and a deep understanding of test automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and modern quality assurance methodologies.
You will be instrumental in improving our automation suites—specifically focusing on API and UI testing—securing system quality, and scaling our test environments across various devices and platforms. You will work closely with engineering, development, and project management teams to ensure the fast, secure, and reliable delivery of our applications and services.Key Responsibilities

• Requirement Analysis: Analyze complex software requirements and prepare detailed query lists. Ask meaningful, targeted questions when requirements are incomplete to yield necessary data and ensure effective testing.
• Test Design & Execution: Write and execute robust automated and manual test cases to uncover critical system bugs, user interface (UI) anomalies, and usability issues.
• Test Planning & Strategy: Provide expert inputs on high-level test scenarios, project challenges, technical risks, resource allocation, and precise test estimations during collaborative planning meetings.
• Automation Framework Management: Build, maintain, and expand test automation tasks, utilizing modern tools to ensure comprehensive regression and feature coverage.
• Compatibility Testing: Conduct thorough exploratory testing and verify absolute functional consistency across various hardware devices and web browsers.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with development teams throughout the SDLC—from reproducing reported issues and emphasizing fixes for critical bugs to understanding the underlying code changes.
• Status Reporting: Prioritize and estimate task execution efficiently, ensuring daily status reports articulate critical bug data and risk assessments clearly to clients and stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in DevOps, Software Development Engineering in Test (SDET), or Automation Engineering.
• Core Automation Skills: Extensive, hands-on experience with Selenium Automation, Playwright automation (specifically for UI developed using React/Storybook), and Rest API testing frameworks.
• Programming Proficiency: Strong development skills with deep expertise in Java, JavaScript, and the JUnit framework.
• Data & Web Services: Solid fundamental programming skills, including writing XML, utilizing web services, and executing SQL queries to extract data for test verification.
• Testing Methodologies: Deep understanding of software testing concepts, Agile environments, the complete bug life cycle, and various testing levels, methods, and estimation techniques.
• Quality & Defect Management Tools: Proficient with quality management platforms (e.g., TestRail, HP-ALM/QC, TFS, SpiraTest, or TestDirector) to plan, execute, and interlink tests with release requirements.
• Infrastructure & Version Control: Experience using SCM tools for code maintenance (Git, Bitbucket, or TFS) and modern IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, VSCode, or Visual Studio).
• Environment Tools: Competency utilizing desktop/mobile operating systems, web proxies for cross-browser testing, simulators, emulators, and SQL clients.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional critical thinking, analytical prioritization skills, and clear communication capabilities across technical and non-technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Security Testing: Foundational knowledge of security testing principles and exposure to vulnerability assessment methodologies.
• Contract Testing: Hands-on experience or familiarity with contract testing tools such as Pact or Spring Boot.
• Environment Exposure: Experience operating within fast-paced or startup environments, executing testing workflows within public cloud infrastructures (Azure, AWS, or GCP).

Who We are...

SmarTek21, founded in 2006, is an innovative digital transformation leader dedicated to empowering organizations through design-led, data-centric solutions. We believe that exceptional user experiences and intelligent data-driven insights are pivotal in shaping the future of business. At the heart of our approach is Design-Led Engineering, where we combine strategic design principles with cutting-edge technology to create tailored solutions that deliver significant business outcomes. Our commitment to accelerating digital transformation includes specialized expertise in Agile DevOps, Data Engineering and analytics, Testing Automation and support, and comprehensive Managed Application and Infrastructure Services. We’ve evolved from our consulting and development roots into a full-spectrum service provider, integrating advanced technologies like Generative AI (GenAI) to facilitate our clients' seamless, transformative digital journeys. A passion unites our dynamic team of technology visionaries and business strategists for innovation and excellence. At SmarTek21, you'll join a collaborative environment dedicated to shaping the digital landscape and driving impactful results for organizations worldwide.

SmarTek21 is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.