Lead Software Development Engineer - Test
First seen by Alion on Sep 4, 2026.
Job Description :
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Lead Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to drive the quality strategy for our AI-driven cloud operations platform. This role will focus on building scalable, reliable, and intelligent test automation systems, enabling high-quality releases in a fast-paced SaaS environment.
The ideal candidate will champion modern quality engineering practices, including automation, cloud-native testing, and observability-driven validation. This role goes beyond traditional QA to ensure end-to-end product quality across distributed systems.
Key Responsibilities :
- Lead and drive the quality engineering strategy for our cloud-native SaaS platform.
- Design, develop, and maintain scalable automation frameworks and test suites across UI, API, and integration layers.
- Collaborate closely with engineering teams to embed quality practices within the development lifecycle (shift-left).
- Ensure seamless integration of automated tests into CI/CD pipelines with appropriate quality gates.
- Define and implement test strategies for microservices-based and distributed systems.
- Establish best practices for test design, execution, and reporting, continuously improving frameworks and processes.
- Drive API-first testing strategy, including contract and schema validation.
- Utilize observability tools (logs, metrics, traces) to validate system behavior and improve production quality (shift-right).
- Work with product and engineering teams to ensure high test coverage and release confidence.
- Experience with performance and load testing for cloud-native, distributed systems, including defining strategies, evaluating tools (e.g., k6, Locust, Gatling), and ensuring system scalability and reliability at scale.
- Mentor and manage a team of quality engineers, fostering a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Participate in architecture and design discussions to influence testability and quality.
Must Have :
- Strong programming experience in Python (preferred) or Java/JavaScript.
- Hands-on experience with modern automation frameworks: Playwright / Cypress (UI Automation), Pytest / Robot / similar frameworks.
- Strong experience in API testing: REST APIs using tools like Postman/Newman, REST Assured, or Python (requests).
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI.
- Solid understanding of cloud-native architectures (microservices, containers, distributed systems).
- Experience working with Docker and Kubernetes-based environments.
- Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies.
- Experience leading or contributing to modernization/migration initiatives (e.g., legacy to modern automation frameworks, tooling consolidation, platform upgrades).
- Experience testing cloud-based applications, preferably on AWS.
- Familiarity with contract testing / schema validation (OpenAPI, Pact, etc.).
- Exposure to observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch.
- Familiarity with AI-driven or intelligent test automation tools.
Good to Have :
- Experience with AI/ML-driven systems testing, including validating model outputs, testing non-deterministic systems (e.g., LLM-based features), and understanding of data quality, drift, and bias considerations.
- Knowledge of event-driven architectures (Kafka, messaging systems) and testing strategies.
- Exposure to security testing fundamentals (OWASP).
- Experience implementing shift-right practices such as synthetic monitoring or canary validation.
Soft Skills :
- Ability to drive quality culture across teams.
- Proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Experience :
- 8 - 12 years of experience in test automation/quality engineering.
- Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
Education :
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field
Skills
Python, Java, Testing, Software Quality Assurance, Software Testing Tools, POSTMAN, SDET, PyTest, Robot Framework, Application Testing, RestAssured