Description Software Engineer in Test (SDET) - Java (Backend)
Hybrid - Washington, DC Job Summary
We're hiring a
Software Engineer in Test (SDET) who can
write automation code in Java and owns the
full backend testing lifecycle for modern service-based systems. This role is
100% backend (no UI/front-end testing) and focuses on validating
microservices and APIs running in a containerized environment. You'll work closely with engineering and product teams to identify risk early, build reliable automated coverage, and speak up when something isn't ready.
Responsibilities
- Build and maintain Java-based automated tests for backend services and APIs.
- Execute and improve the end-to-end testing process (test planning, test execution, defect validation, regression).
- Test microservices and distributed systems, including service-to-service behavior and integration points.
- Validate REST APIs and troubleshoot issues through logs, debugging, and structured investigation.
- Support performance testing using Gatling; expand/maintain performance suites as needed.
- Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders to raise concerns, communicate risk, and drive quality decisions.
- Work with internal tooling used for automation and testing (no required external framework experience-strong fundamentals matter most).
- Contribute to quality improvements across deployments and releases in Kubernetes environments.
Requirements Required Skills / Must-Haves
- Strong Java skills (writing test automation code, not just manual QA).
- Solid understanding of backend testing processes and how to build effective test coverage.
- Experience testing REST APIs (requests, responses, payload validation, error handling).
- Working knowledge of microservices and distributed system concepts.
- Familiarity with Kubernetes (deployments, pods/services concepts; comfortable operating in a k8s environment).
- Ability to work in a hybrid setting in/near Washington, DC (preferred)
- Strong communication skills-vocal, asks questions, flags issues early.
Preferred / Nice-to-Haves
- Kotlin exposure (helpful, not required).
- Experience with Elasticsearch (querying, validation, debugging search-based behaviors).
- Experience validating or testing microservice deployments (release verification, smoke/regression in containerized environments).
- Additional tooling experience (CI/CD, test reporting, service observability) is a plus.
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