Functional and Automation Tester - Minimum of eight (8) years experience (Remote):
Background and Introduction:
The Functional and Automation Tester supports the planning, execution, and documentation of functional and automated testing for modern applications. This role works with product, development, Development, Security, and Operations (DevSecOps), and) team members to help ensure solutions meet business requirements and quality expectations. The tester contributes to test case development, test automation, defect reporting, and continuous improvement while learning established testing standards, security practices, and delivery processes.
Key Responsibilities
Participate in sprint/release planning by helping identify testing scope, test data needs, and required environments under the guidance of senior team members.
Review business and technical requirements and assist in creating test cases, test scripts, and test data to validate workflows, edge cases, and error handling.
Execute hands-on functional testing (manual and exploratory) and document results clearly, including reproduction steps and supporting evidence.
Build and maintain automated tests (such as unit, application programming interface (API), integration, and user interface tests) following team frameworks and coding standards.
Support testing of event- and message-based workflows, including applications that use Apache Kafka or similar messaging technologies, by validating expected outcomes and end-to-end processing behavior.
Assist with testing API-centric and cloud-friendly designs (microservices and serverless applications), including basic backward compatibility and integration checks.
Log, track, and re-test defects; participate in defect triage discussions and learn to support root-cause analysis by providing clear observations and test evidence.
Follow secure testing and data handling procedures; escalate potential security or privacy concerns to appropriate team members.
Contribute to continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) testing by running automated suites, reviewing results, and helping keep tests reliable and maintainable.
Help maintain testing documentation (test plans, test evidence, dashboards, and runbooks) so releases are auditable and operationally ready.
Learn and apply observability basics (logs, metrics, alerts) to support troubleshooting and improve test coverage over time.
Use approved AI-assisted development and testing tools to help accelerate test creation and analysis, while following team guidance for quality and security.
Perform other job-related tasks as assigned to support delivery and quality goals.
Required Skills
Foundational knowledge of software testing concepts, including functional testing, regression testing, and defect lifecycle.
Some experience creating or maintaining automated tests using common tools/frameworks (academic projects, internships, or entry-level professional experience acceptable).
Basic understanding of APIs and how to test them (for example: request/response validation, status codes, authentication basics).
Familiarity with at least one scripting or programming language used for automation or validation (for example: Java, JavaScript, and/or SQL).
Familiarity with Git and standard team workflows (branching, pull requests, code reviews).
Exposure to CI/CD concepts and willingness to learn pipeline-based testing (for example: using Jenkins or GitLab).
Understanding of secure handling of data in test activities (least privilege awareness, not exposing sensitive data, safe logging practices).
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document test results and defects clearly.
Strong collaboration skills and willingness to learn from feedback and follow team standards.
Preferred Qualifications
Exposure to Agile delivery practices and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) concepts.
Familiarity with change/configuration management tools (for example: VersionOne, ServiceNow) and/or Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) practices.
Introductory familiarity with cloud and messaging concepts (for example: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) basics, Pub/Sub, Kafka) and interest in learning distributed systems testing.
Exposure to container concepts (for example: Docker fundamentals) and modern application architectures (microservices/serverless).
Familiarity with approved AI-assisted tools (for example: OpenCode, Claude Code, Gemini Vertex AI) to support test creation and analysis.
Additional Required Skills/Experience:
• A minimum of eight (8) years experience in software development, software quality assurance/control, and/or related field;
• A degree from an accredited College/University in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline is preferred;
• Able to perform all functional duties independently on high-visibility programs, or mission critical aspects of a given program;
• Able to oversee the efforts of direct reporting resources and/or be responsible for the efforts of all staff assigned to a specific job;
• Experience training/mentoring less experienced personnel;
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with formal software testing for complex software applications;
• Extensive experience testing software applications, identifying/documenting defects, and working with developers and end users to resolve defects;
• Extensive experience with multiple defect tracking tools (e.g. Rational, Mercury);
• Extensive experience authoring software-quality-related documentation such as requirements specifications, test plans, test cases, test scripts and test reports;
• Able to obtain Postal clearance;
• Excellent communication skills.
