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Test Automation Engineer (SDET) - Washington, DC

Digital Technology SolutionsWashington, DC🇺🇸United StatesPosted 17 Jul 2026

Quick Overview

Work Type
Hybrid
Level
Mid Senior

Job Description

DTS is looking for experienced Test Automation Engineer (SDET) for our Client position based in Washington, DC

 
 
 
Primary Focus:
  • Elections distribution systems
  • API testing
  • Automation
  • Risk-based quality coverage
Top Must-Have Skills
  • Strong hands-on experience with Playwright and TypeScript for test automation.
  • Strong API testing and automation experience using Rest Assured.
  • Working knowledge of AWS, especially analyzing CloudWatch logs.
  • Strong experience with XML and JSON schema validation.
Top Nice-to-Have Skills
  • Institutional knowledge of U.S. elections workflows, terminology, race results, vote types, and distribution risks.
  • Python scripting experience for utilities, validation, or test data support.
  • Experience using boto3 for AWS automation or log/data validation.
  • Experience with AI-led test automation for test design, automation acceleration, and impact analysis.
  • Experience testing high-visibility, time-sensitive, production-critical systems.
  • Prior experience in media, publishing, news, elections, or real-time distribution platforms.
Role Summary
  • We are looking for a hands-on SDET to support election-critical systems through the November elections cycle.
  • This person will work closely with the current Elections QA Lead and help offload testing and automation work, especially on the distribution side of the platform.
  • The role requires strong automation, API testing, AWS observability, and backend validation experience.
  • The person must have practical knowledge of U.S. elections and understand the risks associated with election result distribution.
  • This is not a pure automation role; the person must be able to clarify requirements, challenge gaps, assess production risk, and help improve QE processes.
  • The ideal candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-paced Agile environment while maintaining quality discipline.
  • The person should be able to communicate testing progress, automation value, risks, and quality improvements to stakeholders.
Required Skills
  • Strong hands-on experience with Playwright for UI and API automation.
  • Strong coding and scripting experience using TypeScript.
  • Hands-on API automation experience using Rest Assured.
  • Strong experience testing REST APIs, including:
    • Request and response validation
    • Status code validation
    • Header validation
    • Error handling validation
    • Negative testing
    • Contract testing
    • Data integrity testing
  • Must have experience with XML and JSON schema validation.
  • Ability to design test scenarios based on API specification documentation.
  • Experience writing BDD-style test scenarios and acceptance criteria.
  • Working knowledge of AWS, especially for test validation and production behavior analysis.
  • Ability to analyze CloudWatch logs to determine API usage patterns, failure trends, and missing test coverage.
  • Experience converting production usage patterns into meaningful automated test coverage.
  • Experience working with MongoDB collections for backend data validation.
  • Hands-on experience with Jira and Zephyr for test case management, defect tracking, test execution, and traceability.
  • Strong understanding of risk-based testing and the ability to prioritize coverage based on production and business impact.
  • Experience working in a highly Agile environment with fast-moving delivery teams.
  • Ability to push back professionally when the team deviates from agreed process, quality gates, or acceptance criteria.
  • Strong stakeholder communication skills.
  • Ability to work with product owners, developers, QA leads, and business stakeholders to clarify requirements and acceptance criteria.
  • Institutional knowledge of U.S. elections is a must, including:
    • Election results workflows
    • Race-level data
    • Vote updates
    • Vote types
    • Race calls
    • Result distribution
    • Downstream consumer impact
    • Election-night risk areas
Good-to-Have Skills
  • Python scripting experience for test utilities, data validation, log analysis, or automation support.
  • Experience with boto3 for AWS-based automation or validation.
  • Experience with AI-led test automation tools or frameworks.
  • Experience using AI to support:
    • Test scenario generation
    • Automation script generation
    • Regression impact analysis
    • Test coverage recommendations
  • Experience testing media, publishing, news, or real-time data distribution platforms.
  • Experience supporting production-critical systems during high-visibility events.
  • Experience with release readiness reviews, defect triage, and go/no-go decisions.
  • Experience with observability-driven testing, where production logs and usage data are used to improve test coverage.
  • Experience participating in or facilitating blameless postmortems.
  • Experience communicating automation ROI and quality value to technical and business stakeholders.
Desired Profile
  • The ideal candidate should be more than a test automation engineer; they should operate like a quality engineer who understands production risk.
  • The person should be able to work closely with the Elections QA Lead and take ownership of assigned distribution-side testing workstreams.
  • The person should help reduce the workload on the current lead by independently handling automation, API validation, log analysis, and test coverage expansion.
  • The person should be able to identify high-risk workflows and prioritize testing based on business and production impact.
  • The person should review requirements critically and not simply test what is written in the ticket.
  • The person should proactively work with stakeholders to clarify unclear requirements, missing acceptance criteria, and edge cases.
  • The person should use CloudWatch logs to understand real API usage patterns and add tests where coverage gaps exist.
  • The person should bring practical QE process improvements to reduce production misses wherever possible.
  • The person should help improve test coverage across API, backend, data validation, schema validation, and distribution workflows.
  • The person should be comfortable pushing back respectfully when process shortcuts create quality or production risk.
  • The person should be able to communicate risks clearly without creating noise or unnecessary escalation.
  • The person should be able to show value to stakeholders by broadcasting automation improvements, risk reduction, coverage gains, and ROI.
  • The person should participate in blameless postmortems and help convert findings into preventive actions.
  • The person should be comfortable working under election-cycle pressure without cutting corners on quality.
  • The person should bring a continuous improvement mindset and help strengthen the QE process.
 
 
 
DTS offers excellent compensation package.
 
Contact :
Ajay Bharbutta
Team Lead
Digital Technology Solutions (DTS)
 

Skills

MongoDB
AWS
Agile
BDD
Jira
Playwright
Python
REST
TypeScript

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