Onsite – 5 days/week - SDET / Backend API Test Automation

Job Details

Position Overview

Caterpillar is seeking a Software Test Engineer / SDET to support the System Integration Testing (SIT) team. This is primarily a backend/API test automation position focused on developing automated testing solutions using Java, Cucumber/BDD, and REST APIs.

The engineer will design, develop, execute, and maintain automated tests, validate backend services, and support end-to-end system integration testing. Strong Java coding and API testing experience is critical.

UI testing alone is not sufficient for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Java-based test automation solutions.
• Extend and enhance existing test automation frameworks.
• Design and execute automated tests for REST APIs and backend services.
• Develop and maintain Cucumber/BDD test scripts.
• Understand business requirements and acceptance criteria and translate them into test strategies, test cases, and automation scripts.
• Plan, design, develop, and maintain API test automation frameworks.
• Support System Integration Testing (SIT) and end-to-end integration testing.
• Develop automated functional and integration tests using tools such as Java, Cucumber, Karate, and JMeter.
• Create and maintain test data and SQL queries for validation.
• Perform exploratory and manual testing when appropriate.
• Support CI/CD automation for testing and quality validation.
• Troubleshoot test failures and backend/API issues.
• Collaborate with developers, product owners, business users, and other test engineers.
• Provide technical guidance and support to team members on automation practices.
• Document test strategies, test cases, automation frameworks, and results.
  

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Target experience: 2–4 years of overall professional experience.
• Candidates with additional experience may be considered if their background aligns with the role and they are comfortable working at the Level 2/junior level.
• At least 2 years of Java experience.
• At least 2 years of Cucumber/BDD experience.
• At least 2 years of test automation experience.

Must-Have Technical Skills

1. Java
• Strong hands-on Java development/coding experience.
• Candidates should be comfortable with Java coding during the interview.
2. REST API Testing
• Strong hands-on experience testing REST APIs.
• Understanding of API methods, backend architecture, and API behavior.
• Ability to design and execute API test scenarios.
3. Cucumber / BDD
• Experience writing Cucumber test scripts.
• Understanding of BDD testing concepts and frameworks.
• JBehave or similar BDD frameworks are also relevant.
4. Test Automation
• Hands-on experience developing automated test scripts and test cases.
• Experience designing or working with automation frameworks.
5. SQL
• Ability to write SQL queries and validate data in relational databases.
6. System Integration Testing
• Experience with full-stack/integration testing.
• Experience testing integrations with third-party systems.
• End-to-end system integration testing experience.
7. Performance Testing
• Experience developing scenario-based performance tests using JMeter.

Strong Preference

• Karate
• Python
• AWS Cloud
• TDD
• CI/CD
• Jenkins
• Git
• Apigee or other API gateways
• Microservices architecture
• Load and performance testing
• Agile/Lean development practices
• Code review practices
• Strong technical documentation skills

Technical Focus

The role is primarily focused on:

Java → API Testing → Test Automation → Cucumber/BDD → Backend Testing → System Integration Testing

Candidates with both API and UI testing experience are welcome, but strong backend/API testing is required.

Not a Strong Fit

• Primarily manual testers without automation experience.
• Primarily UI testers without strong API testing experience.
• Candidates without hands-on Java experience.
• Candidates without hands-on REST API testing experience.
• Candidates who cannot commit to working onsite 5 days per week in Chicago.

• Strong Java coding skills with hands-on development experience.
• Must be able to write and test their own code.
• Hands-on experience with Selenium for UI automation.
• Hands-on experience with Cucumber/BDD framework.
• Experience developing, executing, and maintaining automated test scripts.
• Ability to identify defects and troubleshoot issues independently.
• The candidate should have actual hands-on coding and automation experience, not just exposure or training.