Senior Test Engineer (Automation/AI) with Security Clearance

LOCATION: Chantilly, VA (on-site with partial telework)
CLEARANCE: Active TS/SCI required
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree required
EXPERIENCE: Minimum 8 years JOIN OUR GROWING TEAM At Linchpin Software, we are building a team, not filling seats. We are looking for a Senior Test Engineer who wants to own quality on a mission-critical program, work alongside people who care about doing it right, and grow with us as the program expands. You will have a real voice in how we test, how we ship, and how we mentor the next wave of engineers.

ABOUT THE ROLE In this role you will develop, execute, and optimize the automated testing frameworks that keep our systems reliable, secure, and performant. You will design and run automated test strategies inside a DevSecOps environment, support release readiness, and work side by side with development, cybersecurity, and operations teams. Beyond hands-on testing, you will mentor teammates, help standardize our testing practices, and drive continuous improvement across the software development lifecycle. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Design, build, and maintain automated test frameworks and test suites

• Plan and execute automated test strategies within CI/CD pipelines
• Support release readiness and go/no-go decisions
• Partner with development, cybersecurity, and operations teams
• Mentor QA engineers and promote consistent testing standards
• Identify gaps and lead improvements across the SDLC REQUIRED SKILLS - Experience developing and executing automated testing solutions and frameworks
• Proficiency with test automation tools such as Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or similar
• Experience working in Agile and DevSecOps environments
• Knowledge of SDLC, testing methodologies, and defect management processes
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT - Kubernetes
• Terraform
• GitLab CI/CD
• JFrog Artifactory
• AWS Cloud Services
• Open-source OpenCTI application, including:
• Significant open-source upstream development - Python - Node.js - React.js - GraphQL - Structured Threat Information eXpression v2 (STIX 2)
• Elasticsearch / OpenSearch - Redis - RabbitMQ - Integration of reasoning components, retrieval systems, databases, and AI / GenAI services PREFERRED SKILLS - Experience supporting federal, defense, intelligence, or highly regulated environments
• Knowledge of security testing, performance testing, and vulnerability validation
• Experience with cloud-native applications, containers, and microservices
• ISTQB, Certified Agile Tester (CAT), Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE), or similar certifications
• Familiarity with automated API testing, test data management, and test environment administration
• Experience mentoring QA engineers and leading testing improvement efforts WHY JOIN US - A small, growing team where your work is visible and your input matters
• Meaningful mission work using modern, open-source technology
• Room to lead, mentor, and shape how the program grows
• Chantilly, VA location with partial telework flexibility If this sounds like the kind of team you want to be part of, we would love to hear from you.