Software Engineer in Quality, Automation & AI
Role SummaryThe Software Engineer in Quality, Automation & AI ,at inKind plays a critical role in ensuring the quality, performance, and reliability of the applications that power seamless dining experiences for our restaurant partners and their guests. You’ll design automation frameworks, perform exploratory testing, and help shape the future of quality engineering at inKind.You will be embedded in a cross-functional product pod, owning quality for a specific area of the platform.
This is a hands-on, engineering-focused role that blends automation, manual testing, and modern AI-powered testing approaches. You will work closely with product and engineering teams to identify risks early, build high-quality systems, and elevate the entire QA function. As part of a fast-moving dev environment, you will be encouraged to think beyond traditional QA boundaries and contribute to broader product and engineering goals.
Who You Are
- Technically Fluent: You have strong programming fundamentals and can build robust automation with modern tooling
- Curious & Exploratory: You dig deep to uncover edge cases and understand how systems behave under real-world conditions
- AI-Inspired: You’re excited to explore Generative AI and AI-powered testing tools to improve efficiency and coverage
- Quality-Focused: You balance automation with hands-on testing, choosing the right approach for the problem
- Startup-Minded: You adapt quickly, work autonomously, and thrive in an environment where quality ownership is shared across teams
- Collaborative & Clear: You partner closely with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to deliver exceptional user experiences
Responsibilities
Test Automation & Engineering
- Design, build, and maintain scalable, reusable automation frameworks for web, mobile, and API testing
- Implement automated suites that integrate into CI/CD pipelines and improve release confidence
- Leverage AI- and ML-powered testing tools to enhance coverage, speed, and overall QA intelligence
Manual & Exploratory Testing
- Conduct hands-on functional, regression, and exploratory testing across inKind’s apps and platform
- Identify edge cases, user experience gaps, and defects through deep investigative testing
- Apply risk-based testing practices to prioritize where time and focus matter most
Pod-Based Collaboration
This role will be embedded within a cross-functional product pod (engineering, product, design) and will spearhead quality for the product area within the pod. The Quality Engineer is expected to actively contribute throughout the development lifecycle — from requirement validation and test strategy to automation, exploratory testing, and production readiness. You'll thrive with ambiguity, turning evolving requirements into clear test strategies and artifacts.
Quality Leadership & Collaboration
- Partner with engineering and product teams to define testing strategies throughout the development lifecycle
- Advocate for quality by raising risks early, validating requirements, and improving testability
- Take ownership of quality outcomes for your product area within a cross-functional pod, from design through production
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Experiment with Generative AI tools to enhance efficiency and expand automation coverage
- Drive improvements to test frameworks, tooling, and processes across engineering teams
- Contribute ideas that impact product functionality, reliability, and customer experience, not just QA processes
Minimum Qualifications
- 5+ years of combined automation and manual testing experience
- Proficiency in at least one programming language: TypeScript, Java, Python, or JavaScript
- Experience with modern automation tools such as Playwright or testRigor; familiarity with mobile automation (Appium, Maestro) and AI-based testing platforms is a plus
- Strong understanding of manual testing, exploratory techniques, and risk-based testing
- Experience working in fast-paced startup or agile environments
- Interest in or experience with AI-powered and Generative AI testing tools
- Strong problem-solving skills and an inquisitive mindset
- Ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams and contribute beyond traditional QA responsibilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
- Familiarity with cloud environments such as AWS, GCP, or Azure
- Experience with data-driven testing or validating analytics pipelines
- Contributions to open-source testing tools or personal engineering projects
- Ability to write maintainable test code that supports long-term scalability
Some of our Benefits:
- Generous PTO and company holiday policy + company paid Short Term Disability
- 100% employer covered health and dental insurance for our direct employees (a set plan is covered, with higher tier healthcare coverage available at employee's additional cost; dependent coverage is at employee's cost); vision plan available at employee's additional cost
- Child Care Benefits and generous parental leave
- Dog-friendly workspace in a secure building with great views of downtown Austin
- Daily lunches and snacks for in-office team members
Salary
- $110,000 - $130,000, DOE
Who we are:
inKind connects passionate diners with exceptional restaurants across the country. inKind partners with thousands of restaurants and has millions of users who want to discover great places, dine confidently, and earn meaningful rewards.
Through the inKind app, guests earn 20% back every time they dine, turning everyday meals into something more rewarding. From celebrated restaurant groups like José Andres and Michael Mina to beloved neighborhood favorites, inKind helps diners explore the best restaurants in town while supporting the restaurants and chefs who shape how their cities eat.
Rooted in hospitality and built on a win-win philosophy, inKind exists to help great restaurants thrive while inspiring guests to dine out more often. Every meal creates value on both sides of the table, empowering diners to savor more while strengthening the restaurant community.
inKind is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that diversity is vital to inKind's ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability status, veteran status, or any other protected category have no bearing on our hiring decisions.
By submitting this application, you acknowledge that inKind Cards, Inc. may share the information you provide with trusted third-party service providers, including fraud detection and application processing partners, to evaluate your application and ensure the integrity of our hiring process. Your information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. For California residents and others with applicable rights, please review our privacy notice for information about your rights regarding your personal data.
Skills Required
- 5+ years of combined automation and manual testing experience
- Proficiency in at least one programming language: TypeScript, Java, Python, or JavaScript
- Experience with modern automation tools such as Playwright or testRigor
- Strong understanding of manual testing, exploratory techniques, and risk-based testing
- Experience working in fast-paced startup or agile environments
What the Team is Saying
inKind Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision insurance are part of the core package, complemented by company-paid short-term disability and mental health benefits. Feedback suggests this forms a solid baseline of coverage for employees.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is offered alongside a defined childcare subsidy for early childhood and a return-to-work program. Feedback suggests these supports are meaningful for caregivers.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Daily meals and snacks, fitness center access, free parking, a modern Austin HQ, and company-provided Apple devices feature prominently. Feedback suggests dining-related perks may also be available, enhancing everyday value.
inKind Insights
What We Do
inKind's mission is to support the success of independent restaurants and hospitality groups by providing funding and enriching customers' dining experiences with the inKind platform. At inKind, we believe restaurants are integral parts of our communities, and recognize the economic realities of being a successful operator. To better support hospitality ventures, we created a unique funding model that focuses on ensuring the success of our partners and providing customers a way to discover new restaurants nationwide.
Why Work With Us
We are a team of passionate foodies focused on creating a lasting impact for the restaurant industry. Our team celebrates diversity, encourages collaboration, and shares meals to imagine the most innovative and modern solutions for the food & beverage landscape. If you feel inspired by our vision, we’d love to hear what we could put on your plate.
Gallery
inKind Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We have a very collaborative culture and like working cross-functionally. We enjoy perks such as company-provided daily lunches, office dinners and happy hours, a dog friendly office space, an amazing snack and coffee game, and paid parking!
