Test Engineer (Manual and Automation)

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Test Engineer to join our agile development team supporting BEAGLE (Border Enforcement Applications for Government Leading-Edge Information Technology) Agile Solution Factory (ASF) Team supporting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) client located in Northern Virginia! Join this passionate team of industry-leading individuals supporting the best practices in Agile Software Development for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

You will play a key role in evolving our quality assurance practices, starting with robust manual testing and progressively transitioning to a comprehensive, scalable automation framework. This role requires a hands-on approach to implementing integration, API, and UI automated tests. If you're passionate about quality, eager to build sophisticated automation solutions, and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, we want to hear from you!

As a member of the BEAGLE ASF Team, you will support the men and women charged with safeguarding the American people and enhancing the Nation’s safety, security, and prosperity. CBP agents and officers are on the front lines, every day, protecting our national security by combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity.

ASF programs thrive in a culture of innovation and are constantly seeking individuals who can bring creative ideas to solve complex problems, both technical and procedural at the team and portfolio levels.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure the quality and reliability of our critical applications, which are built on an Angular frontend, Java Spring Boot middleware, and a Postgres backend database.

• Evolve Testing Strategy: Design, develop, and execute comprehensive test plans and strategies across all levels of the testing pyramid (unit, integration, API, and UI), focusing on the Angular, Java Spring Boot, and Postgres stack.

• Automation Development (Java/Selenium):

• Develop, maintain, and execute automated test suites using Java with Selenium WebDriver (or similar frameworks like Playwright/Cypress as applicable) for UI testing of our Angular applications.

• Implement robust API-level automation for our Java Spring Boot services.

• Perform database validations using SQL to ensure data integrity and accuracy within our Postgres environment.

• Conduct thorough manual and exploratory testing for new features and complex scenarios, identifying areas ripe for automation and providing rapid feedback to developers.

• Integrate automated tests into our Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines using tools such as Jenkins/Hudson, TeamCity, or Bamboo to ensure continuous quality gates.

• Accurately identify, document, prioritize, and track software defects and issues through to resolution in collaboration with the development team.

• Actively participate in all Agile Scrum ceremonies (sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives, demos), collaborating closely with Product Owners, Developers, and other stakeholders. You will also provide guidance on automation tools and testing methods to meet project-specific needs.

• Map tasks and tests to backlog items, ensuring clear requirements traceability.

• Contribute to defining and executing performance, load, security, and interoperability tests, ensuring the application meets non-functional requirements.

• Apply test estimation techniques to software development efforts.

• Support independent User Acceptance Testing (UAT) efforts, ensuring business needs are met.

• Contribute to the development and improvement of QA methodologies, processes, and best practices across the team.

• Support testing efforts during scheduled and unscheduled Change Requests, including after-hours and weekends as needed. Provide mission support activities after hours and as needed.

Qualifications:
Required: 

• U.S. Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to pass a CBP background investigation criteria include, but not limited to:

  • 3-year check for felony convictions,

  • 1-year check for illegal drug use,

  • 1-year check for misconduct such as theft or fraud).

• Bachelor's degree (B.S. or greater) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Management Systems, or a related discipline. Experience accepted in lieu of a degree.

• Must be available to work a hybrid schedule in Ashburn, VA.

• 5+ years of progressive experience testing solutions developed in Java, with a strong emphasis on automation and evolving test strategies.

• Demonstrated experience with Functional Testing, Integration Testing, System Testing, and User Acceptance Testing phases.

• Hands-on OOP programming experience with Java for automation framework development.

• Expert proficiency with open-source automation tools like Selenium WebDriver, with experience using testing frameworks such as TestNG or JUnit. Familiarity with Cucumber for BDD.

• Hands-on experience working with Continuous Integration (CI) environments such as Jenkins/Hudson, TeamCity, or Bamboo.

• Comfortable working with version control systems like GIT.

• Solid SQL skills for database validation, specifically with Postgres.

• Strong understanding of web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) for frontend testing.

• Extensive experience testing RESTful APIs and middleware components.

• Deep understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies (Scrum).

• Strong knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts of Continuous Integration, Automated Testing, and User Acceptance Testing.

• Able to provide mission support activities after hours and as needed.

• Able to work a hybrid schedule with an on-site requirement of 2-3 days per week in Ashburn, VA

Desired:

• Ability to write clear and comprehensive test documentation (Test Plans, Test Procedures, Problem Reports, Change Requests, System Requirements Documents).