26-2268: QA Automation Engineer - Herndon, VA

We are seeking a highly skilled QA Automation Engineer with strong experience in modern UI test automation, API validation, and end-to-end quality engineering practices. The ideal candidate will play a key role in designing, building, and maintaining scalable automation frameworks that support enterprise-grade applications across multiple environments. This role requires a proactive engineer who can drive automation quality, improve release confidence, and collaborate closely with QA, development, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure reliable software delivery.

The candidate should possess deep hands-on expertise in Playwright, TypeScript, and Cucumber/BDD, along with strong debugging capabilities across UI, API, database, and CI/CD layers. This position requires ownership of automation stability, framework scalability, and execution strategy within fast-paced Agile delivery environments.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Design, develop, maintain, and enhance scalable automation frameworks using TypeScript, Playwright, and Cucumber/BDD.
• Build reusable page objects, shared hooks, utilities, and stable locator strategies for dynamic enterprise applications.
• Develop and execute end-to-end automated tests across UI, API, and database layers.
• Perform authenticated API validation and backend SQL verification to ensure data integrity and workflow accuracy.
• Troubleshoot and debug automation failures across application, API, database, and environment layers.
• Create and maintain GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines for smoke, shakeout, regression, and environment-specific test execution.
• Integrate reporting tools such as Allure for test reporting, analytics, and failure triage.
• Manage automation codebase activities including branching, pull requests, merges, and conflict resolution using Git best practices.
• Improve framework maintainability, reduce flaky tests, optimize runtime performance, and enhance automation reliability.
• Collaborate with developers, QA analysts, DevOps engineers, and release teams to align automation coverage with evolving business requirements.
• Support complex workflow automation including MFA/OTP validation, role-based access, portal-to-portal workflows, and multi-user scenarios.
• Develop reusable test data management utilities including setup/teardown flows and seeded test data support.
• Participate in sprint planning, test strategy discussions, release readiness, and defect triage activities.
• Mentor junior automation engineers and promote consistency in framework usage, debugging practices, and automation standards.
• Contribute to automation roadmap planning, suite segmentation strategies, and long-term framework direction.

Do you have experience in UI?, * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.

• 5+ years of experience in QA automation engineering or SDET roles.
• Strong hands-on experience with:

• TypeScriptPlaywright
• Cucumber/BDD
• Node.js ecosystem
• API automation and validation
• SQL and backend database verification

• Proven experience building scalable automation frameworks for enterprise applications.
• Experience implementing CI/CD automation pipelines using GitHub Actions or similar tools.
• Strong understanding of Git workflows including branching, merging, pull requests, and code review processes.
• Experience handling dynamic UIs, unstable DOM structures, and component-based frontend applications.
• Ability to analyze failures holistically across UI, API, DB, environment, and infrastructure layers.
• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum software delivery methodologies.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Set Yourself Apart With:

• Experience automating workflows involving MFA/OTP authentication and role-based access validation.
• Familiarity with queue-based or message-driven workflow validation.
• Knowledge of test data management strategies and reusable automation support utilities.
• Exposure to AWS integrations and cloud-connected testing environments.
• Experience with long-running automation suites, execution tagging, and runtime optimization.
• Prior experience in a senior SDET or senior automation engineering role influencing framework architecture and execution strategy.
• Ability to build maintainable, scalable automation solutions that improve pipeline stability and release confidence.
• Experience working with enterprise workflows involving UI, APIs, databases, approvals, ticketing systems, and operational processing.
• Ability to mentor teams and establish automation engineering best practices across projects.
• Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams and stakeholders in rapidly evolving environments.

Pulled from the full job description

• Opportunities for advancement

Since our inception back in 2006, Navitas has grown to be an industry leader in the digital transformation space, and we've served as trusted advisors supporting our client base within the commercial, federal, and state and local markets. What We Do: At our very core, we're a group of problem solvers providing our award-winning technology solutions to drive digital acceleration for our customers! With proven solutions, award-winning technologies, and a team of expert problem solvers, Navitas has consistently empowered customers to use technology as a competitive advantage and deliver cutting-edge transformative solutions.