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Senior Software Development Engineer In Test Jobs in California

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Senior Software Development Engineer In Test information

See California salary details

$22.2K

$123.9K

$161.4K

How much do senior software development engineer in test jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior software development engineer in test in California is $123,916.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $109,100.00 and $141,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Senior Software Development Engineer In Test typically collaborate with development and product teams to ensure software quality?

As a Senior Software Development Engineer In Test (SDET), you will work closely with both development and product teams throughout the software development lifecycle. This includes participating in design and requirements discussions to identify potential test cases early, contributing to test automation strategies, and providing feedback on testability and quality risks. SDETs often pair with developers to review code, co-create test plans, and triage bugs together, ensuring that testing is fully integrated into the CI/CD pipeline. Effective communication and cross-team collaboration are essential for proactively identifying issues and maintaining high software quality standards.

What engineers make $500,000?

Senior Software Development Engineers In Test (SDETs) with extensive experience, specialized skills in automation, and working at large tech companies or in high-cost-of-living regions can earn $500,000 or more annually. Compensation often includes base salary, bonuses, and stock options, especially for those in leadership roles or with rare expertise in testing automation, cloud platforms, or security tools.

Will QA or SDET get replaced by AI?

Senior Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) and QA professionals perform complex testing tasks that require critical thinking, creativity, and understanding of system architecture, which AI currently cannot fully replicate. While AI tools can automate repetitive testing and assist in identifying issues, human oversight and expertise remain essential for designing test strategies, interpreting results, and ensuring software quality in a fast-evolving environment.

What is the SDET engineer's salary?

The salary for a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) typically ranges from $90,000 to $140,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. SDETs with strong programming skills and experience with automation tools like Selenium or Jenkins tend to earn higher salaries.

Is SDET still in demand?

Senior Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) are in strong demand due to the increasing emphasis on quality assurance and automation in software development. SDETs with skills in programming, test automation tools, and CI/CD pipelines are particularly sought after across various industries, ensuring continuous testing and faster release cycles.

What is the difference between Senior Software Development Engineer In Test vs Software Development Engineer In Test?

AspectSenior Software Development Engineer In TestSoftware Development Engineer In Test
ExperienceTypically 5+ years in testing and developmentEntry to mid-level, 1-3 years experience
ResponsibilitiesDesigns complex test frameworks, mentors juniors, leads testing initiativesDevelops test cases, automates tests, executes testing tasks
Skills & CertificationsAdvanced coding, automation, testing tools, leadership skillsProgramming, automation, testing tools
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with cross-functional teams, often in Agile settingsWorks closely with developers, focuses on automation and manual testing

In summary, a Senior Software Development Engineer In Test has more experience, leadership responsibilities, and strategic testing roles compared to a Software Development Engineer In Test, who primarily focuses on developing and executing tests.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, you need advanced programming skills, deep knowledge of software testing methodologies, and a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Expertise with automation frameworks (such as Selenium, Cypress, or Appium), CI/CD tools, and scripting languages is typically required, along with relevant certifications like ISTQB. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams and driving quality initiatives. These capabilities ensure rigorous test coverage, faster release cycles, and high-quality software products.

What does a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) do?

A Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining automated test frameworks and tools to ensure the quality and reliability of software products. They work closely with development and QA teams to identify test requirements, create robust test cases, and integrate automated tests into the CI/CD pipeline. In addition to coding and scripting, Senior SDETs mentor junior team members, analyze test results, and help troubleshoot complex issues to continuously improve software quality. Their expertise bridges the gap between development and testing, ensuring both speed and quality in software releases.
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Senior Software Development Engineer in Test

Senior Software Development Engineer in Test

Sidecar Health

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$119K - $154K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 12 days ago


Job description

Sidecar Health is redefining health insurance. Our mission is to make excellent healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone. We know that to accomplish this lofty mission, we need driven people who will make things happen.

The passionate people who make up Sidecar Health's team come from all over, with backgrounds as tech leaders, policy makers, healthcare professionals, and beyond. And they all have one thing in common—the desire to fix a broken system and make it more personalized, affordable, and transparent.

If you want to use your talents to transform healthcare in the United States, come join us!

About the Role

We're looking for a Senior SDET to join our Member Experience engineering team and own the quality engineering foundation for the products our members interact with every day—from finding care and understanding benefits to submitting claims and managing their health plans.

This is a hands-on, high-impact individual contributor role. You won't be managing a team—you'll be the person who builds the automation frameworks, designs the regression suites, and ensures we catch issues before our members ever see them. You'll work closely with our Director of Engineering for Member Experience and embed directly with product engineering squads to shift quality left across the entire development lifecycle.

We're also building toward an AI-powered approach to quality engineering. You'll help us explore and implement AI-assisted testing—from intelligent test generation and self-healing test suites to building QA agents that can autonomously validate complex member workflows. If you're excited about the intersection of test automation and AI, this is the role.
**MUST BE BASED IN CALIFORNIA**

What You'll Do

  • Design, build, and maintain scalable test automation frameworks across our member-facing applications (web and mobile), covering UI, API, and integration layers
  • Develop and own a comprehensive regression suite that provides confidence for every release across our multi-state health insurance platform
  • Embed with product engineering teams to shift quality left—writing testable acceptance criteria, designing test strategies during sprint planning, and catching defects early in the development cycle
  • Build and maintain CI/CD-integrated test pipelines that provide fast, reliable feedback on every pull request and deployment
  • Pioneer AI-powered quality engineering: explore and implement LLM-assisted test generation, intelligent test maintenance, and autonomous QA agents that can validate complex claims, benefits, and member workflows
  • Investigate and triage production issues, perform root cause analysis, and build targeted regression tests to prevent recurrence
  • Define quality metrics and reporting that give engineering leadership visibility into test coverage, defect trends, and release readiness
  • Champion a quality-first culture across the Member Experience engineering organization—mentoring and showcasing testability best practices to developers

What You'll Bring

  • Significant hands-on experience as an SDET, Test Automation Engineer, or Quality Engineer in a software product environment
  • Deep expertise building test automation frameworks from scratch (not just writing scripts in existing frameworks)—you've made architectural decisions about tooling, patterns, and infrastructure
  • Strong programming skills in Java, Python, TypeScript, or similar languages; you write production-quality code
  • Experience testing modern web applications built on frameworks like React/Next.js/React Native/Flutter and backend services on Spring Boot or similar JVM-based stacks
  • Proficiency with API and integration testing tools and practices (REST, GraphQL, contract testing)
  • Hands-on experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar)
  • Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred): understanding of how to test applications running on Lambda, Step Functions, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and related services
  • Strong debugging and root cause analysis skills—you can read application code, trace through distributed systems, and pinpoint where things break
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence engineering teams on quality practices as a peer, not a gatekeeper
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience

The Reality

This is a startup. We move fast. We prioritize impact over polish. We expect:

  • Bias for action — ship, learn, iterate
  • Ownership — you design it, build it, run it
  • Pragmatism — solve real problems, not theoretical ones
  • Resilience — ambiguity comes with the territory

Healthcare is complex and broken. The work matters.

What You'll Get

  • Competitive salary, bonus opportunity, and equity package
  • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits
  • A 401k retirement plan
  • Paid vacation and company holidays
  • Opportunity to make an impact at a rapidly growing mission-driven company transforming healthcare in the U.S.

Sidecar Health is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status.