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Senior Software Development Engineer In Test Jobs in San Mateo, CA

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Senior Software Development Engineer In Test information

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$25.6K

$143K

$186.2K

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

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior software development engineer in test in San Mateo, CA is $143,013.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,900.00 and $163,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a senior software development engineer in test 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.

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 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 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.

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For Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in San Mateo, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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The top searched job categories for Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in San Mateo, CA are:

What cities near San Mateo, CA are hiring for Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs?

Cities near San Mateo, CA with the most Senior Software Development Engineer In Test job openings:

Infographic showing various Senior Software Development Engineer In Test job openings in San Mateo, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 79% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $143,013 per year, or $68.8 per hour.

Senior Software Development Engineer Test (SDET)

Forge Global

San Francisco, CA โ€ข On-site

$175K - $205K/yr

Full-time

Posted 23 days ago


Job description

The Role:ย 

Forge's quality engineering team's charter is to improve product quality. We thrive on holding high standards, obsessing over our customers, and living our values of being bold, humble and accountable.

We are seeking a Sr Software Development Engineer in Test with experience developing testing solutions and tooling to improve quality for financial trading systems or similar applications. This role will work on our platform and reliability engineering team. These teams own Forge's infrastructure, developer experience and deployment engineering. We are looking for a senior, technical and customer focused candidate who will also embody Forge values. The ideal candidate thrives in team settings and is motivated by creating success all around them through strong communication, shipping great product experiences, and making data-driven decisions. They will be working closely with other quality engineers in the team to define and execute the testing strategy.

Responsibilities:

  • Build comprehensive bottoms up Test Strategies for infrastructure changes and releases
  • Built test automation frameworks, tools, solutions to make testing faster, efficient and stable
  • Leverage artificial intelligence technologies to augment testing activities
  • Experience with AI solutions such as agentic automation, MCPs, RAG applications etc
  • Write tests plans covering various customer use cases - functional, compliance & legal aspects
  • Engage is projects from the initiation phase to identify gaps in requirement and failure modes in design
  • Automate tests based on what's most valuable and high priority
  • Collaborate with Forge's product, design, information security and business team members to quickly grasp domain knowledge.
  • Develop concise, articulate, and detailed documentation[RP1.1][AD1.2]
  • Participate in scope definition, requirements analysis, functional and technical test design, test gap analysis with assistance from other team members
  • Provide technical assistance in the diagnosis of issues
  • Assist in identification of defect trends of their areas and partner with development teams to fix the root cause

Qualifications:ย 

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or 5 years software engineering experience)
  • 5-10 years of software testing experience
  • Fintech, Trading or Financial services industry experience
  • Experience in leading quality efforts for internet applications
  • Experience in test automation on UI, API or others
  • Experience in enhancing existing Test Automation frameworks - Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, K6 etc.
  • Experience with CI/CD Pipelines
  • Fluency with AI technologies related to testing and validation

Desired Qualifications:ย 

  • Experience in E2E Automation, contract testing, API Automation, load & performance testing
  • Experience mentoring other quality engineers
  • Proven track-record of teamwork and delivery
  • Experience at high-growth, venture-backed startups

For residents of the San Francisco, CA area, the annual salary range for this role is $175,000 - $205,000 + annual bonus. Final offers may vary from the amount listed based on geography, candidate experience and expertise, bonus, and other factors