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Senior Software Development Engineer In Test Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Staff/Senior SDET

Palo Alto, CA ยท On-site

$129K - $168K/yr

Position Overview We are seeking a Staff/Senior SDET to join our growing team. This is a hands-on, builder-first role - you'll spend most of your time testing and writing code: designing and building ...

Showing results 21-40

Senior Software Development Engineer In Test information

See Santa Clara, CA salary details

$26.2K

$146.3K

$190.5K

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

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior software development engineer in test in Santa Clara, CA is $146,318.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $128,800.00 and $167,200.00 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 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 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.
What are the most commonly searched types of Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA? The most popular types of Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA are:
What are popular job titles related to Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA? For Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs in Santa Clara, CA are:
What cities near Santa Clara, CA are hiring for Senior Software Development Engineer In Test jobs? Cities near Santa Clara, CA with the most Senior Software Development Engineer In Test job openings:
Infographic showing various Senior Software Development Engineer In Test job openings in Santa Clara, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 81% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $146,318 per year, or $70.3 per hour.

Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, ML/AI

PlayStation Global

San Mateo, CA โ€ข On-site, Remote

$125K - $163K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 4 days ago


Job description

Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, ML/AI

At SIE, we believe in making play safer for everyone. Within our Information Security team, we protect our people, platforms, and products with smart, scalable, and thoughtful solutions. Our mission is to provide clear, actionable risk and security insights that guide the business and enable amazing player experiences.

We're building a team that thrives on collaboration, curiosity, and delivering real value. Come help us make a difference!

Overview

We are hiring a Sr Software Engineer in Test specializing in ML/AI quality, including automation for model evaluation, LLM-assisted test generation, and validation of AI-powered workflows. The role includes guiding quality strategy and developing automation frameworks. You will also manage implementation for complex, cross-functional, machine learning-powered products and services. This role involves more than test development. You will lead quality initiatives from start to finish, ensuring teams stay synchronized, dependencies are managed, and releases are delivered confidently. You will work closely with ML, engineering, product, and infrastructure teams. You will shape how quality is built, monitored, and expanded while leading embedded QE efforts within projects.

What you'll do
  • Define and complete quality strategies, test plans, and automation coverage for ML-powered services and platform components.
  • Use LLMs and other AI-assisted techniques to generate, expand, and maintain high-value test cases for ML-powered workflows.
  • Design scenario-based test suites for AI features, including adversarial prompts, edge cases, ambiguous inputs, and underrepresented user scenarios.
  • Lead QE efforts for multi-functional projects, driving risk assessment, dependency management, and release readiness.
  • Design, develop, and maintain scalable automation frameworks for backend services, APIs, and ML inference systems using Python and/or Java.
  • Build automated validation for ML and LLM outputs, including ranking behavior, score distributions, prompt/response quality, hallucination indicators, and probabilistic model evaluation.
  • Debug test failures, service anomalies, model inconsistencies, and AI behavior regressions to identify root causes and drive resolution.
  • Perform functional, integration, regression, API, end-to-end, performance, and reliability testing for distributed systems.
  • Improve automation reliability, reduce flakiness, and optimize execution efficiency.
  • Partner with engineering and ML teams to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and release workflows.
  • Collaborate across teams to establish scalable quality standards, tooling, and guidelines.
Required qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent
  • 5+ years of experience as an SDET or QE engineer focused on backend and distributed systems.
  • Experience using LLMs to generate, transform, and prioritize test cases for AI-powered experiences.
  • Experience with AI evaluation tooling, prompt evaluation frameworks, model monitoring, or human-in-the-loop review workflows.
  • Strong experience testing RESTful APIs, microservices, and distributed architectures.
  • Proficiency in Python, Java, JS or similar languages for automation development.
  • Hands-on experience with automation frameworks such as pytest, JUnit, Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or Appium.
  • Experience with CI/CD systems and test pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, etc.).
  • Experience with cloud and container technologies (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, Docker).
  • Familiarity with databases, monitoring, and observability tools.
  • Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile methodologies, and release processes.
  • Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and communication skills.
Preferred qualifications
  • Experience validating ML outputs using statistical analysis or scenario-based testing approaches.
  • Familiarity with ML infrastructure, data pipelines, or model-serving platforms (Seldon, KServe, Ray Serve, etc.).
  • Prior work in content moderation ML, security, fraud detection, or adversarial ML.
  • Experience testing high-scale, low-latency online services.
  • Experience with Databricks or similar ML platform tooling.
  • Familiarity with Node.js, React, or modern frontend technologies.
  • Experience testing mobile, console, or other non-PC platforms.
What sets you apart
  • Strong combination of automation engineering and delivery ownership.
  • Ability to drive quality across complex cross-functional initiatives.
  • Practical understanding of how to test non-deterministic AI systems and separate model variance from quality regressions.
  • Proven risk management and dependency coordination skills.
  • Ability to influence engineering teams and promote quality guidelines.
  • Passion for scalable, reliable, and maintainable automation systems.