ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Senior Software Engineer In Test Jobs in California

loanDepot

Sr. SDET (Selenium/Automation)

Irvine, CA · On-site

The Senior Software Development Engineer in Test is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining automated testing solutions that improve software quality, reduce production risk, and ...

loanDepot

Sr. SDET (Selenium/Automation)

Irvine, CA

The Senior Software Development Engineer in Test is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining automated testing solutions that improve software quality, reduce production risk, and ...

loanDepot

Sr. SDET (Selenium/Automation)

Irvine, CA · On-site

The Senior Software Development Engineer in Test is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining automated testing solutions that improve software quality, reduce production risk, and ...

previous page

Showing results 41-60

All JobsSoftware Engineer In Test JobsSenior Software Engineer In Test JobsSenior Software Engineer In Test Jobs in California

Senior Software Engineer In Test information

See California salary details

$22.2K

$123.9K

$161.4K

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

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior software 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.

What is a senior software engineer in test?

Senior Software Engineers in Test are experienced professionals who design, develop, and implement automated testing frameworks and tools to ensure the quality and reliability of software products. They work closely with development and QA teams to identify testing needs, create robust test plans, and write automated scripts that validate software functionality. In addition to hands-on coding, they often mentor junior engineers, drive process improvements, and contribute to the overall testing strategy of the organization.

What are some typical challenges a senior software engineer in test faces when designing automated testing frameworks?

Senior Software Engineers in Test often encounter challenges such as integrating automated tests with complex, evolving codebases and ensuring tests remain reliable as features change. Balancing thorough test coverage with execution speed, especially in continuous integration environments, is another common concern. Additionally, collaborating with both development and QA teams to align on testing strategies and maintaining documentation for test frameworks are key responsibilities that require strong communication and adaptability.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior software engineer in test, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Software Engineer in Test, you need a deep understanding of software development, test automation frameworks, and a background in computer science or a related field. Mastery of tools like Selenium, Jenkins, JUnit, and experience with CI/CD systems, as well as relevant certifications such as ISTQB, are typically required. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication skills set top candidates apart in this role. These skills are crucial for ensuring robust, scalable, and reliable software delivery in complex technical environments.

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

AspectSenior Software Engineer In TestSoftware Development Engineer in Test
CredentialsBachelor's in CS or related field, experience in testing and automationBachelor's in CS or related field, strong coding skills, experience in testing
Work EnvironmentDesigning test strategies, automation frameworks, collaborating with development teamsDeveloping test tools, writing automated tests, integrating testing into CI/CD pipelines
Industry UsageCommon in tech companies, especially in QA and testing teamsWidely used in software development companies focusing on automation

The main difference is that Senior Software Engineer In Test often focuses on testing strategy and automation leadership, while Software Development Engineer in Test emphasizes developing testing tools and automation code. Both roles require strong coding skills and testing experience, but their focus areas differ slightly within the testing lifecycle.

What are the most commonly searched types of Software Engineer In Test jobs in California?

The most popular types of Software Engineer In Test jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs in California?

For Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs?

Cities in California with the most Senior Software Engineer In Test job openings:

Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Software Engineer In Test job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $123,916 per year, or $59.6 per hour.

Senior Software Development Engineer Test (SDET)

Forge Global

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$175K - $205K/yr

Full-time

Posted 19 days ago

Job description

The Role: 

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: 

  • 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: 

  • 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

Apply