Software Development Engineer Test Jobs in Virginia

Description

Security Clearance: Active Secret clearance required (Interim ok)

Travel Requirement: Up to 10%

Citizenship: US Citizenship required

Sherpa 6 builds mission-critical software systems for the Department of Defense and select commercial customers - the kind of software where quality isn't optional. We're looking for an experienced SDET to join a collaborative engineering team and help us scale, modernize, and mature our automated testing capabilities across a portfolio of high-impact applications. 

This is a role for someone who thinks like a developer, tests like an adversary, and cares deeply about quality at every layer of the stack. 

Responsibilities: 

• Analyze software design documents, user stories, and acceptance criteria to develop comprehensive test strategies for new and existing features 
• Design, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks - converting manual test cases into reliable, maintainable automation 
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous regression testing and fast feedback loops 
• Partner closely with software developers, architects, and product stakeholders to identify testability gaps and shift quality left in the SDLC 
• Investigate, triage, and resolve issues within the test automation framework - improving reliability, coverage, and execution speed over time 
• Contribute to a culture of quality across the engineering organization - advocating for best practices in test design, code review, and defect management 
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and cross-team collaboration to ensure testing is never a bottleneck 

Requirements

• 3+ years of Software Development or Test Automation experience. 
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field 
• Hands-on experience with Playwright and TypeScript - or strong Selenium/Java experience. 
• Experience working within CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins, or equivalent). 
• Familiarity with containerized environments using Docker. 
• Experience with Agile delivery frameworks and ticketing tools such as Jira or Rally. 
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. 
• Experience working with agentic AI tools in a development or QA context - particularly for test generation, code review, or pipeline automation. 
• Apply Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) practices to oversee AI-generated test cases, ensuring human review, validation, and approval before and after automated execution 

What Sets Exceptional Candidates Apart: 

• Familiarity with LLM integration patterns such as RAG, MCP (Model Context Protocol), or multi-agent orchestration workflows. 
• Front-end, back-end, or mobile development experience, especially with modern SPA frameworks (React, Angular, Vue). 
• Experience with API testing frameworks alongside UI automation. 
• Prior exposure to Selenium/Appium migration projects - understanding what breaks when you move frameworks and how to manage it safely. 
• Extreme, uncompromising attention to detail - you notice what others miss and you care deeply about why. 
• Active Secret security clearance

About Sherpa 6

At Sherpa 6 we love to solve problems and provide the best solutions for our customers. Our approach to a problem is to find a user-focused and design-driven solution that is simple yet functional and effective. We are a group of enthusiastic forward-thinkers who are excited to build amazing solutions with bleeding-edge technology. We hire people who are forward thinkers, passionate about what they do, love to collaborate and want to constantly learn. We enjoy what we do and we're not afraid to put the extra effort in to accomplish the mission; call us Sherpas. As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, we know what it means to serve. We have made it our mission to be the leaders in solutions that protect and give our Warfighters the edge they need when put into harm's way.

Background/Drug Screening

Successful completion of a pre-employment background & drug screening will be required as a condition of hire.

ADA

Sherpa 6 will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990.

EEO/AA

Sherpa 6 does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, height, weight, or marital status in employment or the provision of services and is an equal access/opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Benefits

We offer a competitive benefits package, covering the cost of medical for you and your family; we also offer dental, vision, health and wellness benefits and a generous retirement savings plan. We believe that our employees can manage their workload and their personal life, therefore we extend a generous PTO policy. This allows our employees to balance their lives as they see fit.

Salary Range

The proposed salary range is reflective across all Sherpa 6 locations, years of experience, and skill levels. Salary negotiations will be based on a host of factors including but not limited to your geographic location, prior experience, relevant skills, education, and certifications.