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Sr Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

L3HHCM20

Senior Specialist, Automation Engineer

Culpeper, VA · On-site

$100K - $131K/yr

Senior Specialist, Automation Engineer Job Code: 39235 Job Location: Orange, VA Job Schedule: 4/10: Employees work 10 hour days, 4 days a week The Advanced Operations Technology (AOT) organization is ...

JLL

Sr Cyber Security Automation Engineer

Richmond, VA · On-site

Senior Cyber Security Automation Engineer JLL Technologies What this job involves: About the role #JLLTechAmbitions Jones Lang LaSalle, an international commercial real estate firm, is seeking a ...

CDM Smith

Senior Automation and Controls Engineer

Fairfax, VA · Hybrid

$106K - $139K/yr

CDM Smith is seeking a Senior Automation and Controls Engineer to join a great team of motivated Automation engineers in our Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions! The successful candidate will be ...

CDM Smith

Senior Automation and Controls Engineer

Fairfax, VA · On-site

$106K - $139K/yr

CDM Smith is seeking a Senior Automation and Controls Engineer to join a great team of motivated Automation engineers in our Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions! The successful candidate will be ...

ECS

Sr. Automation SME

Arlington, VA · On-site

$160K - $195K/yr

Everforth ECS is seeking a Senior Automation SME to work in our Arlington, VA office. Everforth ECS is seeking talented professionals to join our successful and growing team supporting the ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsSr Automation Engineer JobsSr Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Sr Automation Engineer information

See Virginia salary details

$51.1K

$120.8K

$166.6K

How much do sr automation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for sr automation engineer in Virginia is $120,809.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $103,100.00 and $135,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Sr Automation Engineer?

A Sr Automation Engineer is a senior-level professional who designs, develops, and implements automated systems and processes to improve efficiency, quality, and safety in various industries, such as manufacturing, software, or IT operations. They typically have extensive experience in automation tools, programming, and systems integration. These engineers lead projects, mentor junior staff, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize workflows and troubleshoot complex automation issues. Their work often results in cost savings, reduced manual labor, and improved consistency in operations.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Sr Automation Engineer?

To thrive as a Sr Automation Engineer, you need a strong background in automation systems, programming (such as Python or PLC languages), and a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with industrial control systems, SCADA, robotics platforms, and certifications like ISA or Six Sigma are typically required. Strong problem-solving, project management, and communication skills help you collaborate across teams and drive complex automation projects. These skills ensure efficient system performance, minimize downtime, and enable successful implementation of advanced automation solutions.

What are some common challenges Sr Automation Engineers face when implementing automation solutions in established production environments?

Sr Automation Engineers often encounter challenges such as integrating new automation technologies with legacy systems, ensuring minimal downtime during deployments, and navigating resistance to change from operations teams. Effective communication and thorough testing are critical to address these issues. Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams—including IT, production, and quality assurance—helps mitigate risks and ensures a smooth transition to automated processes.

What is the difference between Sr Automation Engineer vs Automation Engineer?

AspectSr Automation EngineerAutomation Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in Engineering or Computer Science, often with certifications in automation toolsBachelor's degree in Engineering or related field, similar certifications
Work EnvironmentTypically in mid to large tech or manufacturing companies, leading automation projectsEntry to mid-level roles in similar industries, supporting automation tasks
Employer & Industry UsageUsed across manufacturing, software, and industrial sectors for complex automationCommon in manufacturing and software industries for developing and maintaining automation systems

The main difference between a Sr Automation Engineer and an Automation Engineer lies in experience and responsibility. The senior role involves leading projects, designing complex automation solutions, and mentoring junior staff, while the automation engineer focuses on implementing and maintaining automation systems under supervision.

What are popular job titles related to Sr Automation Engineer jobs in Virginia?

For Sr Automation Engineer jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Sr Automation Engineer jobs in Virginia look for?

The top searched job categories for Sr Automation Engineer jobs in Virginia are:

What cities in Virginia are hiring for Sr Automation Engineer jobs?

Cities in Virginia with the most Sr Automation Engineer job openings:

Sr Automation Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Sr Automation Engineer job openings in Virginia as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,809 per year, or $58.1 per hour.

Lead Automation Test Engineer

Karsun Solutions, LLC

Herndon, VA • On-site

$47.25 - $62.50/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago

Job description

Why Karsun?
Join Karsun Solutions to grow your career with the company transforming possible for the US Government.
At Karsun, collaboration drives our community. We're committed to building an environment where team members from diverse backgrounds can innovate, learn and grow with us. Here at Karsun, the only limit to your potential is the limit of your curiosity.
Join Team Karsun, and Find Your Next!
Summary
We are seeking a Lead Automation Test Engineer who is hands-on, customer-facing, and focused on enabling the QA team to effectively use AI tools to improve testing speed, quality, and efficiency. This role will lead AI adoption across test automation, including test generation, Selenium-to-Playwright migration, regression optimization, failure triage, flaky test analysis, and requirements coverage gap identification.
The ideal candidate has strong automation engineering experience, practical hands-on experience with modern AI testing tools, and the ability to quickly evaluate and adapt new tools to produce measurable customer value. This individual must be able to lead and drive a team of senior automation engineers, establish reusable prompt templates, coach the team, and clearly explain and defend AI tools, framework, and migration decisions while consistently delivering on customer commitments.
What You'll Be Doing:
  • Lead and drive a team of senior automation engineers, assigning, tracking, and following up on tasks to ensure timely, high-quality delivery.
  • Own delivery of customer commitments, working closely with the team to meet agreed timelines even amid ongoing enhancements and periodic production issues, and proactively communicating any deviations to the customer.
  • Lead AI enablement for the QA/testing team by evaluating, piloting, and implementing AI tools that improve productivity and automation quality.
  • Establish reusable prompt templates and AI-assisted workflows for test generation, automation development, Selenium-to-Playwright migration, API testing, failure triage, flaky test analysis, and requirements coverage analysis.
  • Lead modernization of the existing Selenium automation suite, including migration to Playwright using AI-assisted tools and reusable framework patterns.
  • Provide hands-on automation leadership for functional, integration, API, regression, and end-to-end testing.
  • Analyze the current regression suite and implement improvements to reduce flaky tests, long execution cycles, and manual triage effort.
  • Use AI-assisted methods to analyze high-level requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria to identify automation coverage gaps and guide the team in closing them.
  • Serve as a customer-facing technical lead who can explain, justify, and defend AI tool choices, migration strategy, framework design, and automation recommendations.
  • Quickly produce prototypes, proof-of-concepts, sample migrations, and working automation to demonstrate value to the customer.
  • Coach QA engineers and team members on effective use of AI tools, prompt templates, Playwright, automation standards, and quality engineering practices.
  • Collaborate with developers, product owners, Scrum Masters, DevOps engineers, business stakeholders, and customer representatives in a SAFe Agile environment.
  • Create and maintain concise documentation, including automation standards, AI usage guidance, prompt libraries, migration approach, and tool evaluation summaries.

Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Typically requires 8-10 years of related experience, including at least 5 years of hands-on test automation experience.
  • Demonstrated experience leading and driving automation teams, including task planning, follow-up, and on-time delivery of customer commitments while managing competing priorities such as enhancements and production issues.
  • Hands-on experience with AI-enabled testing tools such as Testim, mabl, Functionize, Applitools, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, or similar tools.
  • Experience creating prompt libraries, AI usage standards, or repeatable AI-assisted workflows for software testing teams.
  • Experience using AI tools for test generation, automation development, test maintenance, failure analysis, regression analysis, coverage gap analysis, or productivity improvement.
  • Experience evaluating emerging AI/testing tools and recommending practical adoption strategies based on value, scalability, maintainability, security considerations, and customer needs.
  • Experience with automation tools and frameworks such as Selenium WebDriver/Grid, Playwright, Cucumber/Gherkin, JUnit, and TestNG.
  • Experience with API/services testing tools such as Postman and REST Assured.
  • Strong programming experience in one or more languages, preferably Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Python.
  • Experience with manual, functional, regression, integration, and end-to-end testing.
  • Experience improving automation efficiency through framework design, test optimization, parallel execution, CI/CD integration, reporting, and test stabilization.
  • Experience with Jira, Confluence, GitHub/Bitbucket, XML, JSON, SQL, and IDEs such as VS Code, IntelliJ, or Eclipse.
  • Strong customer-facing communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts, justify recommendations, defend
  • AI/tool/framework decisions, and proactively communicate delivery status and deviations.
  • Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to diagnose flaky tests, automation failures, test data issues, CI/CD issues, and environment-related problems.
  • Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies; SAFe Agile experience preferred.
  • Must be self-directed, proactive, hands-on, and able to produce results with minimal supervision.
  • Availability during core business hours of 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Candidates in the Eastern, Central, or Mountain time zones.
  • Experience supporting US federal government contracts.
  • One of the below certifications will be an advantage
    • ISTQB/ISEB/Certified Software Testing credentials: ISTQB Certified Tester (Advanced Level - Test Analyst / Test Manager) or equivalent.
    • Playwright/Selenium automation validation (preferred): vendor/community-recognized automation credential(s) for Playwright or Selenium.
    • Cloud testing & infrastructure - AWS Certified Developer/DevOps Engineer, or equivalent.

Things to Know:
Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.
Salary Range
The proposed salary range for this role is $160,000 to $180,000 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. Karsun considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.
Third Party Resumes: Karsun does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Karsun and Karsun will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.
Clearance Information
This position requires the eligibility to obtain a security clearance. The Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO), an agency of the Department of Defense, handles and adjudicates the security clearance process. More information about Security Clearances can be found on the US Department of State government website: https://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/c10978.htm
Location
To be considered for this role, you must reside in one of the following states: CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, VA, WV.
Work Authorization
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We may consider candidates currently in H-1B status who are eligible for transfer.
Statement on AI and Hiring Process
At Karsun, we are committed to a fair and equitable hiring process. We do not use artificial intelligence to make decisions on candidates, scan resumes, or source potential hires. Applicants are reviewed by our talent acquisition team and hiring managers to ensure a thorough evaluation based on skills, experience, and alignment with our company values. Our hiring decisions are made with human judgement, ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the process.

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