Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)- Contract Opportunity

Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) Location: Remote Experience: 5+ Years About the Role We are looking for a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to lead automation initiatives across modern web applications and distributed systems. This is a hands-on engineering role where you will design scalable automation frameworks, develop production-grade automation code, and integrate quality engineering practices into CI/CD pipelines. You will collaborate closely with developers, product managers, architects, and DevOps teams to deliver high-quality software through robust automation and continuous testing. The ideal candidate has extensive experience with Playwright-based UI automation, API test automation, and automation framework architecture, along with a passion for building reliable, maintainable, and scalable test solutions. Key Responsibilities UI Automation Design, develop, and maintain scalable end-to-end automation frameworks using Playwright and TypeScript. Build maintainable automation using Page Object Model (POM) and component-based design patterns. Optimize browser context management, parallel execution, and test concurrency for efficient CI execution. Develop stable automation by implementing resilient selectors and intelligent synchronization strategies. Implement visual regression testing where applicable. API Automation Design and maintain API automation frameworks for REST, GraphQL, and SOAP services using Python and pytest. Develop reusable fixtures, API clients, and parameterized test suites. Build GraphQL schema validation and operation-level assertion libraries. Create API performance and SLA validation checks. Maintain Postman and Newman collections for API smoke and contract testing. CI/CD & Automation Integrate automated tests into Jenkins and GitHub Actions pipelines. Design automated quality gates supporting smoke, sanity, functional, and regression testing. Build fail-fast deployment validation and post-deployment verification pipelines. Monitor automation execution, maintain reporting dashboards, and improve pipeline reliability. Identify and eliminate flaky tests through continuous framework improvements. Mocking & Service Virtualization Design and maintain WireMock stubs for dependent service simulation. Support consumer-driven contract testing. Maintain mock services aligned with evolving API contracts. Enable local development through mock-first testing strategies. Automation Architecture Establish automation coding standards, framework architecture, and best practices. Develop reusable utilities, fixtures, data builders, and shared automation libraries. Review automation code and mentor engineers on automation design principles. Evaluate emerging automation technologies and recommend improvements where appropriate. Collaboration & Leadership Mentor junior and mid-level automation engineers through code reviews and technical guidance. Partner with development teams to improve application testability during design. Work closely with DevOps teams to optimize automation infrastructure and execution environments. Maintain traceability between requirements, user stories, and automated tests using Jira. Present automation metrics, test coverage, and quality reports to engineering stakeholders. Required Qualifications Experience 5+ years of experience in Software Quality Engineering, Test Automation, or SDET roles. Strong experience building scalable Playwright automation frameworks using TypeScript. Extensive experience automating REST APIs using Python and pytest. Experience working with GraphQL and SOAP API testing. Experience automating testing for distributed or microservices-based applications. Proven experience building automation frameworks from the ground up. Technical Skills Strong proficiency in Playwright and TypeScript. Strong experience with Python and pytest for API automation. Experience testing REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs. Hands-on experience with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and CI/CD pipeline integration. Experience designing and maintaining WireMock or equivalent API mocking solutions. Strong understanding of automation framework architecture, Page Object Model (POM), test isolation, reusable fixtures, and data-driven testing. Experience with Git workflows, pull requests, and version control best practices. Experience using Jira for test management, traceability, and sprint reporting. Soft Skills Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across cross-functional teams. Demonstrated ownership and accountability for automation quality. Comfortable working in Agile/Scrum development environments. Preferred Qualifications Experience migrating Selenium-based automation frameworks to Playwright. Working knowledge of Java with TestNG or JUnit. Familiarity with Spring Boot microservices. Experience with performance or loa