QA Automation Engineer

Role Overview

Peraton Labs is seeking a QA Automation Engineer (test-automation specialist) to establish and maintain automated testing for a federal AI analytics platform. You will build automated test suites across two parallel layers:

• Front-end E2E tests
• Server-side API/service-level tests

This is a mid-level role focused on shipping automated tests alongside product releases in a fast-changing environment.

Product Context

• Front-end: TypeScript/React
• Back-end: Python microservices for document processing, OCR, summarization, and AI inference pipelines
• Infrastructure: AWS (ECS Fargate, Lambda, S3)
• Delivery cadence: 2-week sprint cycle; product can change daily
• Test release: Tests ship in the same release as the feature

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain automated E2E testing for the TypeScript/React UI using Playwright
• Develop and maintain API/service-level functional tests for Python microservices using pytest
• Apply risk-based test scoping to focus on critical behavioral changes
• Design tests that catch real failures (avoid superficial/token coverage)
• Independently debug test failures and distinguish bugs from test maintenance issues
• Set up and operate a dev environment independently using documented procedures

Requirements

Eligibility

• U.S. citizen with ability to obtain Public Trust suitability
• Education/experience (one of):
  • 2+ years with BS/BA
  • 0 years with MS/MA
  • 6+ years with no degree

Core Testing Skills

• Automated E2E testing with Playwright (JavaScript) against a TypeScript/React front end
• API/service-level functional testing with pytest (Python) against Python microservices
• Black-box / behavior-based testing aligned to specifications
• Risk-based test scoping
• Strong test case design and failure detection focus

Technical Skills

• JavaScript/TypeScript to write/maintain Playwright suites
• Python to write/maintain pytest suites
• Familiarity with GitHub workflows (protected branches, PR-based CI, running suites in existing pipelines)
• AWS awareness: ECS, Lambda, S3 (understand where tests run)
• Ability to independently spin up and operate a dev environment using documented procedures
• Code literacy: read/navigate TypeScript/React and Python codebases
• Test failure debugging
• Docker awareness (understand containerized services tests exercise)

Nice to Have / Domain Awareness

• Familiarity with document processing workflows (large file uploads, chunking, OCR pipelines)
• Accessibility testing awareness (WCAG / Section 508) so UI tests exercise accessible behaviors