Principal Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal SDET to lead enterprise-wide quality engineering initiatives across UI, backend services, APIs, and data platforms. This role combines deep hands-on automation expertise with strategic leadership in modern quality engineering practices, Azure DevOps enablement, and AI-assisted testing.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in scalable automation frameworks, CI/CD integration, data quality validation, and financial services platforms.

Core Areas of Expertise

• UI Automation
• Backend/API Automation
• Data Quality Engineering
• Azure & Azure DevOps
• AI-Driven Quality Engineering
• CI/CD Automation
• Distributed Systems & Microservices

Key Responsibilities

UI & Backend Automation Leadership

• Architect, design, and maintain enterprise-grade automation frameworks for:
  • UI/Web applications (Playwright, Selenium, Cypress)
  • APIs and backend services (REST, GraphQL, Microservices)
• Establish:
  • Automation standards
  • Coding guidelines
  • Framework best practices
• Integrate automation into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines with robust quality gates
• Improve test stability, reduce flaky tests, and optimize execution times
• Collaborate with engineering teams to enhance:
  • Testability
  • Observability
  • Quality-by-design practices
• Mentor and guide SDETs across teams to improve automation maturity

Data Quality & Backend Validation

• Lead automation of data quality validation frameworks across:
  • Databases
  • Data pipelines
  • System integrations
• Validate and automate checks for:
  • Data completeness
  • Accuracy
  • Consistency
  • Reconciliation
• Automate:
  • ETL/ELT validation
  • Batch jobs
  • Scheduled processes
  • File-based integrations (CSV, JSON, XML)
• Develop reusable validation utilities using:
  • SQL
  • Python / Java
• Implement automated reconciliation for financial and transactional data
• Integrate data quality checks into CI/CD pipelines with reporting and monitoring
• Proactively identify data anomalies and quality risks before production releases

Azure, DevOps & Platform Enablement

• Drive quality engineering practices within Azure environments
• Define and govern:
  • Test execution strategies
  • Quality gates
  • Reporting standards
• Ensure end-to-end traceability across:
  • Requirements
  • Test cases
  • Defects
  • Releases

AI-Driven Quality Engineering

• Champion AI-assisted testing and automation using:
  • GitHub Copilot
  • AI Assistants
  • Copilot Agents
• Leverage AI tools to:
  • Accelerate test creation
  • Improve automation quality
  • Analyze failures and logs
  • Identify testing trends
• Define governance and best practices for responsible AI adoption in QA
• Drive AI-enabled productivity initiatives across QE teams

Required Qualifications

Technical Expertise

• 10+ years of experience in:
  • SDET
  • Test Automation
  • Quality Engineering
• Strong hands-on coding expertise in:
  • Java
  • Python
  • TypeScript / JavaScript
• Deep expertise in:
  • UI automation
  • API/backend automation
  • Automated data quality testing
• Advanced SQL knowledge with strong backend validation experience
• Experience testing:
  • Distributed systems
  • Microservices architectures
• Strong CI/CD experience with:
  • Azure DevOps
  • GitHub Actions
  • Jenkins or similar tools

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Ability to operate at a Principal Engineer level:
  • Define quality standards
  • Influence architecture decisions
  • Mentor teams
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Ability to translate business risks into quality engineering strategies

Preferred Domain Experience

Strongly Preferred

Experience in:

• Wealth Management
• Financial Services

Including exposure to:

• Investment platforms
• Client onboarding/account opening
• Financial data reconciliation
• Regulatory and compliance-driven systems

Key Skills

• Python
• Playwright
• Core Java
• Selenium
• Azure DevOps
• API Automation
• Data Quality Testing