Principal Automation Engineer driving QE modernization for data and API initiatives. Design, build, and maintain automation frameworks for APIs, data pipelines, and reporting; implement data validation strategies; perform performance testing; integrate tests into CI/CD; coach squads on QE best practices; produce quality metrics and dashboards.
Our team is looking for a Principal Automation Engineer to accelerate quality engineering practices across data and API-centric initiatives. This role embeds with a delivery team to drive process enablement, automation maturity, and modernization of data and reporting platforms. The engineer will design, build, and maintain robust automation frameworks that validate APIs, data pipelines, and reporting outputs — while coaching teams on modern QE practices and leveraging AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery.
The Expertise and Skills You Bring
- 10+ years of professional experience in software quality engineering, test automation, or SDET roles.
- Significant hands-on experience in API Test Automation: Design, develop, and maintain API automation suites using Cucumber, Serenity BDD, and/or Karate frameworks.
- Experience building and executing automated data validation strategies across pipelines, warehouses, and reporting layers (source-to-target, schema, integrity, reconciliation, lineage).
- Experience validating reporting and BI tools by comparing report outputs against source databases using complex and optimized queries.
- Demonstrated experience with performance testing using Rush Hour or comparable tools (e.g., JMeter, Gatling, k6) with willingness/ability to use Rush Hour.
- Understanding of architecting reusable, scalable test automation frameworks with a strong proficiency in Java, with supporting tooling/scripts in Python as needed.
- Expertise in authoring advanced SQL queries to validate data correctness across heterogeneous data stores.
- Awareness of integrating automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines; ensuring fast feedback loops and reliable, deterministic test execution.
- Experience with version control (Git) and modern collaborative development workflows.
- Hands-on experience with AI code-assist tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Copilot Chat, or similar) integrated into a daily development workflow.
- Experience with contract testing (e.g., Pact) and/or API specification tooling (OpenAPI/Swagger).
- Experience testing modern data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery) and/or reporting platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, MicroStrategy).
- Experience with containerization (Docker) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
- Familiarity with observability tooling for test diagnostics (logs, traces, metrics)
The Value You Deliver
- Advanced SQL skills for data validation and analysis across relational data sources.
- Proven experience designing and executing data validation strategies (ETL/ELT testing, source-to-target, reconciliation, schema validation).
- Awareness of REST API design, contracts, and testing patterns (including authentication, schema/contract validation, negative testing).
- Partnership with squads to mature their QE practices — shift-left testing, contract testing, test data management, and quality gating.
- Contribution to the modernization of data and reporting platforms by establishing automated quality checks that de-risk migration and refactoring efforts.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to enable and coach delivery squads.
- Background in financial services or other regulated/data-intensive domains nice to have.
- Leading or coaching agile QE and audit practices within squads.
- Work cross-functionally with developers, data engineers, product owners, and other QE practitioners; mentor team members on automation best practices.
- Produce clear, actionable quality metrics and dashboards that inform delivery decisions.
Compensation, Benefits and Duration
Minimum Compensation: USD 37,000
Maximum Compensation: USD 131,000
Compensation is based on actual experience and qualifications of the candidate. The above is a reasonable and a good faith estimate for the role.
Medical, vision, and dental benefits, 401k retirement plan, variable pay/incentives, paid time off, and paid holidays are available for full time employees.
This position is not available for independent contractors
No applications will be considered if received more than 120 days after the date of this post
Photon Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
11 East Adams Street Suite 1100, Chicago, IL, United States, 60603
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