Expand and own automated test coverage for the Kitchen Display System: design and execute UI, API, regression, and smoke tests; build scalable automation frameworks; maintain CI/CD test pipelines; investigate defects and improve test reliability; collaborate with developers, product, and QA; use AI-assisted tools to boost test design and engineering productivity.
Our technology team is a rapidly growing group of talented and experienced engineers helping to build the leading enterprise software company focused on restaurant technology. We use modern technologies, automation, and AI-assisted engineering practices to build products that power restaurant operations at scale.
We are looking for a hands-on, forward-thinking QA Automation Engineer to join our Kitchen Display System (KDS) team. This is an automation-first role where you'll own and extend automated test coverage for a business-critical platform used in restaurant operations.
You will work within an established automation framework, help maintain healthy regression pipelines, improve test reliability, and partner closely with engineers to deliver high-quality software.
This is a high-impact role on a fast-moving team where quality, automation, and continuous improvement are core to how we build and release software.
What You'll Do Here
● Develop, maintain, and expand automated test coverage for the Kitchen Display System (KDS) platform.
● Design and execute automated UI, API, regression, and smoke tests.
● Build scalable, maintainable automation solutions using established framework patterns and best practices.
● Partner closely with developers, product managers, and QA engineers to ensure quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
● Investigate defects, troubleshoot test failures, and identify quality risks early in the development process.
● Maintain and improve automated test execution within CI/CD pipelines.
● Participate in sprint planning, test strategy discussions, and release validation activities.
● Leverage AI-assisted tools and workflows to improve test design, automation
development, code reviews, troubleshooting, and engineering productivity.
● Contribute to the continuous improvement of quality engineering standards, automation practices, and testing processes.
● Design and execute automated UI, API, regression, and smoke tests.
● Build scalable, maintainable automation solutions using established framework patterns and best practices.
● Partner closely with developers, product managers, and QA engineers to ensure quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
● Investigate defects, troubleshoot test failures, and identify quality risks early in the development process.
● Maintain and improve automated test execution within CI/CD pipelines.
● Participate in sprint planning, test strategy discussions, and release validation activities.
● Leverage AI-assisted tools and workflows to improve test design, automation
development, code reviews, troubleshooting, and engineering productivity.
● Contribute to the continuous improvement of quality engineering standards, automation practices, and testing processes.
Experience We're Looking For
● 4+ years of hands-on QA Automation, SDET, or Quality Engineering experience.
● Strong programming skills in Java and a solid understanding of object-oriented
programming principles.
● Experience building and maintaining UI automation frameworks using Appium, Selenium, Playwright, or similar technologies.
● Experience designing and implementing scalable automated test solutions.
● Experience testing REST APIs and working with JSON payloads.
● Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated test execution.
● Experience with Maven, Git, and modern software development workflows.
● Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and root-cause analysis skills.
● Ability to quickly understand and contribute to large, existing codebases.
● Experience using AI-assisted development tools for coding, debugging, test generation, documentation, or code review.
● Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
● Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
● Strong programming skills in Java and a solid understanding of object-oriented
programming principles.
● Experience building and maintaining UI automation frameworks using Appium, Selenium, Playwright, or similar technologies.
● Experience designing and implementing scalable automated test solutions.
● Experience testing REST APIs and working with JSON payloads.
● Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated test execution.
● Experience with Maven, Git, and modern software development workflows.
● Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and root-cause analysis skills.
● Ability to quickly understand and contribute to large, existing codebases.
● Experience using AI-assisted development tools for coding, debugging, test generation, documentation, or code review.
● Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
● Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
Bonus Experience
● Experience with restaurant technology, POS systems, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), or other transactional business applications.
● Experience with Kotlin.
● Experience testing desktop or Electron-based applications.
● Experience with Azure DevOps or similar CI/CD platforms.
● Familiarity with Docker and containerized testing environments.
● Experience with distributed test execution environments.
● Experience with performance, reliability, or latency-sensitive testing.
● Experience with modern AI-assisted engineering workflows and agentic development tools.
● Experience with Kotlin.
● Experience testing desktop or Electron-based applications.
● Experience with Azure DevOps or similar CI/CD platforms.
● Familiarity with Docker and containerized testing environments.
● Experience with distributed test execution environments.
● Experience with performance, reliability, or latency-sensitive testing.
● Experience with modern AI-assisted engineering workflows and agentic development tools.
Technology Environment
● Java
● TestNG
● Appium and Selenium
● REST API Testing
● Maven
● Azure DevOps
● Docker
● Git
The Type of Team Player We Need
● Proactive mindset with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
● Passion for quality, automation, and continuous improvement.
● Strong analytical thinker and creative problem-solver.
● Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.
● Adaptable, collaborative, and eager to learn.
● Curious about emerging technologies and modern engineering practices, including AI-assisted software development.
● Team-oriented professional who enjoys partnering across Engineering, Product, and QA disciplines.
● Passion for quality, automation, and continuous improvement.
● Strong analytical thinker and creative problem-solver.
● Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.
● Adaptable, collaborative, and eager to learn.
● Curious about emerging technologies and modern engineering practices, including AI-assisted software development.
● Team-oriented professional who enjoys partnering across Engineering, Product, and QA disciplines.
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