Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) We are seeking a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to join our Backend team and take ownership of automated testing for a complex RESTful API that supports our primary HR application, Employee app, physical TimeClock devices, and internal administrative application. The primary goal of this role is to increase confidence in our releases by building a comprehensive, reliable testing strategy around our backend systems that is grounded in a deep understanding of our application’s business logic. You will work directly with Backend engineers to understand complex HR features and business logic, manually test functionality end-to-end through the API, and design and maintain automated tests that provide meaningful coverage and early detection of defects. This is a highly technical testing role. You will be expected to understand the architecture and behavior of our Laravel backend, identify gaps in our existing testing practices, and establish processes and automation that allow the team to release software with greater confidence. Role and Responsibilities Own the testing strategy for complex backend features, from initial planning through release.Validate complex features end-to-end through the RESTful API, including functional, integration, regression, and edge-case testing.Design, develop, and maintain automated tests for our RESTful API.Identify gaps in test coverage and determine where manual testing, automated testing, or a combination of both provides the greatest value.Integrate automated testing into our CI/CD pipelines and help establish reliable quality gates for releases.Analyze test results, investigate failures, identify defects, and work closely with Backend engineers to resolve issues.Collaborate with the Backend team throughout the development process rather than treating testing as a final step before release.Work closely with the Frontend QA and Product teams to coordinate testing efforts and ensure appropriate coverage across the entire RowsOne ecosystem.Identify opportunities to improve the reliability, efficiency, and maintainability of our testing practices. Requirements 3+ years of professional experience in software testing, quality assurance, or software development, with significant experience working in an SDET or similarly technical testing role.Experience designing and maintaining automated API and integration tests.Experience integrating automated tests into a CI/CD environment.Experience analyzing automated test failures and distinguishing between application defects, test defects, and environmental issues.Ability to independently develop test plans and determine appropriate testing strategies for complex features.Ability to work closely with developers, Product, DevOps, and QA teams to identify and resolve quality issues. Preferred Qualifications 2+ years of experience working with Laravel and RESTful APIs. Strong knowledge of Laravel, including scheduled tasks, queued jobs, notifications, OAuth2, Laravel Sanctum, and related framework features, is highly valuable in this role.Experience working with HR software, including Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), employee onboarding, scheduling, timekeeping, payroll, or other workforce management systems.Experience testing applications with complex workflows, extensive permissions, PII concerns, time-based business rules, and third-party integrations (ex: Plaid, Twilio, SendGrid, Pusher, etc.)A favorite ice cream or frozen non-dairy dessert. Compensation & Benefits Compensation will be commensurate with experience, within an annual salary range of $100,000–$110,000. Benefits include health and dental insurance, as well as paid time off (PTO).