Test Engineer - II

The Test Engineer is responsible for the planning, design, documentation, execution, analysis, and reporting of testing activities throughout the system lifecycle. This role ensures system functionality, reliability, cybersecurity compliance, interoperability, performance, and mission effectiveness through rigorous verification and validation processes.

The engineer applies industry-standard testing methodologies and government best practices including requirements-based testing, systems integration testing, operational testing, regression testing, and risk-based testing.

The position requires close collaboration with software developers, systems engineers, cybersecurity engineers, configuration managers, product owners, government stakeholders, and operational end users.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Key Performance Outcomes

The Test Engineer will be expected to:

• Ensure all requirements are fully verified and traceable.
• Deliver accurate and repeatable test procedures.
• Identify defects early in the development cycle.
• Improve overall software and system quality.
• Support successful operational acceptance events.
• Ensure compliance with contractual, engineering, cybersecurity, and operational requirements.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Analytical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Technical writing proficiency
• Root cause analysis skills
• Strong verbal communication
• Independent judgment
• Mission focus
• Team collaboration
• Problem-solving ability
• Continuous process improvement mindset

Test Planning and Strategy

• Develop comprehensive Test and Evaluation (T&E) strategies supporting program objectives.
• Author and maintain:
• Master Test Plans
• Detailed Test Plans
• Test Design Specifications
• Test Procedures
• Test Cases
• Test Reports
• Verification Cross-Reference Matrices (VCRM)
• Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTM)
• Establish risk-based testing approaches based on system criticality.
• Define test objectives, success criteria, entry/exit criteria, and acceptance thresholds.
• Estimate testing schedules, resources, and environmental requirements.
• Participate in technical reviews and milestone events.

Requirements Analysis

• Analyze system, software, hardware, cybersecurity, interface, and operational requirements.
• Develop verification methods for each requirement.
• Maintain end-to-end traceability between requirements and test cases.
• Identify ambiguous, incomplete, conflicting, or unverifiable requirements.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to clarify requirements before testing begins.

Test Design and Development

• Develop detailed test scenarios reflecting operational missions.
• Design verification procedures for:
• Functional requirements
• Performance requirements
• Interface requirements
• Reliability requirements
• Security requirements
• Data integrity requirements
• Create positive, negative, boundary, stress, and failure-mode test cases.
• Develop automated and manual test procedures where appropriate.
• Support creation of test data and simulation environments.

Test Execution

· Execute and document testing activities including:

Unit Verification Support

• Validate component-level functionality.
• Review developer testing evidence.

Integration Testing

• Verify subsystem integration.
• Evaluate data flows between software, sensors, networks, and external systems.

System Testing

• Validate complete end-to-end system functionality.
• Verify mission workflows and operational use cases.

Regression Testing

• Confirm changes do not introduce unintended effects.
• Execute regression suites following software releases.

Performance Testing

• Measure:
• Throughput
• Latency
• Resource utilization
• System responsiveness
• Scalability

Interoperability Testing

• Verify interactions among:
• DHS systems
• DoD interfaces
• Sensor networks
• Navigation systems
• Data exchange services

Operational Testing

• Evaluate system effectiveness in realistic mission scenarios.
• Replicate operational environments and mission conditions.

Defect Management

• Document and report defects using approved tracking systems.
• Reproduce reported issues and identify root causes.
• Support defect triage boards.
• Verify corrective actions.
• Generate defect metrics and trend analyses.

Test Environment Management

• Support establishment and maintenance of:
• Development environments
• Integration environments
• Test environments
• Staging environments
• Operational demonstration environments
• Verify test configuration baseline accuracy.
• Coordinate hardware, software, and network resource availability.

Metrics and Reporting

• Prepare:
• Daily Status Reports
• Weekly Test Reports
• Readiness Assessments
• Test Summary Reports
• Defect Metrics Reports
• Present findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide recommendations for deployment readiness.

Cybersecurity Testing Support

• Assist cybersecurity personnel in:
• Security verification testing
• Vulnerability validation
• Security control testing
• Risk assessment activities
• Support RMF and ATO-related validation activities.

Required Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution in Engineering or related field

Experience

Minimum three years of progressively responsible experience in one or more of the following:

• Software testing
• Systems testing
• Integration testing
• Test and evaluation
• Verification and validation
• Systems engineering
• Quality assurance
• Defense, homeland security, maritime, aviation, or command-and-control systems

Experience should include:

• Test plan development
• Requirements analysis
• Test execution
• Defect reporting
• Technical documentation
• Configuration-controlled environments

Physical and Security Requirements

• Ability to work in laboratory, office, and operational environments.
• Ability to travel occasionally to test locations.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret, or higher security clearance as required.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

(1) Military and Government Test Experience

Experience supporting:

· Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)

· Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E)

· Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V)

· Navy, Coast Guard, DHS, or DoD programs

· Maritime domain awareness systems

· ISR systems

· Tactical data systems

(2) Desired Certifications

At least one certification from the following categories is highly desirable:

Testing Certifications

· ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

· ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst

· ISTQB Test Manager

· Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST)

· Certified Software Tester (CSTE)

Systems Engineering Certifications

· INCOSE ASEP

· INCOSE CSEP

· INCOSE ESEP

Quality and Process Certifications

· ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)

· ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE)

Project and Acquisition Certifications

· DAWIA Test and Evaluation Certification

· Defense Acquisition Workforce Test and Evaluation Credentials

Cybersecurity Certifications

· Security+

· CISSP

· CGRC

· GSEC

(3) Desired Technical Skills

Testing Tools

Experience using:

· Jira

· Azure DevOps

· HP ALM

· TestRail

· Zephyr

· Jama

· GitLab

· Jenkins

Technical Capabilities

Knowledge of:

· Requirements traceability

· Systems engineering processes

· Agile development methodologies

· DevSecOps environments

· Configuration management

· Network architectures

· TCP/IP networking

· Sensor integration

· Linux

· Windows administration

· Virtualized environments

Documentation Standards

Working knowledge of:

• IEEE 29119 Software Testing
• IEEE 1012 Verification and Validation
• IEEE 15288 Systems Engineering
• DoD Test and Evaluation Best Practices
• DHS Systems Engineering Lifecycle processes

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person