Priority Commerce - Staff Software Development Engineer - Test - Automation Testing

Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET)

Total Experience : 8 - 12 years

Location : Chandigarh

Work Mode : Full-time

About the Role :

We are looking for an experienced Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET) to own the architecture, automation frameworks, test infrastructure, and CI/CD quality engineering practices for our engineering organization.

This is a hands-on Senior Individual Contributor (IC) role requiring strong expertise in automation framework design, programming, API/UI/database testing, distributed systems, CI/CD, cloud, and DevSecOps.

The ideal candidate will drive automation strategy, improve pipeline reliability, reduce regression execution time, mentor engineers, and lead the adoption of AI-driven testing and intelligent automation.

Key Responsibilities :

• Own the architecture and evolution of enterprise-scale test automation frameworks.
• Design and develop scalable automation for UI, API, database, and microservices.
• Build reusable automation components used across multiple engineering teams.
• Define automation standards, coding guidelines, and best practices.
• Maintain technical documentation, automation roadmaps, and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Drive testability and quality-first engineering practices.

CI/CD & Quality Engineering :

• Design and implement CI/CD quality gates for reliable software releases.
• Integrate automated testing into Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or GitLab CI pipelines.
• Improve pipeline stability, execution time, and deployment confidence.
• Identify and eliminate flaky tests and unstable automation.
• Establish and monitor automation reliability and quality metrics.
• Integrate security, compliance, and validation checks into deployment pipelines.

AI-Driven Test Engineering :

• Drive adoption of AI-assisted software testing and automation.
• Evaluate and implement AI testing tools and intelligent automation solutions.
• Enable AI-assisted generation, execution, analysis, and maintenance of automated tests.
• Identify opportunities to improve testing efficiency through AI and automation.

Technical Leadership :

• Act as the technical authority for test automation within the domain.
• Drive framework architecture, technical decisions, and engineering standards.
• Mentor SDETs and Software Engineers on automation, coding, and testing practices.
• Conduct code reviews and promote high-quality engineering standards.
• Drive adoption of contract testing and scalable quality engineering practices.
• Influence engineering teams without direct reporting authority.

Cross-Functional Collaboration :

• Collaborate closely with Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, Product, DevOps/Platform, Security, and Compliance teams.
• Participate in architectural and technical discussions.
• Analyse production defects and strengthen automation coverage to prevent recurrence.
• Support critical releases and troubleshoot high-priority automation and pipeline issues.

Required Skills :

• 8 - 12 years of experience in Software Testing, Quality Engineering, SDET, or Test Automation.
• Strong programming experience in Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Extensive experience designing and owning enterprise-scale automation frameworks.
• Strong hands-on experience with Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or equivalent UI automation tools.
• Strong API automation experience using REST Assured, Postman, Karate, or equivalent.
• Strong SQL and database validation/testing experience.
• Good understanding of microservices, distributed systems, and contract testing.
• Strong experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or GitLab CI.
• Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience integrating automated testing into DevSecOps pipelines.
• Proven experience improving automation reliability and reducing regression execution time.
• Strong troubleshooting, debugging, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience driving technical decisions and influencing engineering teams without direct authority.
• Strong technical documentation and communication skills, including ADRs and automation standards.

Preferred Skills :

• Experience in FinTech, Payments, Banking, Lending, or other regulated industries.
• Experience with AI-assisted testing, AI coding tools, intelligent test automation, or AI agents.
• Performance and load testing experience with JMeter, k6, or Gatling.
• Experience with observability/monitoring tools such as Splunk, Grafana, Kibana, or Elastic Stack.
• Experience with security testing and DevSecOps practices.
• Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

What Success Looks Like :

• Scalable and maintainable automation frameworks adopted across engineering teams.
• Significant reduction in regression execution time.
• Stable CI/CD pipelines with minimal false-positive quality gate failures.
• Improved automation reliability and measurable pipeline health.
• AI-powered testing integrated into engineering workflows.
• Strong automation documentation, standards, and architectural decisions.
• Engineers successfully mentored toward stronger automation and quality engineering practices.

Why Join Us?

• Work on enterprise-scale payment technology supporting mission-critical systems.
• Build next-generation AI-enabled quality engineering and automation platforms.
• Solve complex testing and distributed-system challenges with experienced engineers.
• Influence automation and engineering standards across multiple products and teams.
• Work in an innovation-driven engineering environment.

Benefits :

• 5-Day Work Week
• Complimentary Meal Every Day
• Internet Reimbursement
• Gym Reimbursement
• Comprehensive Group Medical Insurance
• Mental Health & Wellness Support
• Relocation Assistance, where applicable
• Collaborative and innovation-driven work culture