Software Development Engineer In Test with Security Clearance

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Software Development Engineer & Test (SDET) to support an innovative space technology company building resilient, mission-critical software systems. This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, DevOps, and advanced test automation, with a strong emphasis on real-world system behavior, scale, and resilience. You will design and build automated end-to-end tests that mirror actual customer workflows, deliberately stress distributed systems, and validate recovery when things go wrong. If you enjoy breaking systems on purpose - and fixing them - this role is for you. This position is Hybrid out of Washington D.C. and requires an active Secret or TS/SCI Security Clearance. Responsibilities of the SDET: * Design, build, and maintain end-to-end automated test suites using frameworks such as Playwright or Cypress * Simulate real customer use cases across satellite tracking, antenna reservation, and command-and-control services * Execute large-scale test scenarios simulating hundreds to thousands of concurrent system operations
* Act as a chaos engineer , injecting failures to validate system resilience and recovery procedures * Test and troubleshoot API-driven, distributed systems , including event-driven and multi-tier architectures * Validate behavior across NoSQL and relational databases , caching layers, and serverless components * Identify, debug, and fix issues in deployed production software
* Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines , with a preference for GitHub Actions * Support validation and verification efforts for complex, mission-critical software systems * Collaborate closely with software engineers, DevOps, and product teams to uphold high quality standards Qualifications for the SDET: * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field * 3+ years of professional experience in software testing, backend development, DevOps, or related roles
* Exceptional self-starters with strong technical skills and real project experience will also be considered * Strong proficiency in Python
* Working knowledge of TypeScript and/or JavaScript
* Experience with end-to-end testing frameworks (Playwright, Cypress, or similar) * Strong understanding of containerized and serverless architectures
* Hands-on experience testing and troubleshooting: * APIs and backend services * Distributed systems * Event-driven architectures * NoSQL and relational databases * Caching systems * Experience with task automation and CI/CD pipeline development
* Proficiency with Git and GitHub (or similar version control systems) * Active U.S. Security Clearance (Secret required; TS/SCI preferred)
Compensation & Benefits: * $120,000 - 140,000+ *Dependent on experience*
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