Software Development Engineer in Test: IT Quality Assurance, Journey

Location: Thurston County — Olympia, WA | Job Type: Full Time – Permanent | Remote: Flexible/Hybrid | Salary: $85,800 – $115,416 annually (Step M is typically a longevity step) | Job Number: 2026-07827 | Department: Employment Security Department, Information Technology Services Division | Open: 10/13/2026 – Close: 10/27/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

About the role

The ideal candidate for this Software Development Engineer in Test (IT Quality Assurance, Journey) role is a software testing professional who understands how quality assurance contributes to the successful delivery of applications in an enterprise. Candidates should have experience analyzing requirements, creating and executing test plans, documenting results, and identifying risks before software is deployed into production. You will partner with cross-functional teams to support system enhancements, new implementations, and ongoing maintenance efforts, helping ensure applications function as intended and provide a reliable experience for agency staff, partners, and customers.

The Innovation & Technology Office, Information Technology Services (ITSD) Division of the Employment Security Department (ESD) manages, develops, supports, and maintains the agency's computer systems, web technologies, network and data communications, and the data warehouse. It also provides technical assistance for installation and operation of personal computers and software. This full-time/permanent role is primarily telework; however, you may need to report to the office for occasional meetings or special events.

Responsibilities

• Develop product comprehension to design Enterprise Application (EA) test plans
• Get assignments from backlog and break down their contents
• Investigate target data, users, and processing
• Analyze business requirements, system specifications, and related information
• Work with development and subject-matter experts to resolve testing needs
• Set up test environment and build tests
• Identify required resources to build test environment
• Coordinate with developers, infrastructure, and subject-matter experts to establish or update databases, hardware, software, services, permissions, and tools
• Set up test environment with deployed application to test
• Create test cases, run tests, and manage test results
• Script testing steps in test cases with simulated data inputs and expected outputs
• Create and organize test cases under test plan
• Execute manual and automated test cases

Qualifications

Qualifying candidates will meet one of the following criteria options:

• Option 1: Six (6) years' experience as an information technology (IT) quality assurance professional
• Option 2: Associate's degree in IT or closely related field AND four (4) years as an IT quality assurance professional
• Option 3: Bachelor's degree in IT or closely related field AND two (2) years as an IT quality assurance professional

In addition to one of the above options, you must also have the following experience:

• Experience querying relational databases
• Experience programming scripts and/or building applications in object-oriented languages for automated testing purposes
• Experience planning, designing, and executing manual and automated software tests
• Experience reporting software defects

ESD Employee Competencies:

• Accountability: Accept personal responsibility for work and actions
• Communication Effectiveness: Effectively convey ideas and information
• Critical Thinking: Use purposeful and reflective judgment to process, analyze, interpret, explain, evaluate, illustrate, and compare information
• Customer Service: Commit to providing value-added services to external and internal customers
• Inclusiveness: Actively contribute to a work environment that embraces diversity and uses diverse perspectives to help achieve organizational goals
• Interpersonal abilities: The ability to relate to your co-workers, mitigate conflict, and inspire others to participate
• Security: Preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ESD systems and data in accordance with the policies, procedures, and best practices established and maintained by the ESD information security team. Immediately report any Security event, incident, or breach in reporting

Required Equity Competencies:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others

Skills

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working in a team using agile methods
• Experience using Microsoft 365, Azure Cloud, Azure DevOps and/or Power Platform services
• Accessibility Testing or other usability testing methods

Requirements

• Must be able to pass an Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Paid Family Medical and Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check
• This position has access to federal tax information and therefore, per RCW 41.