Test Engineer - Level IV

About the role

The Senior Test Engineer will support the IPPS-A and Government Test Lead in test and evaluation activities, working within an integrated Government and contractor team.

Responsibilities

• Advises on and supports the Government Test Lead in assessing the effectiveness of developmental testing and identifying improvements to testing methodologies, processes, tools, and environments.
• Supports the coordination and execution of testing activities and collaborates with developers, product owners, system engineers, requirements analysts, functional subject-matter experts, and other stakeholders.
• Affords assistance to the Government Test Lead with developing, documenting, and maintaining test strategies supporting iterative development, system integration, operational assessment, release, and deployment cycles.
• Applies Agile testing methodologies and assists in ensuring test practices comply with applicable program policies, standards, acquisition requirements, and systems engineering processes.
• Collaborates with program teams and stakeholders to develop test plans, test scenarios, test cases, entrance and exit criteria, acceptance criteria, traceability, and test coverage.
• Analyzes and evaluates, on quantitative and qualitative bases, the effectiveness of test and evaluation operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
• Applies a high degree of technical knowledge and a thorough understanding of testing activities required by defense acquisition policies, Army regulations, program procedures, and the Software Engineering Institute framework.
• Collaborates with staff members, product managers, senior leaders, higher headquarters, external agencies, vendors, and other supporting organizations to advise on the development and implementation of Test and Evaluation policies and procedures.

Requirements

• Must be able to provide proof of U.S. citizenship due to the need for a DOD security clearance.
• Must possess or be able to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
• High School diploma and 20 years' experience, or Bachelor's degree in a directly related field and 10 years of experience, or Master's degree in directly related field and five years of experience.
• Demonstrated senior-level experience in software or systems test engineering for complex enterprise information systems.
• Experience planning, coordinating, executing, analyzing, and reporting test and evaluation activities across the system development Lifecyle.
• Experience developing test strategies, plans, scenarios, cases, scripts, acceptance criteria, entrance and exit criteria, traceability, coverage assessments, and test reports.
• Knowledge of Agile software development and testing methodologies, iterative delivery, system integration, release management, and deployment-readiness practices.
• Ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative test data, identify root causes and risks, evaluate alternatives, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Ability to work cooperatively within an integrated Government and contractor team; communicate effectively with technical, functional, program-management, and senior-leadership stakeholders; and prepare clear technical reports, briefings, dashboards, risk assessments, test documentation, and decision-support materials.
• Ability to remain within assigned contractual authority and scope while advising Government personnel and supporting Government-led decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of defense acquisition, Army enterprise systems, systems engineering, and Department of Defense or Army Test and Evaluation processes.
• Experience supporting Army human resources, personnel, talent, or pay systems; IPPS-A experience is highly desirable.
• Experience with User Juries, test pilots, limited-user assessments, release-readiness reviews, go/no-go assessments, and post-deployment validation.
• Experience with automated testing tools, automation frameworks, test management tools, defect tracking, requirements traceability, continuous process improvement, and evaluation of operational, functional, cybersecurity, interface, data, performance, and technical risks.
• Experience providing technical mentoring, peer review, and knowledge transfer to testing personnel.