Automation Test Engineer
ECS Tech Inc
- Location
- Onsite (Falls Church, Virginia · FAIRFAX, Virginia · ARLINGTON, Virginia)
- Employment
- Full-time
- Level
- Senior Level
About the Role
Join ECS Tech Inc. as an Automation Test Engineer on a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's AI-First strategy. You will design, build, and sustain automated test infrastructure to validate critical software across various security environments, directly supporting AI deployment on the battlefield.
Skills
Full job details
Everforth ECS is seeking an Automation Test Engineer to work in the National Capital Region covering the Pentagon, Falls Church, and Fairfax.
Please Note: This position is contingent upon contract award.
The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's (DoW) AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP separates business and financial data from operational warfighting data, aiming to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts.
The Automation Test Engineer designs, builds, and sustains the automated test infrastructure that validates WDP Core Integration software across the full development-to-production lifecycle spanning IL2, IL5, IL6, and JWICS environments. This role is central to maintaining software quality, security compliance, and release confidence at the pace required by WDP's continuous agile delivery cadence, executing hundreds of unit, integration, regression, and performance tests per release cycle in direct support of DevSecOps pipeline operations.
• Executes structured test engineering activities supporting War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration software development, integration, and release operations across IL2, IL5, IL6, and JWICS environments.
• Builds automated test suites using tools such as GitLab CI, Jenkins, Selenium, JMeter, SonarQube, OpenSCAP, and approved security-scanning utilities to perform unit, regression, security, performance, and compliance evaluations.
• Writes reusable, data-driven scripts covering unit, integration, regression, security, performance, and acceptance testing, maintaining version control and traceability to engineering requirements.
• Defines and configures pipeline stages that execute automated suites on each commit, enforce quality gates, and generate build-fail criteria aligned with DevSecOps workflows.
• Uses Infrastructure-as-Code tooling such as Terraform, Docker Compose, and Ansible to provision reproducible, isolated test sandboxes with masked or synthetic data that mirror War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration production environments.
• Performs automated and manual test execution, monitors pipeline results, troubleshoots flaky tests, logs defects, and collaborates with developers to identify and correct root causes.
• Maintains a register of unstable tests and applies targeted fixes to strengthen reliability.
• Executes existing scanning scripts, reviews results, and applies corrective changes supporting vulnerability detection and compliance validation.
• Tracks essential metrics including coverage, execution behavior, defect detection patterns, and security-scan outcomes, feeding data into dashboards for the Testing Lead and senior engineering leadership.
• Regularly proposes tooling, framework, and process enhancements while mentoring teammates on automation practices.
• Coordinates with software developers, DevSecOps engineers, and cybersecurity specialists to reproduce issues, validate resolutions, and support readiness for Agile sprint cycles and release milestones.
• Maintains test environments, updates regression libraries, and performs repeatable validation tasks that strengthen reliability and operational trust in War Data Platform (WDP) Core Integration software components.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
• 3–10 years of experience in software test engineering, test automation, quality assurance, or a closely related technical discipline within federal, DoW, or enterprise software development environments.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience building and maintaining automated test frameworks and CI/CD-integrated test pipelines using tools such as GitLab CI, Jenkins, Selenium, or JMeter, with applied experience in security and compliance scanning using SonarQube, OpenSCAP, or equivalent utilities in classified or government software delivery environments.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with a proven ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate solution.
• Highly developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, with the ability to effectively and professionally interact with a diverse set of stakeholders (from peers to end-users to executive management).