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Zantech

Test Automation Lead

Zantech, Camp Springs, Maryland, United States

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Are you looking for your next challenge? Are you ready to work with a performance-based small company? At Zantech, we are a dynamic Woman Owned Small Business focused on providing complex, mission-focused solutions with a proven track record of outstanding customer performance and high employee satisfaction. We would love to talk with you regarding the next step in your career. Come join our team!

Zantech is looking for a talented

Test Automation Lead

to contribute to the success of our upcoming Applied and Emerging Technology Support project for a

Hybrid

role based out of Camp Springs, MD.

The

Test Automation Lead

provides strategic direction and hands‑on leadership for all testing initiatives across USCIS OIT portfolios, including functional, performance, interoperability, and automated testing. This role drives the integration of testing automation into CI/CD pipelines, establishes reusable test frameworks, and ensures high‑quality software delivery through comprehensive test coverage and rapid feedback mechanisms. The Test Automation Lead will work across multiple USCIS product teams to implement industry best practices in agile testing while bridging the gap between testing maturity levels across different systems.

Responsibilities include, but will not be limited to:

Test Strategy & Leadership

Develop and execute comprehensive test strategies aligned with USCIS product/portfolio objectives

Lead test automation team of 10-15 QA engineers and test automation specialists

Establish product‑level and service‑level testing standards across USCIS enterprise

Define test coverage requirements for functional, performance, security, and accessibility testing

Create and maintain test automation roadmaps aligned with DevSecOps maturity goals

Provide technical guidance on testing best practices to USCIS development teams

Test Automation & CI/CD Integration

Design and implement automated test frameworks integrated into CI/CD pipelines

Build reusable, maintainable test automation scripts across multiple USCIS systems

Automate end‑to‑end integration testing across domains, systems, and services

Implement continuous testing to provide quick feedback on anomalies and defects

Establish automated regression test suites for critical business workflows

Create self‑service testing capabilities for USCIS delivery teams

Optimize test execution time and resource utilization in pipeline environments

Functional & Integration Testing

Design and execute end‑to‑end integration tests across multiple USCIS systems

Verify form types, business workflows, and cross‑system data flows

Collaborate with development teams to ensure code testability

Perform early identification of product defects and quality issues

Coordinate test data management strategies across environments

Validate system integrations with external DHS and federal systems

Performance Testing

Design and execute performance testing for USCIS systems handling millions of transactions

Conduct load testing, stress testing, and scalability assessments

Identify performance bottlenecks in applications, databases, and infrastructure

Establish performance benchmarks and service level objectives (SLOs)

Implement continuous performance testing in CI/CD pipelines

Provide diagnostic analysis and recommendations for performance optimization

Interoperability & Compatibility Testing

Verify cross‑system compatibility within USCIS enterprise architecture

Test API integrations and data exchange between USCIS systems

Validate compatibility across browsers, devices, and operating systems

Ensure proper functioning of microservices and containerized applications

Test against approved DHS/USCIS technology stack components

Coordinate testing for multi‑system business initiatives

Test Automation Frameworks & Tools

Select, implement, and maintain automated testing tools and frameworks

Evaluate and integrate commercial and open‑source testing solutions

Build custom test harnesses for complex USCIS business logic

Implement behavior‑driven development (BDD) and test‑driven development (TDD) practices

Establish test reporting and analytics dashboards

Integrate test management tools with USCIS enterprise platforms

Quality Metrics & Reporting

Establish quality metrics and KPIs for USCIS products and portfolios

Implement automated reporting on test coverage, defect density, and pass rates

Provide continuous feedback to delivery teams on quality trends

Track technical debt and quality degradation indicators

Present quality status and risk assessments to USCIS stakeholders

Support data‑driven decision making for release readiness

End‑User Testing Facilitation

Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with USCIS business stakeholders

Facilitate product demonstrations to internal and external end‑user communities

Manage feedback collection and defect tracking from end‑user testing

Validate business value delivery through testing with actual users

Support USCIS field office and service center testing activities

Collaboration & Process Improvement

Work closely with DevSecOps, Security, and Development teams

Participate in Agile ceremonies and sprint planning activities

Identify and eliminate testing bottlenecks in delivery pipelines

Champion shift‑left testing practices and early quality integration

Promote test automation culture and upskilling across USCIS teams

Contribute to continuous improvement of USCIS SDLC processes

Required Experience or Knowledge of the following technologies/functions:

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of software testing and quality assurance experience

Minimum 5 years in test automation leadership roles

Minimum 3 years of federal government experience, preferably DHS or civilian agencies

Demonstrated experience with large‑scale test automation initiatives

Experience testing complex, multi‑tier enterprise applications

Track record of integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines

Experience with Agile/Scrum testing methodologies

Technical Skills (Required):

Expert‑level proficiency with test automation frameworks:

Selenium WebDriver, Cypress, Playwright, or similar for UI testing

REST Assured, Postman/Newman, or similar for API testing

JMeter, Gatling, or LoadRunner for performance testing

Strong programming skills in at least two languages (Java, Python, JavaScript, C#)

Experience with BDD frameworks (Cucumber, SpecFlow, Behave)

Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions)

Experience with test management tools (TestRail, Zephyr, qTest, ALM)

Knowledge of containerized testing environments (Docker, Kubernetes)

Understanding of API testing, microservices testing patterns

Experience with test data management and virtualization

Proficiency with version control systems (Git) and branching strategies

Technical Skills (Highly Desired):

Experience with contract testing (Pact, Spring Cloud Contract)

Knowledge of chaos engineering and resilience testing

Familiarity with accessibility testing tools (JAWS, NVDA, axe‑core)

Experience with mobile testing frameworks (Appium, Espresso, XCTest)

Understanding of AI/ML‑based testing approaches

Experience with visual regression testing tools

Knowledge of synthetic monitoring and production testing

Federal & DHS‑Specific Knowledge:

Understanding of DHS/USCIS system architectures and data flows

Familiarity with federal security testing requirements

Knowledge of Section 508 testing standards (basic understanding)

Experience with testing in AWS GovCloud environments

Understanding of PII/PHI data handling requirements in testing

Preferred Experience or Knowledge of the following technologies/functions:

USCIS‑Specific Experience (Highly Desired):

Experience testing USCIS immigration systems or similar benefit processing systems

Familiarity with USCIS business processes and form types

Understanding of USCIS enterprise architecture and system interdependencies

Experience with USCIS Backstage or similar developer portals

Knowledge of USCIS Team Managed Deployment (TMD) quality gates

Required Education/Certifications:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Certifications (Required - Minimum 1):

ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer

OR ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager

OR equivalent professional testing certification

Certifications (Highly Desired):

ISTQB Certified Tester - Expert Level

Certified Agile Tester (CAT)

AWS Certified Developer - Associate

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

Performance testing certifications (LoadRunner, JMeter)

Required Security Clearance:

US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain an active Public Trust or higher clearance, per contract requirements.

“Outstanding Performance…Always!”

Our corporate motto represents our commitment to build long‑term relationships with both our clients and our employees by providing the highest quality service in everything we do. We strive for excellence for our clients and for each other. We embrace the opportunity to hire individuals with new talents and fresh perspectives. Zantech offers competitive compensation, strong benefits, and a vacation package, as well as a fast‑paced and exciting work environment. Come join our team!

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