Software Test Engineer

WCG delivers transformational solutions that accelerate clinical research and advance human health. We serve the experts, innovators, and pathfinders on the frontlines of science and medicine—empowering them to develop breakthrough therapies while ensuring the risks of progress never outweigh the value of human life. Together, we stimulate growth, maximize efficiency, and shape the future of clinical trials.

At WCG, we invest in our people because you are the driving force behind our mission. When you grow, our impact grows. When you thrive, research accelerates. We empower you to build a meaningful career while advancing the work that improves lives.

What we offer:

• Comprehensive health and financial protection – Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401(k) with company match, and flexible spending accounts
• Resources that support your whole life – Employee assistance programs and work/life balance tools
• Investment in your growth – Referral bonuses, tuition reimbursement, on-the-job training, certification assistance, and continuing education support
• Time to recharge – Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time
• Pathways forward – Career development opportunities across One WCG

We practice transparency in everything we do, including compensation. The salary range for this position reflects our commitment to fair, competitive pay based on your qualifications, experience, skills, education, and location. Together, we'll find the right fit for your expertise and our shared mission.

The Software Test Engineer is a member of the Quality Engineering team, responsible for supporting the testing, validation and delivery of WCG named products and systems. The role applies established testing and validation practices across the software development life cycle (SDLC), executes manual and automated test activities, prepares validation documentation, and collaborates closely with Software Engineering, Business Analysts, and stakeholders to support product quality and compliance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The accountabilities listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required.

• Review requirements and design documentation to help ensure requirements are clear, testable, and consistent with the clinical trial protocol and system design specifications before test design begins.
• Develop and execute test and validation activities using established risk-based testing methodologies; prepare and maintain CSV documentation i test scripts, test summary reports, and requirements-to-test traceability matrices.
• Contribute to the execution and maintenance of automated test suites using Playwright across UI, API, and real-time (Socket.io) application components.
• Maintain test cases , execution cycles, and traceability records in Zephyr and JIRA, or equivalent test management tools for assigned products and projects.
• Conduct and build upon comprehensive manual regression testing cases and scripts to ensure release product quality.
• Prepare data sets to test logic, error handling, and system workflows; perform load, performance, and user-simulation testing.
• Report and track defects in the official bug tracking system (e.g., JIRA); ensure reported defects are remediated and re-validated in a timely manner.
• Support ongoing enhancement of manual and automated tests into existing regression and CI/CD test suites, actively working to increase reliability and improve release confidence.
• Analyze test results, identify defects or performance concerns, and collaborate with Software Engineering to investigate and resolve issues.
• Support change-control and validation activities by preparing and maintaining required documentation.
• Participate in the evaluation and use of approved AI-augmented testing tools (e.g., AI-assisted test case generation, self-healing automation, LLM-based output evaluation) in accordance with established validation and compliance requirements.
• Communicate testing status, findings, and issues to project stakeholders and support customer testing activities as needed.
• Periodically conduct training for other team members on testing/validation tools, standards, and best practices.
• Follow established testing and validation methodologies and provide feedback on process improvements when appropriate..
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor. These may, on occasion, be unrelated to the position described here.
• Attendance and punctuality are essential functions of the position.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, skills, and related experience.
  
  

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSE/REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS:

• None required; ISTQB, Zephyr/Jira Test Management, or Computer System Validation (CSV)/GAMP 5 certification is a plus.

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

Required: 

• Minimum of 3 years of software QA/test engineering experience; clinical trial, or life sciences domain experience is a plus.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise test management tools such as Zephyr (or equivalent Xray/TestRail) or Helix ALM (Test Track).
• Experience executing and contributing to automated regression suites with Playwright preferred
• Strong understanding of software QA methodologies, risk-based testing, and software/validation testing life cycles.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams (Developers, Business Analysts, QA, Validation Compliance) to meet aggressive goals and deliver quality results.
• Ability to translate product and protocol requirements into test cases, validation deliverables, and automated test scripts.
• Ability to analyze and troubleshoot product defects and provide creative solutions for optimizing system performance.

Preferred:

• Proficiency in one or more scripting/programming languages, preferably Typescript
• SQL scripting and API testing experience (e.g., Postman, Newman, REST Assured).
• Experience with JIRA and Scrum or Kanban/Agile methodologies.
• Exposure to AI-augmented/agentic testing tools or workflows (e.g., AI-assisted test authoring, prompt engineering for test-case generation, self-healing automation).
• Modern Tooling & Technical Ecosystem Skills: Given WCG's technology ecosystem spans PHP, Socket.io (real-time/WebSocket communication), React, Valkey (Redis-compatible caching/data store), MySQL, both virtually and deployed in local meetings, the following modern tools and skills are especially valuable for a test engineer supporting this stack:
  • Enterprise Test Management: Zephyr Scale/Squad (Jira), Xray, or TestRail for test case authoring, traceability matrices, and release/validation cycle reporting.
  • Automated Regression & E2E Testing: Playwright (cross-browser, API, and component testing) with parallelized CI execution.
  • API Testing & Contract Validation: Postman/Newman or REST Assured for validating PHP backend endpoints and service contracts.
  • Real-Time/WebSocket Testing: Experience testing Socket.io event-driven flows (socket.io-client test harnesses, Artillery's socket.io engine) to validate real-time messaging, reconnection logic, and race conditions.
  • Database Testing: MySQL query validation, data integrity checks, and performance tuning (EXPLAIN plans, indexing); tools like MySQL Workbench or DBeaver.
  • Performance & Load Testing: Artillery is preferred for modern, scriptable load testing of APIs and WebSocket connections
  • Observability: experience with tools like New Relic to correlate test failures with backend/service health.
  • Visual Regression: Playwright's built-in screenshot comparison for catching unintended React UI regressions.
  • AI-Augmented QA (emerging): AI-assisted test case generation and self-healing automation, applied with appropriate validation rigor and documentation given the regulated environment.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

May coordinate testing activities for assigned projects and provide informal guidance to team members.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: 0-5%

WCG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer – Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit and without regard to race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion or creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, age, marital status, family or parental status, disability, genetic information, citizenship, veteran status, or any other legally recognized basis or status protected by federal, state, or local law. WCG complies with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Act and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We promote a "One WCG" culture where all are welcome, respected, valued, and empowered to make a difference every day to advance clinical research.