Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDTE)

Side is hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test to design, build, and own regression test automation across iOS, Android, and web platforms. The role sets automation architecture and technical direction, integrates test suites into CI/CD, and partners with engineering and product leads to improve quality.

Responsibilities:

• Architect and build a unified test automation framework from the ground up that supports iOS, Android, and Web clients, minimizing duplication of test logic across platforms where possible
• Own regression test case generation strategy - analyze existing manual test suites, user flows and product requirements to identify and codify high-value regression scenarios, and define the process for keeping the suite current as the product evolves
• Implement and maintain UI, API, and integration test suites using tools such as Maestro/XCUITest/Espresso (mobile) and Playwright/Cypress/Selenium (web)
• Design and integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Buildkite, GitHub Actions) to enable fast, reliable feedback on every build
• Establish test data management, environment provisioning, and reporting strategies to keep the automation suite stable and maintainable at scale
• Own triage and reduction of test flakiness - set the standard for what "reliable" means for the automation suite and hold the line on it
• Define and report on quality metrics (coverage, pass rate, flake rate, execution time) to engineering leadership, and use them to drive prioritization
• Partner with product and engineering leads to translate feature specs and acceptance criteria into automated test case suites, influencing testability during design
• Mentor and set technical direction for other engineers on testability best practices (e.g., writing testable code, dependency injection, accessible UI locators)
• Evaluate and evolve tooling and framework architecture to keep pace with mobile OS and web framework changes, making build-vs-buy calls as needed

Requirements:

• 6+ years of experience as an SDET, QA Automation Engineer, or Software Engineer with a strong testing focus, including experience owning automation architecture end-to-end
• Proven track record building test automation frameworks from scratch for mobile (iOS and/or Android) and web applications, ideally at more than one company or major initiative
• Deep, hands-on experience with mobile automation tools: Maestro, XCUITest, Espresso, or equivalent
• Deep, hands-on experience with web automation tools: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium/WebDriver, or equivalent
• Strong programming skills in at least one of: TypeScript/JavaScript, Java, Kotlin, Swift, or Python
• Experience designing and integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines, including diagnosing pipeline-level flakiness and build/test failures
• Strong grasp of test design techniques (equivalence partitioning, boundary analysis, risk-based test prioritization) and the judgment to apply them at scale
• Experience with API testing (REST, contract testing) as part of end-to-end coverage
• Comfortable with version control (Git) and collaborative development workflows (PR review, branching strategies)
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and influence testing practices beyond your own individual contributions
• A bias toward action - comfortable making pragmatic architectural tradeoffs and iterating rather than waiting for a perfect spec
• Excellent communication skills - able to clearly report quality risks and automation gaps to both engineers and leadership stakeholders
• deep XCUITest expertise is a strong plus for senior candidates
• Experience with cross-platform test strategy (shared test logic/page-object patterns across iOS/Android/Web)
• Exposure to performance and accessibility testing
• Experience with Appium for cross-platform mobile UI automation
• Background scaling test automation at a growth-stage or fast-moving product org
• Experience with cloud device farms (BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, Firebase Test Lab)
• Prior experience as a technical lead or automation architect on a QE team