Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)

Job Title: Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET)
Location: Hybrid – San José, Costa Rica (2–3 days in office)
Type of Contract: Full-Time (EOR initially, transitioning to direct employment)
Salary Range: Market Rates + Transport Bonus + Medical & Dental Insurance
Language Requirements: Advanced English (Required)

We are seeking a skilled Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) with strong experience in web application testing and modern automation practices to join our growing team. You will play a key role in driving quality strategy, mentoring team members, and ensuring reliability across complex, distributed systems. Your work will directly impact product quality, system stability, and engineering excellence across teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and drive quality strategy for major features and initiatives across web applications and distributed systems
• Design, develop, and maintain automated test coverage across APIs, services, and UI (Cypress, Playwright)
• Identify risk areas proactively and implement practical mitigation strategies
• Reduce test flakiness and improve CI/CD signal quality using GitHub Actions
• Partner with engineers, product managers, and SREs early in the development lifecycle to improve testability
• Mentor engineers on quality best practices without direct people management responsibilities
• Leverage AI-assisted tools to enhance test creation, coverage analysis, and defect detection

Must-Have Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in Software Testing/Quality Engineering 
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (Required)
• Strong experience testing web applications (UI, APIs, end-to-end workflows)
• Hands-on experience with modern automation frameworks (Cypress, Playwright, or similar)
• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions or equivalent)
• Strong problem-solving skills with high ownership and initiative
• Ability to clearly articulate testing strategies, decisions, and processes with real examples
• Advanced English communication skills for daily collaboration with U.S.-based teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Kotlin/Java (Spring Boot) and/or TypeScript/React environments
• Familiarity with Kubernetes and cloud-native systems
• Experience working in distributed or nearshore teams
• Exposure to AI-assisted testing or development tools
• Experience improving flaky test suites and scaling automation frameworks
• Strong toolkit across testing methodologies and frameworks

Candidate Profile (What We Look For)

• High agency and ownership mindset with strong problem-solving abilities
• Comfortable mentoring others while remaining hands-on
• Pragmatic approach to testing—knows when to automate vs. investigate manually
• Humble, collaborative, and open to feedback
• Systems thinker who evaluates risk beyond individual test cases