Software Development Engineer, Python

Summary / Purpose of the Role

We are looking for a Senior Test Automation Engineer (SDET) to design, build, and evolve large-scale integration and end-to-end validation for complex Nx environments.
This role sits within the Functional Test (FT) Automation team and focuses on expanding automated validation for desktop and mobile clients, as well as the APIs and services they interact with.

Our goal is to reduce reliance on manual validation while providing fast, reliable feedback to development teams through automated system-level testing.
As a senior engineer, you will operate with a high degree of independence. You will improve test reliability, strengthen CI signal quality, identify gaps in coverage, and help move deterministic validation earlier in the development lifecycle.

You will work across virtual machines, physical devices, networking, cloud services, and rich client applications — including embedded servers, physical cameras, and desktop/mobile clients — to ensure the system behaves reliably in realistic environments and deployment topologies.

Our team values clean, robust code, curiosity, and continuous learning. We encourage experimentation, thoughtful problem solving, and collaborative improvement of our infrastructure. There is no untouchable legacy code, and every engineer has a voice in shaping our tools, frameworks, and engineering practices.

What you’ll be doing

Test Architecture & Development

• Design, develop, and maintain large-scale integration and end-to-end automated tests
• Build scalable automation solutions validating desktop and mobile clients, APIs, and system interactions
• Strengthen layer-appropriate automation (API/integration vs GUI)
• Apply advanced test architecture and automation design patterns
• Contribute to the evolution of the test framework and shared testing libraries
• Identify gaps in automated coverage and areas of regression risk
• Apply risk-based thinking to prioritize automation work
• Reduce over-reliance on brittle GUI automation by strengthening lower-level validation
• Proactively propose improvements that increase framework scalability, reliability, and maintainability

System & Environment Automation

• Create and manage virtual environments (Windows, Ubuntu)
• Automate testing for desktop and mobile clients across virtualized environments
• Configure Windows and Linux systems for automated testing
• Automate desktop and mobile GUI using Qt-based tools
• Continuously improve test infrastructure to make it robust, fast, and scalable

CI Signal & Test Reliability

• Ensure automated tests provide fast, trustworthy CI feedback
• Optimize test execution to improve feedback cycles and build reliability
• Investigate and systematically reduce test flakiness
• Improve pre-commit, smoke, and regression gating
• Partner with developers to distinguish product defects from test instability
• Contribute to reducing defect leakage into production
• Improve infrastructure scalability to support faster test execution and larger coverage

Diagnostics & Root Cause Analysis

• Investigate failures using logs, dumps, and backtraces
• Use tools like strace and procmon to dig into system-level issues
• Analyze failures across different OS environments
• Collaborate with developers and teammates to identify root causes
• Communicate findings clearly, with actionable next steps

Engineering Quality

• Write clean, readable, and maintainable Python code (3.10+)
• Maintain professional Git history
• Participate in strict code reviews and design discussions
• Contribute to long-term framework evolution and infrastructure improvements
• Develop reusable testing utilities and shared automation libraries
• Mentor junior engineers and promote automation best practices across the team
• Support continuous improvement of engineering standards and testing practices

What we’re looking for

Core Experience

• 5+ years of commercial experience in software development or test automation
• Expert-level Python proficiency
• Strong computer science fundamentals
• Extensive experience automating tests in virtualized environments
• Experience testing desktop and mobile client applications
• Deep knowledge of test architecture and scalable automation frameworks
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines
• Strong troubleshooting skills using logs, dumps, and system diagnostics
• Cross-platform experience (Windows and Linux)
• Experience optimizing test execution for fast feedback cycles
• Strong Git and version control workflows

Systems & Environment

• Experience with VM environments and system automation
• Understanding of networking fundamentals
• Experience validating rich client applications
• Familiarity with containerization or virtualization tools (e.g., Docker)
• Experience with cloud services, embedded devices, or hardware-integrated systems is a plus

Nice to Have

• Experience improving test flakiness at scale
• Experience with modern web automation tools
• Familiarity with performance testing for desktop or mobile applications
• Experience developing shared testing libraries or frameworks
• Software design and architecture, Windows/Linux administration, network or system programming
• Familiarity with AI-assisted testing tools

Behavioral Expectations & Culture
We value engineers who are curious, collaborative, and proactive. As part of our team, you will:

• Take ownership of complex technical problems from investigation to resolution
• Operate independently while sharing knowledge and helping teammates
• Approach difficult issues methodically, digging into logs, dumps, and system traces
• Make pragmatic, risk-based decisions that balance stability, coverage, and speed
• Communicate root causes, impact, and next steps clearly
• Contribute to team culture by mentoring colleagues, reviewing code, and improving processes
• Value robust solutions over quick fixes and understand that reliability is a shared responsibility

What Success Looks Like

• Significantly increasing automated test coverage for desktop and mobile applications
• Improving test stability and reducing flaky tests
• Providing faster, more reliable feedback through CI
• Increasing build reliability and reducing defect leakage into production
• Scaling the automation framework to support growing product complexity
• Helping development teams ship high-quality releases faster

What we offer

• Competitive compensation  
• Paid time off
• Flexible working hours
• Remote or Hybrid work
• Employer-sponsored health coverage
• Working with top industry experts in our international team

Hybrid or Remote
The position is ideally a hybrid role and the office is located in Burbank, CA. We will also consider candidates in Walnut Creek, CA and Portland, OR. We will also consider fully remote format. 

Please note: We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. Any unsolicited resumes sent to our employees or submitted to our careers page or job postings without a formal agreement in place will be considered property of Network Optix, and no fees will be paid in the event that candidate is hired by the company.