Software Test Engineer

DESCRIPTION

Become a Software Test Engineer for UW-IT's Academic & Collaborative Applications (ACA) team, and start your career in the exciting field of software development.

WHO WE ARE:

The ACA team is leading the effort for the campus-wide integration with the Canvas LMS as well as providing critical development and testing efforts for the up and coming Notify.UW, the course availability notifications service being rolled out by UW-IT. Our team also designs, develops and supports a wide variety of on-going projects such as the Catalyst Web Tools, Tegrity Manager, and other popular Web-based software applications used for courses, collaboration, and research here at the UW. Our mobile development effort includes applications such as SpaceScout and MyUW Mobile.

THE POSITION:

As a Software Test Engineer or STE, you will work with the development team in an agile environment to ensure that the quality of existing functionality and new features consistently meets the high standards that our users expect.

Software Test Engineers will have the opportunity to gain experience with state-of-the-art agile software development methods, such as SCRUM, a highly sought after skill that has been adopted by many software development teams worldwide. You will have the opportunity to be an integral part of our close-knit software development team, which is made up of intelligent, talented individuals who share a passion for creating cutting-edge software tools that meet the highest standards of quality. STEs have the chance to learn about user-centered design, first hand. Our team of passionate, creative user experience designers conducts extensive research and usability studies, the results of which help them create a user interface that is both innovative and intuitive, allowing the best user experience possible.

Not only will you sharpen and hone your technical skill set, but the real world experience you gain during your time with ACA will set you apart from other candidates going forward, giving you an edge when you apply for that next position. You will not only gain an in-depth understanding of Web architecture, you will be a contributing member of the Quality Assurance team and be involved in all aspects of the development process. You will gain skills in test case design and execution as well as defect investigation and verification. You will also have the opportunity to develop coding skills in Python, Perl, and JavaScript as you take the written test cases you author and develop them into automated test scripts in Selenium. Most importantly, you will exercise your critical problem-solving skills by learning to think outside the box.

What You'll Do:

  • Learn new technologies and build your skill-set
  • Familiarize yourself with current projects and learn about Web architecture
  • Write test cases and/or test plans as needed based on design specifications for new features
  • Perform manual black-box testing a.k.a 'Break Things!'
  • Develop and extend unit tests in Python
  • Automate existing integration and acceptance tests where appropriate
  • Write detailed bug reports by providing clear step-by-step instructions so that others may reproduce the issue
  • Mentor and provide direction for other undergraduate testing staff as you gain experience
  • Communicate status with the QA Lead and the rest of the development team
  • Take on other projects assigned to you as necessary

Who You Are:

You have the natural curiosity that is characteristic of great software engineers. You are driven by the impulse to lift the hood and look inside, learn how it works, then test and push limits. You are intelligent, motivated, detail oriented, well organized, flexible but driven, and know how to communicate well, as you will be an integral member of a fast-paced team. You don't settle for "just ok." You set high standards for yourself and this is reflected in your work. Most importantly, you are a team player who is willing to work hard and have fun to achieve success.

Desired Technical Skills:

  • Working knowledge of web architecture
  • Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and other Web-related languages and markup
  • Familiarity with scripting languages such as JavaScript or PERL or an object-oriented language such as Python or C#
  • Selenium and SCRUM are a plus!

Terms:

To be a successful contributor, Software Test Engineers are expected to work a MINIMUM of 10 hours per week -- preferably more as your schedule permits -- up to 19.5 hours per week. Work hours can be somewhat flexible, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. After the initial probationary period, the ability to work from home on occasion may be granted.

A satisfactory outcome from a criminal background verification will be required prior to hire.

 

STATUS: We are not currently hiring for this position.