Software Development Engineer in Test (6 Month Contract Role - 1099) at Compassx

CompassX is a boutique business and technology consulting firm. We help Fortune 500 and high-growth clients deliver their most strategic initiatives, from enterprise transformations to digital and data-driven projects. With over 15 years of proven results, we’ve expanded across industries including financial services, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, consumer products, and quick service restaurants. We are honored to be recognized as a three-time winner of Consulting Magazine’s Best Boutique Firms to Work For, and previously recognized as a “Best Place to Work” in Southern California and one of INC.’s 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. About the Role:  We're looking for a Software Development Engineer in Test to help ensure the reliability and performance of a fast-moving services platform. You'll design and own automated test frameworks, collaborate cross-functionally to triage bugs, monitor test pipelines, and leverage modern AI tools to accelerate delivery. This is a hands-on, high-impact role where your work directly shapes product stability from day one of each feature cycle. Note: This is a 6 month contract (1099) role with the possibility of extension.  What You'll Do: • Architect and Maintain Automated Suites: Design and evolve robust automation frameworks using Node.js and TypeScript to validate critical service layers. • Full-Stack Testing: Drive functional use-case coverage across UI (Playwright), Mobile (Appium), and API (GraphQL) interfaces. • Asynchronous System Validation: Lead testing efforts for real-time messaging interfaces, specifically MQTT and WebSockets, to ensure system-wide data integrity. • Pipeline Ownership: Monitor and optimize CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Jenkins), utilizing Docker for containerized test execution. • Observability & Debugging: Correlate service logs across distributed architectures to triage complex failures and proactively communicate bug resolutions. • AI Workflow Integration: Pilot and leverage cutting-edge AI tools to enhance testing efficiency and delivery speed. What You'll Bring: • 3-5 years of deep SDET experience with a focus on enterprise-scale software development and automated testing. • Core Technical Stack: Solid proficiency in Node.js, TypeScript, and test runners like Mocha. • Automation Framework Expertise: Hands-on mastery of Playwright for web and Appium for Android automation. • Modern API & Protocol Knowledge: Deep experience testing GraphQL queries and Pub/Sub interfaces (MQTT, WebSockets, or SSE). • DevOps Mindset: Working knowledge of Docker, container registries, and Git-based CI/CD workflows. • Problem-Solving Rigor: Exceptional ability to analyze application logs to trace errors across multiple services. • Consultative Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to lead bug triaging and initiate technical discussions across cross-functional teams.