Software Development Engineer in Test - SDET

We have a long term contract position for a - SDET with a financial client.We have 2 locations - Chicago, IL & Dallas, TXThis would be Hybrid role 2-3 days onsite in either of the locaitons - Chicago, IL or Dallas, TXPrimary Skills The Manager Is Looking ForAutomation TestingManual TestingJenkins Industry Experience - someone who has worked with OCC, CME Group, DTCC (must have)Role OverviewWe are seeking a detail-oriented Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) with strong experience in manual testing, automation frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins. The ideal candidate will ensure high product quality through a blend of hands-on testing, test automation, and continuous integration practices.Key Responsibilities Manual TestingAnalyze business and functional requirements to create test plans, test cases, and test scenariosPerform functional, regression, integration, and UAT testingIdentify, document, and track defects using tools like JIRACollaborate with developers, product managers, and business analystsValidate UI, API, and database-level functionalityAutomation Testing (SDET Focus)Design and develop automation test scripts using tools like:Selenium WebDriver / Cypress / PlaywrightTestNG / JUnit / PyTestBuild and maintain test automation frameworks (Hybrid, Data-driven, BDD)Automate API testing using tools like Postman, RestAssured, or KarateIntegrate automation tests into CI/CD pipelinesPerform code reviews and improve test coverageJenkins & CI/CDConfigure and manage Jenkins jobs/pipelines for automated test executionIntegrate test suites with CI/CD workflowsSchedule and trigger automated regression runsAnalyze build results and test reportsWork with DevOps teams to optimize pipeline performanceRequired SkillsCore SkillsStrong understanding of Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) and SDLCExperience in manual and automation testingProgramming knowledge in Java, Python, or JavaScriptExperience with test frameworks and automation toolsCI/CD & ToolsHands-on experience with JenkinsFamiliarity with Git, Maven/GradleExperience with Docker/Kubernetes (nice to have)Testing TypesFunctional TestingRegression TestingAPI TestingUI TestingPerformance Testing (bonus)