System Automation - Agile Developer - Level 1

Pay Rate Range: $60 - $67.60/hr. on W2 Location: Fort Meade, MD (On-Site) Clearance Required: Active Top Secret/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP); CI Polygraph within the last 7 years - must be active prior to start Position Overview:The System Automation Agile Developer supports the modernization of a legacy operational system using a microservices-based architecture and cutting-edge automation and test engineering capabilities.The contractor works embedded in a cross-functional Agile team, owning test framework design, automated test execution, and quality delivery across the full software lifecycle.Strong communication and collaboration with engineers, product owners, and program stakeholders are required daily.Key Responsibilities: Test Framework and Automation:Establish and maintain a test framework and automated test suite using Playwright, Cucumber, and CypressDevelop, maintain, and execute automated functional and end-to-end (E2E) tests across microservicesIntegrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous quality gatesAuthor maintainable, data-driven, and reusable test scripts aligned to program coding standardsPerformance, Load, and Resilience Testing:Execute load and performance testing across microservices and system interfaces using JMeter or similar toolingConduct chaos testing to validate system resilience, failover, and recovery behaviorsPerform functional and end-to-end testing to validate user workflows and integrationsIdentify, document, and triage defects; partner with developers on root-cause analysis and remediationMicroservices and Modernization Support:Support modernization of a legacy operational system into a microservices-based architectureValidate microservice contracts, APIs, and integrations across the distributed systemTest containerized workloads and deployments in Kubernetes and Docker environmentsVerify CI/CD pipeline behavior, deployment health, and post-deployment validationAgile Delivery and Collaboration:Participate in all Agile ceremonies: sprint planning, stand-ups, refinement, reviews, and retrospectivesDeliver test artifacts and automation on the sprint cadence in coordination with development teamsCommunicate and collaborate with engineers, product owners, and program stakeholdersContribute to continuous improvement of team test practices, tooling, and quality metricsQualifications:Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in a related discipline, or equivalent combined education and experience (3 or more years of professional experience; or 1 year with a related Master's degree).Must Have (Required):Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) - must be active prior to startCI Polygraph within the last 7 years - must be active prior to startHands-on experience establishing and maintaining test frameworks and automated test suitesWorking knowledge of Microservices design and architectureExperience with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated tests into themProficiency with test automation frameworks and tooling (Playwright, Cucumber, and/or Cypress)Experience executing load and performance testing, chaos testing, functional testing, and end-to-end testingExperience working in an Agile delivery environmentStrong communication and collaboration skills in a team-oriented software development environmentNice to Have (1 or more of the following):Test automation tools: Playwright, Cucumber/Gherkin, Selenium, Cypress508/accessibility testing tools: JAWS or NVDAPerformance testing: JMeterAPI testing/documentation: Swagger or similar API toolSoftware languages: Java, JavaScript, Python, AnsibleCloud: AWSContainer and orchestration: Kubernetes, DockerCI/CD tooling and pipeline development