J-1 Visa Senior Software Engineer In Test Jobs
Senior Software Engineer In Test roles in the United States are accessible to international professionals through J-1 visa sponsorship under the Trainee or Research Scholar program category. A State Department-designated sponsor organization issues your DS-2019, while the tech employer serves as your host organization. No lottery, no annual cap.
See All Senior Software Engineer In Test JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 16+ Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
See all 16+ Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Senior Software Engineer In Test roles.
Get Access To All JobsWho We Are
Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management. Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100+ companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees.
About The Role
As a Senior Test Engineer, you will be responsible for validating the functional reliability and performance of our connected camera fleet across the entire hardware-to-cloud ecosystem. As a part of the Camera Quality & Test Engineering Team, you will execute a hybrid validation strategy that combines rigorous system-level exploratory testing with the development of automated test scripts. You will spend your time interacting directly with physical camera hardware in the lab, reproducing complex field edge-cases, capturing system logs, and writing code to automate regression suites within our Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) infrastructure.
System-Level & Exploratory Testing:
- Execute structured system validation test plans for release candidates to ensure core firmware functionality, network resilience, and seamless cloud connectivity.
- Perform augmented and exploratory testing on new camera features, focusing on hardware-software integration (e.g., offline storage retention, streaming latency, image quality adjustments under varying lighting).
- Run repeated stress and longevity tests to identify memory leaks, thermal bottlenecks, and overall system degradation over time.
Automated Test Development:
- Write, maintain, and execute automated test scripts (primarily in Python) to run against physical hardware in our test lab.
- Automate critical regression test cases to increase coverage and reduce manual testing cycles for weekly/monthly firmware OTA releases.
- Help maintain the physical test infrastructure, ensuring network switches, relay boards, and devices under test (DUTs) are properly configured.
Issue Reproduction & Hardware Debugging:
- Triage escalated field bugs from customer support. Physically recreate environmental or network edge cases (e.g., PoE power drops, high packet loss) in the lab to reproduce the issue.
- Extract and analyze low-level device logs (via SSH, serial console, or cloud telemetry) to provide firmware developers with clear, actionable root-cause data.
- Track and verify bug fixes through the issue management system, ensuring regressions are caught before deployment.
Performance & Telemetry Monitoring:
- Monitor device telemetry during release candidate testing to track CPU usage, memory consumption, and boot times.
- Compare system performance metrics against baseline data to catch degradations before they reach our enterprise customers.
What You Bring
- Experience: 2–4+ years of System Test, Validation, or Automation experience focused specifically on embedded systems, IoT devices, or consumer hardware products.
- Coding Proficiency: Solid scripting skills in Python. You should be able to write scripts to interact with internal APIs, parse serial log files, and control lab equipment.
- Embedded/Linux Skills: Comfortable navigating Embedded Linux environments via CLI. Familiar with basic shell scripting and standard Linux debugging tools.
- Networking Knowledge: Practical understanding of network protocols (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, PoE) and how to test device behavior under poor network conditions.
- Hardware Troubleshooting: Hands-on experience working with physical devices. Comfortable using serial debug cables, multimeters, and configuring managed network switches.
- Communication: Ability to write highly detailed, step-by-step reproduction reports and communicate technical issues effectively to firmware developers.
- Must be willing and able to work onsite five days per week.
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience testing video streaming products or familiarity with video protocols (RTSP, WebRTC, H.264/H.265).
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and how automated HIL tests integrate into the build process.
- Basic understanding of camera hardware concepts (image sensors, ISP pipelines, auto-focus, auto-exposure).
US Employee Benefits
Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to:
- Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans
- Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage
- Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options
- Expanded mental health support
- Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits
- Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time
- Professional development stipend
- Wellness/fitness benefits
- Healthy lunches provided daily
- Commuter benefits
Additional Information
We do sponsor and take over sponsorship of employment visas for this role. If we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa.
Annual Pay Range
At Verkada, we want to attract and retain the best employees, and compensate them in a way that appropriately and fairly values their individual contribution to the company. With that in mind, we carefully consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate starting pay for an employee, including their primary work location and an assessment of a candidate's skills and experience, as well as market demands and internal parity. A Verkada employee may be eligible for additional forms of compensation, depending on their role, including sales incentives, discretionary bonuses, and/or equity in the company in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Below is the annual on-target earnings (OTE) range for full-time employees for this position, comprised of base compensation and commissions (if applicable).
Estimated Annual Pay Range: $150,000—$220,000 USD
Verkada Is An Equal Opportunity Employer
As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
Your application will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
Who We Are
Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management. Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100+ companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees.
About The Role
As a Senior Test Engineer, you will be responsible for validating the functional reliability and performance of our connected camera fleet across the entire hardware-to-cloud ecosystem. As a part of the Camera Quality & Test Engineering Team, you will execute a hybrid validation strategy that combines rigorous system-level exploratory testing with the development of automated test scripts. You will spend your time interacting directly with physical camera hardware in the lab, reproducing complex field edge-cases, capturing system logs, and writing code to automate regression suites within our Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) infrastructure.
System-Level & Exploratory Testing:
- Execute structured system validation test plans for release candidates to ensure core firmware functionality, network resilience, and seamless cloud connectivity.
- Perform augmented and exploratory testing on new camera features, focusing on hardware-software integration (e.g., offline storage retention, streaming latency, image quality adjustments under varying lighting).
- Run repeated stress and longevity tests to identify memory leaks, thermal bottlenecks, and overall system degradation over time.
Automated Test Development:
- Write, maintain, and execute automated test scripts (primarily in Python) to run against physical hardware in our test lab.
- Automate critical regression test cases to increase coverage and reduce manual testing cycles for weekly/monthly firmware OTA releases.
- Help maintain the physical test infrastructure, ensuring network switches, relay boards, and devices under test (DUTs) are properly configured.
Issue Reproduction & Hardware Debugging:
- Triage escalated field bugs from customer support. Physically recreate environmental or network edge cases (e.g., PoE power drops, high packet loss) in the lab to reproduce the issue.
- Extract and analyze low-level device logs (via SSH, serial console, or cloud telemetry) to provide firmware developers with clear, actionable root-cause data.
- Track and verify bug fixes through the issue management system, ensuring regressions are caught before deployment.
Performance & Telemetry Monitoring:
- Monitor device telemetry during release candidate testing to track CPU usage, memory consumption, and boot times.
- Compare system performance metrics against baseline data to catch degradations before they reach our enterprise customers.
What You Bring
- Experience: 2–4+ years of System Test, Validation, or Automation experience focused specifically on embedded systems, IoT devices, or consumer hardware products.
- Coding Proficiency: Solid scripting skills in Python. You should be able to write scripts to interact with internal APIs, parse serial log files, and control lab equipment.
- Embedded/Linux Skills: Comfortable navigating Embedded Linux environments via CLI. Familiar with basic shell scripting and standard Linux debugging tools.
- Networking Knowledge: Practical understanding of network protocols (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, PoE) and how to test device behavior under poor network conditions.
- Hardware Troubleshooting: Hands-on experience working with physical devices. Comfortable using serial debug cables, multimeters, and configuring managed network switches.
- Communication: Ability to write highly detailed, step-by-step reproduction reports and communicate technical issues effectively to firmware developers.
- Must be willing and able to work onsite five days per week.
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience testing video streaming products or familiarity with video protocols (RTSP, WebRTC, H.264/H.265).
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and how automated HIL tests integrate into the build process.
- Basic understanding of camera hardware concepts (image sensors, ISP pipelines, auto-focus, auto-exposure).
US Employee Benefits
Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to:
- Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans
- Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage
- Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options
- Expanded mental health support
- Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits
- Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time
- Professional development stipend
- Wellness/fitness benefits
- Healthy lunches provided daily
- Commuter benefits
Additional Information
We do sponsor and take over sponsorship of employment visas for this role. If we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa.
Annual Pay Range
At Verkada, we want to attract and retain the best employees, and compensate them in a way that appropriately and fairly values their individual contribution to the company. With that in mind, we carefully consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate starting pay for an employee, including their primary work location and an assessment of a candidate's skills and experience, as well as market demands and internal parity. A Verkada employee may be eligible for additional forms of compensation, depending on their role, including sales incentives, discretionary bonuses, and/or equity in the company in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Below is the annual on-target earnings (OTE) range for full-time employees for this position, comprised of base compensation and commissions (if applicable).
Estimated Annual Pay Range: $150,000—$220,000 USD
Verkada Is An Equal Opportunity Employer
As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
Your application will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
See all 16+ Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Senior Software Engineer In Test roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in Senior Software Engineer In Test
Align your training plan with SDET competencies
Your DS-2019 requires a structured training plan detailing the skills you'll develop. Map it to specific SDET competencies like test automation frameworks, CI/CD integration, and shift-left quality practices so the designated sponsor can approve it cleanly.
Distinguish Trainee from Research Scholar eligibility
Trainee status fits you if you graduated within the past 12 months or have relevant work experience under five years. Research Scholar applies if your SDET role is embedded in a university lab or R&D institute rather than a commercial product team.
Filter host employers by existing J-1 hosting history
Search for Senior Software Engineer In Test openings on Migrate Mate to identify U.S. employers who have hosted J-1 exchange visitors before. Prior hosting experience signals familiarity with DS-2019 obligations and reduces onboarding friction during the offer stage.
Verify the 2-year home residency requirement early
Some J-1 participants funded by their home government or working in fields on the Exchange Visitor Skills List must return home for two years after their program ends. Confirm your status with your designated sponsor before negotiating any post-program employment expectations with the host employer.
Request a formal host employer agreement before accepting
Your designated sponsor must execute a written agreement with the host employer before issuing your DS-2019. Ask the recruiting team to confirm this agreement is in place. Missing this step is a common delay in SDET J-1 placements at companies new to exchange visitor hosting.
Document automation tool proficiency for your visa interview
Consular officers assess whether your SDET experience genuinely requires U.S.-based training unavailable at home. Prepare documentation of your existing proficiency in tools like Selenium, Playwright, or Appium alongside a clear rationale for why the host employer's environment advances your skillset.
Senior Software Engineer In Test jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Senior Software Engineer In Test JobsSenior Software Engineer In Test J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category covers Senior Software Engineer In Test roles?
Most SDET professionals enter on the Trainee category, which covers technical fields including software engineering and quality assurance. If your role is embedded in a university or federally funded research environment, the Research Scholar category may apply instead. The key distinction is whether your host organization is a commercial employer or an academic or research institution.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for an SDET position?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not your employer. Organizations like Cultural Vistas, AIPT, and InterExchange are designated sponsors that issue the DS-2019 form, approve your training plan, and monitor your program compliance. The tech company hiring you is the host organization, not the sponsoring entity. These are two separate roles filled by two separate organizations.
How do I find U.S. employers open to hosting a J-1 SDET?
Many tech employers are unaware of the J-1 host framework or have never structured an SDET role around a formal training plan. Use Migrate Mate to search for Senior Software Engineer In Test roles posted by employers with J-1 hosting experience. Targeting companies that have previously hosted exchange visitors significantly shortens the negotiation and paperwork timeline.
Can I transition from a J-1 SDET training program to an H-1B?
A transition is possible but depends on whether you're subject to the two-year home residency requirement. If the requirement applies, you must either complete the two years abroad, obtain a waiver, or remain ineligible for H-1B or permanent residence adjustment until it's resolved. Confirm your residency requirement status with your designated sponsor before any post-program employment discussions.
What does the training plan need to include for an SDET J-1 application?
Your designated sponsor requires a detailed Training Plan (Form DS-7002) outlining the specific skills, phases of training, and supervision structure for your SDET role. For software quality engineering positions, this typically includes sections on test architecture, toolchain exposure, code review participation, and performance benchmarks. Vague or generic plans are a common reason designated sponsors request revisions before issuing the DS-2019.
See which Senior Software Engineer In Test employers are hiring and sponsoring visas right now.
Search Senior Software Engineer In Test Jobs