Lead Test Engineer Jobs

Lead Test Engineer jobs are open across aerospace, software, automotive, and medical device industries, at every level from senior engineer to principal, with specializations in embedded systems testing, automated test framework development, and hardware-in-the-loop validation. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles249+
Top stateCalifornia
Top employerNorthrop Grumman
Top cityHawthorne, CA
Work type45% On-site
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 249+ Lead Test Engineer jobs

Functional Analyst, Test Lead (Procurement Systems)
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Functional Analyst, Test Lead (Procurement Systems)
Enspyre LLC
Dayton, Ohio
Business Analyst
Data Analytics
IT Support
$75k - $90k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in information technology

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Integrated Test Team Lead - Test & Validation Engineering
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New 4h ago
Integrated Test Team Lead - Test & Validation Engineering
Raytheon
Forest, Mississippi
Customer Service
Customer Success
Customer Support
$78k - $149k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in engineering
10,000+

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Integration and Test Lead Engineer
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Integration and Test Lead Engineer
Raytheon
McKinney, Texas
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$108k - $205k/yr
Bachelor's degree in engineering
10,000+

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Operations, Test & Program Lead
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New 6h ago
Operations, Test & Program Lead
Saft
Cockeysville, Maryland
Program Management
Project & Program Management
Project Management
$125k - $165k/yr
Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering
1,001-5,000

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Lead, Test Engineering
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Lead, Test Engineering
Radiant Nuclear
El Segundo, California
Compliance & Risk
Engineering (Non-Software)
Quality Control
$141k - $202k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

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Lead Test Engineer Job Market

Who's Hiring

  • Northrop Grumman14
  • POWERX9
  • Raytheon9
  • BAE Systems USA9
  • L3Harris8

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software
  • Manufacturing
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Electronics & Hardware
  • Telecommunications

What Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in lead test engineer jobs.

  • Five or more years of experience in test engineering with demonstrated leadership of a test team or program
  • Proficiency with automated test frameworks such as pytest, Robot Framework, NI TestStand, or equivalent
  • Experience developing and owning test plans, test strategies, and traceability matrices from requirements
  • Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, or embedded systems testing environments
  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related technical discipline
  • Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI

Tips for Your Lead Test Engineer Job Search

Tailor your resume for test leadership

Hiring managers for lead test engineer roles want to see evidence of test strategy ownership, not just execution. Highlight instances where you designed test plans, mentored junior engineers, or drove defect reduction across a product line, not just test case counts.

Showcase your automation framework decisions

Lead-level postings frequently ask who built or chose the automation stack. Specify the frameworks you selected, why you chose them over alternatives, and the measurable outcome, such as faster regression cycles or reduced manual test overhead for your team.

Apply early to roles that fit

Migrate Mate lists lead test engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match your specialization and apply directly to each listing without hunting across multiple sources.

Filter openings by domain expertise

Lead test engineer roles in aerospace, automotive, and medical devices often require domain-specific certifications or regulatory knowledge. When targeting openings, search by industry vertical so your domain experience reads as an immediate fit rather than a transferable skill.

Prepare for a system design interview round

Many lead test engineer interviews include a whiteboard or take-home exercise asking you to design a test architecture from scratch. Practice walking through tool selection, coverage strategy, CI integration, and reporting before you get to that stage.

Negotiate scope alongside compensation

At the lead level, the size of the team you own and your budget authority matter as much as base pay. Before accepting an offer, clarify headcount reporting to you, tool procurement authority, and whether the role has a path to a staff or principal title.

Lead Test Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies are hiring the most lead test engineers?

The companies hiring the most lead test engineers right now include Northrop Grumman, POWERX, and Raytheon, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and New York, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Aerospace, automotive, and enterprise software companies tend to post the highest volume of lead-level test roles.

How many lead test engineer jobs are remote?

About 55% of lead test engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though the share varies significantly by specialization. Software and cloud-based test automation roles carry the highest remote availability, while hardware-in-the-loop, embedded systems, and lab-dependent test engineering positions are almost always on-site.

How do you become a lead test engineer?

Start by building deep hands-on experience in test automation, test planning, and defect lifecycle management as an individual contributor. Progress by taking ownership of a test suite or subsystem, then actively mentor junior engineers and drive cross-team test strategy conversations. Gaining experience with CI/CD integration and regulatory or compliance testing in your industry accelerates the move into a named lead role.

Can you get hired as a lead test engineer with limited experience?

Getting hired at the lead level with limited experience is difficult but not impossible if you can demonstrate strategic ownership in a narrower scope. Candidates who built an automation framework from scratch, led testing for a single product line, or served as the de facto test owner on a small team often qualify for lead titles at smaller companies or startups where the role is broader and less formally tiered.

What does the lead test engineer interview process look like?

Most lead test engineer interview processes include an initial screening call, a technical interview covering test strategy and automation architecture, and a practical exercise such as designing a test plan or reviewing an existing framework. Later rounds often involve a conversation with an engineering manager or director focused on leadership style, cross-functional collaboration, and how you've handled competing priorities across a test program.

Where can I find and apply to lead test engineer jobs?

You can find and apply to lead test engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your specialization and experience level, then apply directly to each one that fits.

See All 249+ Lead Test Engineer Jobs

Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

Find Lead Test Engineer Jobs