QA Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia
QA Automation Engineer jobs in Virginia are in strong demand across the state's defense contracting, federal IT services, and commercial software sectors, with openings at every level from junior engineer through principal and lead. Northern Virginia's government contractor corridor anchors the largest share of hiring, with Arlington, Reston, and Herndon drawing consistent volume, and Richmond adding a growing commercial and financial-tech base. Major employers with lasting presences in Virginia include Leidos, CACI International, and Booz Allen Hamilton, which regularly post automation roles tied to Selenium, Cypress, and API testing frameworks. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Public Trust Eligibility Required
About Aretum
Aretum is a mission-driven organization committed to delivering innovative, technology-enabled solutions to our customers across defense, civilian, and homeland security sectors. Our teams work at the intersection of strategy, technology, and transformation, helping agencies solve their most critical challenges. We believe in investing in our people and creating a culture where collaboration, inclusion, and professional growth are at the forefront.
Job Summary
Serve as a QA Automation Test Engineer supporting an Agile team that creates, maintains, and enhances applications for a federal government client. The successful candidate will be responsible for planning, developing, executing, and maintaining manual and automated testing solutions/frameworks that ensure application quality, performance, accessibility, and reliability.
Due to the nature of our work as a federal consulting organization, employees may be expected to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must adhere to applicable safeguarding and compliance requirements.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, execute, and maintain manual and automated test cases for web applications, APIs, and integrated systems
- Develop and maintain test strategies, test plans, and testing approaches that support the level of automation needed for application quality and delivery objectives
- Provide clear feedback by following the standard testing process, including writing detailed descriptions, acceptance criteria, identifying problems, and documenting steps in the ticketing system
- Build and maintain reusable automated test scripts, utilities, and testing components that reduce repetitive testing efforts and improve testing efficiency
- Design, implement, and support scalable test automation frameworks that enable consistent and maintainable automated testing across teams
- Perform functional, regression, smoke, integration, end-to-end, and user story validation testing throughout the software development lifecycle
- Collaborate with Product Owners, Business Analysts, Developers, and Testers to determine quality expectations during backlog refinement and sprint planning
- Contribute to the team's Definition of Done (DoD) by ensuring appropriate test coverage, successful test execution, and quality validation prior to story completion
- Integrate automated testing into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines and leverage continuous integration practices to provide rapid feedback on code quality
- Develop and execute load, performance, and scalability tests to validate application stability, reliability, and capacity under expected usage conditions
- Analyze test results, identify defects and risks, measure test coverage, and provide actionable recommendations to improve overall software quality and release readiness
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience using automation tools to test systems and applications, and writing and executing test scripts
- Bachelor's Degree (4 additional years of relevant experience is acceptable in lieu of degree)
- 3+ years of experience with automation testing tools, Playwright preferred
- Experience developing automation testing strategies and frameworks from the ground up
- Experience performing functional, regression, smoke, integration, and end-to-end testing
- Strong hands-on testing experience with database and API testing
- Experience with Docker containers and testing containerized applications
- Experience creating reusable test automation solutions and integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines
- Experience collaborating and working across functional teams
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with GraphQL testing/framework
- Federal Government experience as a contractor
- Experience with testing .NET applications and systems hosted in Azure Cloud
- Performance testing experience
- Experience performing manual accessibility testing with screen readers and other accessibility tools
- DHS Trusted Tester Certification
Travel Requirements
This is a remote position; however, occasional travel may be required based on project needs, client meetings, team collaboration events, or training sessions. Travel is expected to be less than 10% and will be communicated in advance whenever possible.
EEO Statement
Aretum is committed to fostering a workplace rooted in excellence, integrity, and equal opportunity for all. We adhere to merit-based hiring practices, ensuring that all employment decisions are made based on qualifications, skills, and ability to perform the job, without preference or consideration of factors unrelated to job performance.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aretum complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
We are proud to support our nation’s veterans and military families, providing career opportunities that honor their service and experience.
If you require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact hr@aretum.com for assistance.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled
U.S. Work Authorization
Due to federal contract requirements, only U.S. citizens are eligible for this position. This position supports a federal government contract and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or Suitability Determination, depending on the agency’s background investigation requirements.
Benefits
- Salary Range: $80,000–$120,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including education, experience, qualifications, skills, and applicable contract requirements.
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan (401k)
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off
- Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
- Short Term & Long-Term Disability
- Training & Development
See All 6 QA Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find QA Automation Engineer JobsQA Automation Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
QA Automation Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
- Construction & Real Estate
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in QA automation engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field
- Hands-on experience with automation frameworks such as Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright
- Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language, typically Java, Python, or JavaScript
- Experience writing and maintaining automated test suites for web, API, or mobile applications
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions
- Strong understanding of software development life cycles and Agile or Scrum team methodologies
QA Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a qa automation engineer in Virginia?
QA automation engineering in Virginia has no state-issued license or registration requirement, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill. Most Virginia employers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or software engineering, or equivalent experience. Building a portfolio of automation projects using Selenium, Cypress, or a comparable framework, and earning vendor-neutral certifications such as ISTQB, strengthens candidacy considerably with Virginia's large government-contractor and commercial-software employers.
How much do QA automation engineers make in Virginia?
QA automation engineers in Virginia earn a median of about $121,590 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $78,820 for the lowest 10% to over $169,200 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire qa automation engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring qa automation engineers in Virginia right now include Aretum, Peraton, and Cognizant, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's dense concentration of federal IT contractors and defense firms means a significant share of openings carry security-clearance preferences alongside standard automation skills.
Which Virginia cities have the most qa automation engineer jobs?
McLean, Tysons, and Herndon account for the largest share of qa automation engineer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia cities like Arlington and Reston dominate because of the federal contracting corridor anchored by agencies headquartered nearby, while Richmond draws openings from commercial software firms and financial-services companies that have expanded their engineering teams in recent years.
Are there remote qa automation engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 100% of qa automation engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how naturally the work translates to distributed environments. Test-script development, CI/CD pipeline maintenance, and code review are the tasks most frequently performed fully remote, while roles tied to classified government systems typically require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a qa automation engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a junior or associate QA engineer role at one of Virginia's mid-size government IT contractors, where teams often onboard new graduates and train them on internal frameworks. Leidos and CACI both run early-career programs that place candidates without commercial automation experience into supported QA roles. Transitioning from manual QA, software development, or a DevOps support position is also common. An ISTQB Foundation certification and a public GitHub portfolio with at least one working automation project make a meaningful difference in clearing the initial resume screen.
Where can I find and apply to qa automation engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to qa automation engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across the state's major hiring markets. Find a role that fits and apply directly.
See All 6 QA Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia
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