Software QA Engineer Jobs in California
Software QA Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in the technology, enterprise software, fintech, and defense sectors with openings from entry-level associate testers through principal and staff QA engineers. The largest hiring hubs are the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles, where companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and Google maintain major engineering operations and consistently recruit software qa engineers across test automation, performance testing, and security QA. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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NVIDIA is the world leader in GPU Computing. We are passionate about markets include gaming, automotive, vision, HPC, datacenters and networking in addition to our traditional OEM business. NVIDIA is also well positioned as the ‘AI Computing Company’, and NVIDIA GPUs are the brains powering Deep Learning software frameworks, analytics, data centers, and driving autonomous vehicles. We have some of the most experienced and dedicated people in the world working for us. If you are dedicated, forward-thinking, and hard-working technical people across countries sounds exciting, this job is for you. NVIDIA is looking for an outstanding individual who thrives in a diverse work environment, has outstanding interpersonal skills and possesses a strong sense of engagement and continuous process improvement. This candidate must have enterprise server integration, strong Linux experience, reliability testing with various telemetries, scale out cluster, test plan development, track record in developing AI tools and NLP, DevOps, CI/CD experience to join our platform SWQA team.
What you’ll be doing:
Responsible for the development and execution of NVIDIA HGX/DGX/MGX platform test plan on servers, OS, FW and CUDA SW stack from design doc.
Installing and testing various systems OS, server firmware and SW stack.
Drive support for root cause analysis on reliability and validation test failures to identify root cause(s) and achieve mitigation.
Build, develop/debug server and OS level automation front-end and back-end framework and tests
Review partner and supplier test results and prescribe additional reliability testing on components, servers, and packaging as needed.
Work in an agile software development team with very high production quality standards.
Manage bug lifecycle and collaborate with inter-groups to drive for solutions.
What we need to see:
Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent experience) in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math or Physics) field
5+ years proven experience; or master’s degree.
Proven years of OS and server level automation, CI/CD process and DevOps experience using Python, SHELL, Ansible, Jenkins, C/C++, Java, JavaScript
Strong server and Linux(Ubuntu, RedHat, CentOS, SuSE, Fedora and etc…) troubleshooting and debugging experience in a bare-metal and KVM/VMWare/Hyper-V environment.
Good knowledge and hands-on experience in model testing, AI tools/frameworks (TensorFlow, Pytorch, Cursor and etc…), NLP and LLM benchmarking
Experience in using AI development tools for test plans creation, test cases development and test cases automation
Strong experience in FW, BMC/OpenBMC, Network protocol, internal/external enterprise storage devices, PCIe buses and devices, IO sub-devices, CPU and memory, ACPI, UEFI spec, Redfish - huge plus
Proven years of experience in GitHub/Gitlab/Gerrit, PXE, SLURM, Stack/Kubernetes/Docker) – huge plus
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
AI related tools, LLM and NLP.
Experience working with NVIDIA GPU hardware is a strong plus.
Good to have solid understanding of virtualization in Linux (KVM, Docker orchestrated with Kubernetes)
Background in parallel programming ideally CUDA/OpenCL is a plus
You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.See All 52 Software QA Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Software QA Engineer JobsSoftware QA Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Software QA Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software13
- Electronics & Hardware5
- Cybersecurity3
- Energy1
- Telecommunications1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in software QA engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field
- Hands-on experience writing and maintaining automated test scripts in Python, Java, or JavaScript
- Proficiency with test frameworks such as Selenium, Pytest, JUnit, or Cypress
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or CircleCI
- Experience with Agile or Scrum development environments and sprint-based testing cycles
- Strong understanding of API testing using tools like Postman, REST Assured, or similar
Software QA Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a software qa engineer in California?
Software qa engineer roles in California require no state-issued license, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill. Most employers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, though candidates with associate degrees plus strong portfolios are competitive at smaller firms. Building hands-on experience with test automation frameworks, contributing to open-source test projects, and earning vendor-neutral certifications such as ISTQB significantly strengthens a California application.
How much do software QA engineers make in California?
Software QA engineers in California earn a median of about $128,740 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $65,890 for the lowest 10% to over $201,070 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire software qa engineers in California?
Employers hiring software qa engineers in California right now include NVIDIA, Apple, and Fortinet, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's density of enterprise software companies, defense contractors, and consumer technology firms means steady QA demand across a wide range of industries and company sizes.
Which California cities have the most software qa engineer jobs?
The cities with the most software qa engineer openings in California are Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and Cupertino. The San Francisco Bay Area leads because of its concentration of enterprise software and consumer technology headquarters, while San Diego's defense and biotech sectors and Los Angeles's growing fintech and entertainment technology industries generate consistent QA hiring in those metros.
Are there remote software qa engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 24% of software qa engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting how naturally the role fits asynchronous, distributed engineering teams. Test automation, exploratory testing, and code review work are the functions most commonly performed fully remotely, while roles involving hardware-in-the-loop or on-device testing tend to require an in-person presence.
How can I get hired as a software qa engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an associate or junior QA role at a mid-size California software company, where hiring managers often value a strong automated testing portfolio over years of experience. Large California employers like Apple and Salesforce run university recruiting programs and new-grad engineering rotations that include QA tracks. Candidates transitioning from adjacent roles such as technical support, manual testing, or software development intern positions find it easier to step into a QA role, and earning an ISTQB Foundation certification gives applicants a concrete, recognizable credential on a California resume.
Where can I find and apply to software qa engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to software qa engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other metros. Find roles that fit your experience and specialization and apply directly.
See All 52 Software QA Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Software QA Engineer Jobs