Software Test Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Software Test Engineer jobs in San Diego are concentrated in the defense technology corridor around Kearny Mesa and Sorrento Valley, and in the biotech and software clusters near Mission Valley and Torrey Pines, with employers across defense systems, cybersecurity, and enterprise software actively hiring. Companies bringing on software test engineers right now include Northrop Grumman, Shield AI, and Qualcomm. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
Find Software Test Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 151+ Software Test Engineer jobs
Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?
Sony Interactive Entertainment isn't just the Best Place to Play — it's also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we're part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting-edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.
At PlayStation, we are passionate about delivering high-quality experiences to millions of players worldwide.
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Software Development Engineer in Test II (SDET II) to help build reliable, scalable Subscription and Streaming experiences.
This opportunity is suited for an engineer who enjoys solving complex technical problems, developing automation solutions, and improving quality across applications, services, and connected platforms.
Role Overview
As an SDET , you will collaborate with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Quality Engineering teams to deliver subscription experiences across PlayStation platforms.
You will take ownership of testing and automation for assigned features, contribute to technical solutions, and help improve how quality is built into the development process.
Your work will span subscription and commerce services, backend APIs, mobile applications, gaming consoles, streaming services, and connected device experiences.
You will have opportunities to expand your technical expertise while working with experienced engineers across multiple teams.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and improve automated testing solutions for subscription services, applications, and connected platforms.
- Take ownership of quality engineering activities for assigned features, from test planning through automation and release validation.
- Collaborate with engineering teams early in development to identify quality risks, improve testability, and determine effective testing approaches.
- Develop reusable automation tools and framework capabilities that improve test coverage, reliability, and engineering efficiency.
- Validate end-to-end customer journeys involving authentication, commerce, entitlements, subscription lifecycle management, retention, and streaming experiences.
- Build automated tests for APIs, backend services, distributed systems, web applications, and native mobile platforms.
- Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and contribute to improving test execution reliability and feedback.
- Investigate complex failures, analyze root causes, and work with engineering teams to resolve issues.
- Contribute to quality metrics, dashboards, and reporting that provide visibility into automation coverage and release readiness.
- Identify opportunities to improve testing practices, reduce technical debt, and strengthen overall product quality.
- Collaborate with globally distributed engineering and QE teams on integration testing and release qualification.
- Explore emerging technologies, including AI-assisted testing, to improve test development and engineering workflows.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience in Software Development Engineering in Test, Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Test Automation.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Swift.
- Experience developing automated tests and working with test automation frameworks.
- Experience testing APIs, backend services, web applications, or native mobile applications.
- Understanding of software testing methodologies, test design, and automation strategies.
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control, and modern software development practices.
- Experience investigating technical issues, debugging failures, and collaborating with engineering teams on solutions.
- Ability to manage assigned work independently, communicate technical findings, and collaborate across teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with subscription platforms, commerce systems, payment processing, or entitlement services.
- Experience testing distributed systems, microservices, or cloud-based applications.
- Experience with automation technologies such as XCUITest, Appium, Selenium, or API testing frameworks.
- Familiarity with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubernetes, or similar development tools.
- Experience testing streaming services, media playback, gaming consoles, or connected devices.
- Experience with React Native or other cross-platform application frameworks.
- Experience developing end-to-end automation across client applications and backend services.
- Familiarity with observability, telemetry, and quality reporting.
- Exposure to AI-assisted testing and automation tools.
- Understanding of accessibility and localization testing practices.
What We're Looking For
You enjoy understanding how systems work and finding practical ways to improve their quality.
You are comfortable working across different technologies, investigating complex issues, and translating requirements into effective testing solutions.
You bring hands-on engineering experience, take ownership of your work, and collaborate with others to solve problems.
You are interested in continuing to develop your technical expertise while contributing to reliable, high-quality PlayStation experiences.
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?
Sony Interactive Entertainment isn't just the Best Place to Play — it's also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we're part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting-edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.
At PlayStation, we are passionate about delivering high-quality experiences to millions of players worldwide.
We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Software Development Engineer in Test II (SDET II) to help build reliable, scalable Subscription and Streaming experiences.
This opportunity is suited for an engineer who enjoys solving complex technical problems, developing automation solutions, and improving quality across applications, services, and connected platforms.
Role Overview
As an SDET , you will collaborate with Software Engineers, Product Managers, and Quality Engineering teams to deliver subscription experiences across PlayStation platforms.
You will take ownership of testing and automation for assigned features, contribute to technical solutions, and help improve how quality is built into the development process.
Your work will span subscription and commerce services, backend APIs, mobile applications, gaming consoles, streaming services, and connected device experiences.
You will have opportunities to expand your technical expertise while working with experienced engineers across multiple teams.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and improve automated testing solutions for subscription services, applications, and connected platforms.
- Take ownership of quality engineering activities for assigned features, from test planning through automation and release validation.
- Collaborate with engineering teams early in development to identify quality risks, improve testability, and determine effective testing approaches.
- Develop reusable automation tools and framework capabilities that improve test coverage, reliability, and engineering efficiency.
- Validate end-to-end customer journeys involving authentication, commerce, entitlements, subscription lifecycle management, retention, and streaming experiences.
- Build automated tests for APIs, backend services, distributed systems, web applications, and native mobile platforms.
- Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and contribute to improving test execution reliability and feedback.
- Investigate complex failures, analyze root causes, and work with engineering teams to resolve issues.
- Contribute to quality metrics, dashboards, and reporting that provide visibility into automation coverage and release readiness.
- Identify opportunities to improve testing practices, reduce technical debt, and strengthen overall product quality.
- Collaborate with globally distributed engineering and QE teams on integration testing and release qualification.
- Explore emerging technologies, including AI-assisted testing, to improve test development and engineering workflows.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience in Software Development Engineering in Test, Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Test Automation.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Swift.
- Experience developing automated tests and working with test automation frameworks.
- Experience testing APIs, backend services, web applications, or native mobile applications.
- Understanding of software testing methodologies, test design, and automation strategies.
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control, and modern software development practices.
- Experience investigating technical issues, debugging failures, and collaborating with engineering teams on solutions.
- Ability to manage assigned work independently, communicate technical findings, and collaborate across teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with subscription platforms, commerce systems, payment processing, or entitlement services.
- Experience testing distributed systems, microservices, or cloud-based applications.
- Experience with automation technologies such as XCUITest, Appium, Selenium, or API testing frameworks.
- Familiarity with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubernetes, or similar development tools.
- Experience testing streaming services, media playback, gaming consoles, or connected devices.
- Experience with React Native or other cross-platform application frameworks.
- Experience developing end-to-end automation across client applications and backend services.
- Familiarity with observability, telemetry, and quality reporting.
- Exposure to AI-assisted testing and automation tools.
- Understanding of accessibility and localization testing practices.
What We're Looking For
You enjoy understanding how systems work and finding practical ways to improve their quality.
You are comfortable working across different technologies, investigating complex issues, and translating requirements into effective testing solutions.
You bring hands-on engineering experience, take ownership of your work, and collaborate with others to solve problems.
You are interested in continuing to develop your technical expertise while contributing to reliable, high-quality PlayStation experiences.
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
See All 151+ Software Test Engineer Jobs in San Diego
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Find Software Test Engineer JobsSoftware Test Engineer Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman41
- Shield AI21
- Qualcomm14
- Tandem Diabetes Care14
- Sony Interactive Entertainment14
Top Industries Hiring
- Aerospace & Defense
Software Test Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a software test engineer job in San Diego?
Focus your search on San Diego's defense contractors, cybersecurity firms, and biotech software teams, which hire software test engineers more consistently than most other local sectors. Roles cluster in Kearny Mesa, Sorrento Valley, and the UTC area near UC San Diego. Candidates with experience in automated testing frameworks, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or regulatory validation stand out in this market, where cleared positions and FDA-adjacent projects are common.
Which companies hire software test engineers in San Diego?
Employers hiring software test engineers in San Diego right now include Northrop Grumman, Shield AI, and Qualcomm, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's market is dominated by defense primes, mid-size defense and communications technology firms, and a growing number of health technology and enterprise software companies with local engineering offices.
Are there remote software test engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the role: test engineers working on cloud platforms, web applications, or enterprise software can often work remotely, while those supporting hardware, embedded systems, or classified defense programs are almost always required on-site. About 56% of software test engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with remote options most common in commercial software and SaaS companies based locally.
How can I get a software test engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Diego is through QA analyst or junior tester roles at mid-size software companies and health technology firms in the Mission Valley and Sorrento Mesa areas, which tend to hire early-career candidates more readily than the large defense contractors requiring clearances. Building hands-on experience with tools like Selenium, JIRA, or Postman, and contributing to open-source testing projects, gives local hiring managers something concrete to evaluate even without professional history.
Which industries hire the most software test engineers in San Diego?
The sectors hiring the most software test engineers in San Diego are Aerospace & Defense, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's unique mix of defense and military contracting, life sciences software, and telecommunications infrastructure keeps demand for software test engineers broad and relatively stable across economic cycles.
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