Test Automation Engineer Jobs in California
Test Automation Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated heavily in software, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise SaaS across a seniority range from entry-level QA to principal automation architect. The largest hiring metros are the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Qualcomm consistently maintain test automation teams. The most in-demand specialties right now are CI/CD pipeline integration, Selenium and Playwright framework expertise, and mobile test automation. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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INTRODUCTION
We are looking for the best
About us
42dot is a mobility AI company committed to solving mobility challenges with software and AI. As the Global Software Center of Hyundai Motor Group, 42dot pioneers the future of mobility by advancing the development of software-defined vehicles. We develop safety-first, user-centric software-defined vehicle technologies that deliver the latest performance through continuous updates like smartphones. By advancing software and AI technology, 42dot envisions a world where everything is connected and moves autonomously through a self-managing urban transportation operating system.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Senior / Staff Test Automation Engineer you will design, develop, and execute automated test frameworks for complex automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and virtual ECUs (vECUs). This role bridges the gap between low-level firmware and high-level vehicle applications. You will own the end-to-end automation pipeline across Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments, which includes building custom HIL testing stations from scratch. Operating within a GNU/Linux ecosystem, you will investigate complex system requirements to develop robust, fail-safe test content for our next-generation Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) platform.
Responsibilities
- Automation Framework Development: Design, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks and scripts for embedded automotive systems using Python and C/C++.
- HIL Bench Generation: Configure and build custom physical HIL test benches from the ground up, integrating real vehicle ECUs with simulated real-time environment models.
- Requirements Investigation: Analyze and interpret technical specifications to author comprehensive automated test suites, actively tracking down gaps in system requirements.
- Multi-Environment Execution: Execute automated test suites across SIL, MIL, and HIL setups.
- Analyze test captures, isolate low-level system failures, and generate detailed engineering reports.
- Protocol Verification: Validate automotive communication networks, network topologies, and diagnostic routing (e.g., CAN-FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, UDS, DoIP).
- CI/CD Integration: Integrate automated test loops directly into Git-driven CI/CD pipelines (such as GitLab CI or Jenkins) to support high-frequency regression farm execution.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Firmware, Systems Architecture, Quality, and TPM teams to define test specifications and maintain complete ASPICE-compliant requirement traceability.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Experience: 5+ years (Senior) or 8+ years (Staff) of hands-on experience in test automation for high-integrity embedded systems.
- Programming Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in Python and Bash scripting, alongside a practical reading knowledge of C for code-level debugging.
- Automation Toolchains: Direct experience architecting or heavily extending modern pythonic test frameworks (such as Pytest or OpenHTF).
- Containers: Experience with Docker
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Linux Expertise: Advanced user-level comfort navigating, configuring, and scripting within GNU/Linux environments.
- Version Control: Advance user-level with Git and modern branch management strategies.
- Network & Diagnostic Diagnostics: Deep technical understanding of automotive network protocols (CAN, LIN, Ethernet).
See All 135+ Test Automation Engineer Jobs in California
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Find Test Automation Engineer JobsTest Automation Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Test Automation Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- PlayStation13

- Apple11

- Palo Alto Networks9

- NVIDIA7

- Versa Networks7

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software66
- Electronics & Hardware18
- Medical Devices10
- Aerospace & Defense6
- Agriculture & Farming6
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in test automation engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field
- Proficiency with automation frameworks such as Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress
- Experience writing test scripts in Python, Java, or JavaScript
- Hands-on knowledge of CI/CD tools including Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or CircleCI
- Familiarity with Agile or Scrum development workflows and sprint-based testing cycles
- Experience testing APIs using tools such as Postman, RestAssured, or similar
Test Automation Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a test automation engineer in California?
California has no state-issued license or registration specific to test automation engineers, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill. Most California employers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, though strong candidates with associate degrees and solid portfolios do get hired. Building hands-on projects with frameworks like Selenium or Playwright, earning vendor-recognized certifications such as ISTQB, and contributing to open-source test repositories all strengthen a California application.
How much do test automation engineers make in California?
Test automation 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 test automation engineers in California?
Employers hiring test automation engineers in California right now include PlayStation, Apple, and Palo Alto Networks, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's density of large software, semiconductor, and cloud-infrastructure companies means steady, recurring demand for automation expertise across multiple product lines.
Which California cities have the most test automation engineer jobs?
Santa Clara, San Diego, and San Francisco have the most test automation engineer openings in California. The Bay Area dominates because of its concentration of major software and cloud companies, while Los Angeles hiring is driven by entertainment technology, fintech, and a growing enterprise software scene, and San Diego's volume reflects its semiconductor and defense-tech employers.
Are there remote test automation engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 10% of test automation engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how well the work adapts to distributed teams. The most fully remote roles tend to involve writing and maintaining automated test suites rather than device-lab or hardware-in-the-loop testing, which typically requires on-site access.
How can I get hired as a test automation engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a junior QA or software test engineer role, then transitioning into automation once you have scripting experience on the job. Large California technology employers including Salesforce, Intuit, and Apple run new-grad rotational programs and associate engineering roles that include quality engineering tracks. A portfolio of automation scripts on GitHub, an ISTQB Foundation certificate, and familiarity with at least one CI/CD tool significantly improve a candidate's chances against more experienced applicants.
Where can I find and apply to test automation engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to test automation engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the employer through each listing.
See All 135+ Test Automation Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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