Test Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Test Engineer jobs in Virginia are in strong demand, concentrated in defense contracting, federal IT systems, aerospace, and cybersecurity sectors, with openings from entry-level QA roles through senior systems verification engineers. The Northern Virginia corridor around Arlington, Reston, and McLean is the most active hiring market, followed by Hampton Roads and Richmond, where employers like Northrop Grumman, Leidos, and Booz Allen Hamilton maintain large engineering workforces. The most sought-after specialties in Virginia are software test automation, systems integration testing, and embedded hardware verification. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 180+ Test Engineer jobs
Responsibilities
- Understand the needs of stakeholders and conveying requirements to development teams
- Collaborate with product design teams to determine testing parameters and acceptance criteria
- Write comprehensive test plans, create test cases, develop test procedures, document bug reports, and produce final QA reports for products
- Manage test data architecture definition and coordinate test data requests
- Develop automated testing scripts with consideration for parallelization and idempotency
- Integrate test automation including performance, security, and functional tests into CI/CD pipelines
- Execute testing and examination of code written by others and analyze results, including three or more of the following:
- Data validation testing
- Functional testing
- Performance and load testing
- Usability testing
- Accessibility (Section 508) testing
- Develop automated testing scripts considering parallelization and idempotency
- Ensuring that systems are safe and secure against cybersecurity threats
- Working with software developers and software engineers to ensure that development follows established processes and works as intended
- Document as-is state of the environment, perform gap analysis, and produce artifacts that articulate options and recommendations
- Engineer and implement solutions and provide recommendations for continuous improvement of services provided
- Present regular status updates and provide cross-training to other DevOps team members
- Act as an individual contributor and mentor more junior team members
- Ability to obtain a U.S. government Security Clearance
- Bachelors Degree and 10 years of experience (7 must be relevant)
- 3 Years of Experience with Git SCM providers such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
- 3 Years of Experience with one or more programming or scripting languages
- 7 Years of application DevSecOps Experience with actual/active development experience in an Agile environment
- Experience utilizing docker containers and utilizing platforms such as Kubernetes
- 3 Years of Experience implementing test automation, using tools such as Selenium, Appium, Soap UI, RestAssured, Postman
- Experience integrating test automation including performance, security, and functional tests into CI/CD Pipelines
- Experience with performance and load testing
- Experience in one or more cloud computing environments (e.g. AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Certifications:
- CAST (Certified Associate in Software Testing)
- International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) Certification
- Cloud certifications (AWS Certified Developer, Azure Developer Associate, etc.)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills
- Experience with behavior-driven development (BDD) and test-driven development (TDD) methodologies
Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers – and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.
Responsibilities
- Understand the needs of stakeholders and conveying requirements to development teams
- Collaborate with product design teams to determine testing parameters and acceptance criteria
- Write comprehensive test plans, create test cases, develop test procedures, document bug reports, and produce final QA reports for products
- Manage test data architecture definition and coordinate test data requests
- Develop automated testing scripts with consideration for parallelization and idempotency
- Integrate test automation including performance, security, and functional tests into CI/CD pipelines
- Execute testing and examination of code written by others and analyze results, including three or more of the following:
- Data validation testing
- Functional testing
- Performance and load testing
- Usability testing
- Accessibility (Section 508) testing
- Develop automated testing scripts considering parallelization and idempotency
- Ensuring that systems are safe and secure against cybersecurity threats
- Working with software developers and software engineers to ensure that development follows established processes and works as intended
- Document as-is state of the environment, perform gap analysis, and produce artifacts that articulate options and recommendations
- Engineer and implement solutions and provide recommendations for continuous improvement of services provided
- Present regular status updates and provide cross-training to other DevOps team members
- Act as an individual contributor and mentor more junior team members
- Ability to obtain a U.S. government Security Clearance
- Bachelors Degree and 10 years of experience (7 must be relevant)
- 3 Years of Experience with Git SCM providers such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
- 3 Years of Experience with one or more programming or scripting languages
- 7 Years of application DevSecOps Experience with actual/active development experience in an Agile environment
- Experience utilizing docker containers and utilizing platforms such as Kubernetes
- 3 Years of Experience implementing test automation, using tools such as Selenium, Appium, Soap UI, RestAssured, Postman
- Experience integrating test automation including performance, security, and functional tests into CI/CD Pipelines
- Experience with performance and load testing
- Experience in one or more cloud computing environments (e.g. AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Certifications:
- CAST (Certified Associate in Software Testing)
- International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) Certification
- Cloud certifications (AWS Certified Developer, Azure Developer Associate, etc.)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills
- Experience with behavior-driven development (BDD) and test-driven development (TDD) methodologies
Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. As an employee owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers – and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our growth. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.
See All 180+ Test Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Test Engineer JobsTest Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Test Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman20
- Rocket Lab USA8
- TRAX International8
- Booz Allen Hamilton8
- Leidos6
Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Science & Research
- Construction & Real Estate
- Energy
- Education
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in test engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Active Security Clearance (DoD Secret or Top Secret) required by most Virginia defense employers
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related technical field
- Proficiency with test automation frameworks such as Selenium, Pytest, or TestNG
- Experience developing test plans, test cases, and defect reports in an Agile environment
- Familiarity with systems integration testing or hardware-in-the-loop test environments
- ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certification preferred by many Virginia hiring managers
Test Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a test engineer in Virginia?
Most test engineer roles in Virginia require a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or a closely related field. Virginia does not issue a state license specific to test engineers, but candidates pursuing defense or federal roles should begin the security clearance process early through a sponsoring employer. Certifications such as ISTQB and proficiency in automation tools strengthen applications significantly across Virginia's defense, IT, and aerospace sectors.
Which companies hire test engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring test engineers in Virginia right now include Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab USA, and TRAX International, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's concentration of defense contractors and federal IT integrators means that many of the largest and most consistent hirers are companies holding long-term government program contracts in the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads regions.
Which Virginia cities have the most test engineer jobs?
McLean, Chantilly, and Manassas have the most test engineer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia's dominance reflects its dense cluster of defense contractors and federal agencies, while Hampton Roads activity is driven by Navy and military systems programs, and Richmond draws from a growing commercial IT and fintech employer base that runs ongoing software quality initiatives.
Are there remote test engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than many technical fields, though it varies by specialty. About 40% of test engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting strong demand from commercial software employers alongside on-site defense work. Software test automation and manual QA roles are the most likely to offer fully remote arrangements, while hardware integration and lab-based testing roles typically require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a test engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a QA analyst or junior test associate role with a Virginia commercial IT or software firm, where automation tool exposure matters more than years of experience. Large defense employers like Leidos and SAIC run new-graduate programs and associate engineer tracks that accept candidates from Virginia's engineering schools. Building a portfolio of automated test scripts on GitHub and earning the ISTQB Foundation Level certification give early-career candidates a concrete edge in Virginia's competitive applicant pool.
Where can I find and apply to test engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to test engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings updated regularly. Search the available roles, identify the ones that match your background and target location, and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 180+ Test Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Test Engineer Jobs