Senior Software Engineer, Design in Test; SDET

Senior Software Test Engineer About Us

Black Sky is a real‑time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. Black Sky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy.

Black Sky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people‑first, customer‑focused and fun.

• Design, develop, and maintain automated test frameworks and tools using Python, enabling scalable and reliable testing across services, APIs, and UI workflows.
• Build Python or Go based simulators, mocks, and emulators to replicate third party environments, network behavior, and integration scenarios for inhouse testing.
• Develop, maintain, and execute automated API test suites using Python Requests, custom harnesses, and Postman/Newman when appropriate.
• Build and maintain automated UI test suites using Python Playwright, with a focus on reusable components, selectors, and pageobject patterns.
• Monitor nightly automated test runs, analyze failures, and provide actionable insights through integrations with Jira/XRay, Slack, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose issues across APIs, backend services, and UI workflows, collaborating with developers to isolate root causes and verify fixes.
• Perform targeted manual testing for new feature development, complex regression scenarios, and defect reproduction where automation is not yet feasible.
• Validate functional behavior, edge cases, and system workflows across distributed application components.
• Document test frameworks, automation patterns, test cases, expected outcomes, and reproduction steps for defects.
• Support and improve internal Python based test applications, tools, and services used in daily verification workflows.
• Ensure adequate test coverage for new features, releases, and highrisk areas.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of automation tooling, coding standards, and test strategy.
• Assist in ensuring readiness of builds for deployment and release.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

• Minimum of six (6) years of experience as a Software Test Engineer, Automation Engineer, or SDET, with significant hands‑on software development responsibilities.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study (or equivalent additional experience of four years).
• Strong proficiency in Python, including writing reusable modules, building automation frameworks, and creating test harnesses or tools.
• Experience developing automated API tests using Python Requests or equivalent frameworks; experience with Postman/Newman preferred.
• Experience designing and maintaining automated UI tests (Python Playwright preferred), with emphasis on code structure and maintainability.
• Experience building Python based utilities, simulators, mocks, or environment emulators to support complex test scenarios.
• Familiarity with reporting test results and integrating automation with Jira/XRay, Slack, or similar tools.
• Strong ability to analyze automated test results, identify root causes across services and layers, and validate fixes in collaboration with developers.
• Working knowledge of CI‑based automated test pipelines, nightly execution workflows, and test orchestration.
• Understanding of distributed systems, API‑driven architectures, and service interactions.
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills across application layers (API, backend services, UI).
• Ability to document test plans, automation approaches, and defect reports with clarity and precision.
• Due to program requirements, this position requires US‑born citizenship.

• Experience with RabbitMQ and Kafka in event‑driven or…