Senior QA Engineer – Edge Kubernetes Platform (9993)

We are seeking a Senior QA Engineer to ensure the quality, reliability, and performance of our Edge Kubernetes Platform, supporting both connected and air-gapped environments. This is a hands-on role where you will design and implement automated testing frameworks, validate complex distributed edge systems, and partner with engineering teams to deliver secure, scalable, and resilient platforms.
As a Senior QA Engineer, you will own test strategy, automation frameworks, and quality processes for platform components, with a focus on Kubernetes, Rancher Gov stack, and edge deployments.

Key Responsibilities:
• End-to-End Test Strategy: Define and execute test plans covering functional, integration, performance, upgrade, and security testing for Kubernetes-based edge platforms.
• Automation Leadership: Build and extend automated test frameworks for UI, API, and platform-level validation (Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, PyTest, etc.).
• CI/CD Integration: Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring rapid, reliable quality feedback.
• Platform & Edge Validation: Test Kubernetes clusters (upstream, RKE2) in air-gapped and edge environments, validating multi-cluster operations and lifecycle management.
• Upgrade & Resilience Testing: Design and execute tests for cluster upgrades, workload orchestration, and fault-tolerance scenarios.
• Performance & Scalability Testing: Conduct benchmarking, load, and stress tests to validate system reliability in resource-constrained edge environments.
• Security & Networking Validation: Partner with security and platform engineers to verify network segmentation, access controls, and zero-trust enforcement.
• Defect Management: Identify, document, and drive defect resolution across cross-functional teams.
• Process Improvement: Mentor QA engineers, contribute to quality best practices, and continuously evolve test strategies for distributed edge systems.

Qualifications:
• 7+ years of experience in software QA, including 3+ years in test automation for distributed or platform-level systems.
• Hands-on expertise with automation frameworks (Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, PyTest, or similar).
• Proven experience testing Kubernetes (upstream, RKE2), Rancher, and containerized microservices.
• Familiarity with air-gapped deployments, edge environments, and distributed system testing.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and Linux systems.
• Experience with API testing tools (Postman, REST Assured) and databases (SQL/NoSQL).
• Practical knowledge of performance/load testing tools (JMeter, Locust, Gatling).
• Excellent debugging, analytical, and communication skills, with experience collaborating in agile teams.

Nice to Have:
• Experience validating Rancher Gov stack, GitOps (ArgoCD, Fleet), or Helm-based deployments.
• Exposure to observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, ELK).
• Familiarity with security testing frameworks (OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite).
• Contributions to open-source QA frameworks or Kubernetes ecosystem projects.