Senior/Staff Software Quality Engineer

Summary

Lead quality strategy and architecture for AI-augmented API engineering at an EdTech company, moving beyond traditional testing to embed quality intelligence across the entire SDLC. Partner with Engineering, Product, Data, and TechOps teams to ensure reliable, scalable, observable systems while mentoring the QA team on modern practices.

Responsibilities: Architect AI-driven risk-based testing strategies for distributed systems, lead API quality and test architecture for microservices, establish CI/CD quality gates, leverage observability tools like Honeycomb, and mentor QA teams on modern quality practices. Support application teams with hands-on test automation (Cypress), exploratory testing, and participate in architecture reviews to advocate for testability.

Skills: Expertise in test automation frameworks (Cypress), CI/CD platforms (GitHub Actions, CircleCI), API testing (GraphQL, Apollo Studio), observability tools (Honeycomb), and familiarity with AI-powered tools (Claude, GitHub Copilot). Strong communication and mentorship abilities, with experience in security testing, performance testing, and strategic quality planning.

Qualifications: Senior or Staff-level experience in software quality engineering with demonstrated expertise in leading quality strategies across distributed systems and microservices architectures. Proven track record of building test automation frameworks, defining test strategies, and working cross-functionally with engineering and product teams.

Location: Remote (work anywhere in the US, must be US-based)

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation for this role is $130,000 – $180,000/year based on Senior/Staff level, remote work in US, and EdTech company size.

Location: Remote

Work anywhere in the US, must live in the US

Level: Senior or Staff (depending on depth of architectural experience)

ABOUT CONTINUED

A leader in EdTech, Continued is a team of passionate individuals dedicated to empowering professionals and enhancing careers. We are fast-paced, nimble, and we laugh a lot. We are proud to be certified as a great workplace, ranked #35 in Fortune's 2025 Best Medium Workplaces, ranked #18 in Fortune's 2025 top 25 Small & Medium Workplaces for Women, and ranked #74 in Fortune’s 2024 Best Small & Medium Workplaces for Millennials by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work®. We are 100% virtual, scattered across the country, but we maintain a tight-knit culture driven by curiosity, a love of learning, and a desire to solve complex problems. Learn more about us at continued.com.

THE MISSION: Quality Engineering in the AI Era

We are seeking a Senior/Staff Software Quality Engineer who will lead quality strategy in an AI-augmented API engineering environment. This role goes beyond traditional test automation — you will architect quality intelligence frameworks, validate AI-powered features, and embed continuous quality practices across the SDLC.

You will partner with Engineering, Product, Data, and TechOps teams to ensure our systems are reliable, scalable, observable, and responsible.

WHAT YOU’LL DO (The Impact)

• Architect AI-Driven Strategy: Shape and execute AI-driven API risk-based testing strategies across distributed systems.
• Drive end-to-end quality assurance for web and mobile releases, partnering with engineering and product teams to define acceptance criteria and release readiness.
• Own the API Quality: Lead test architecture for microservices and AI-integrated platforms, focusing heavily on GraphQL and Apollo Studio.
• Continuous Quality (CI/CD): Establish and maintain sophisticated quality gates within CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, CircleCI).
• Observability & Telemetry: Leverage tools like Honeycomb and defect trend analysis to identify systemic risks and build predictive incident feedback loops.
• AI Augmentation: Use and evaluate emerging AI-powered tools (Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate test generation, maintenance, and defect detection.
• Engineering Partnership: Author pull requests for bug fixes and participate in architecture reviews to advocate for testability and reliability at the design phase.
• Mentorship: Guide the QA team on modern, AI-driven quality engineering practices.
• Security: Embed AI-driven security and performance testing into the development lifecycle.
• Test Automation: Support application teams as needed with hands-on quality engineering, including Cypress test development, exploratory testing, and direct collaboration with frontend developers on release quality.
• Test Planning & Regression Strategy: As needed, define and maintain comprehensive test plans for feature releases and platform changes. Own regression testing strategy — determining what to automate, what to test manually, and how to keep regression suites lean and meaningful as the platform evolves.

WHO YOU ARE

• Technical Architect: You have extensive experience designing and building AI-driven API test automa