Principal Software Quality Engineer

Be yourself at Protolabs

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels you are valued in the workplace. Do you not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply! You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.

Why Protolabs?

We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle their roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what they do. It's our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.

Join our team as a Principal Software Quality Engineer!

This position is a remote role based out of MN, NC, IL, NH, MA, or TX.

The Principal Software Quality Engineer (SQE) is a leader within the Quality team driving cross-team or cross-discipline initiatives within the Global Technology Services (GTS) organization delivering manufacturing and ecommerce solutions. Principal SQEs play a key role in setting medium-to-long term strategy for business-impacting projects and are experts at identifying the right solutions to solve ambiguous, open-ended problems that require tough prioritization. This person can autonomously deliver ongoing business impact in a variety of projects and initiatives across teams, product capabilities, and technical systems.

You will:

• Execute projects and initiatives, often involving multiple teams, autonomously. Includes independently reviewing amorphous problems to ensure testability, identify appropriate test scope and approach, and define and communicate risk mitigation opportunities.

• Review requirements with a focus on customer impact and business goals and seek clarification around any ambiguities. Leverage input from product stakeholders to determine if requirements and solution meet those needs.

• Define and deliver well-scoped test plans covering both functional and non-functional tests for solutions that cross multiple system boundaries. May include working in the role of a project quality lead across several teams to ensure all pieces of a combined, larger functionality meet requirements.

• Proactively identify new opportunities, advocate for advancements, and implement changes that positively impact efficiency and efficacy of testing, quality practices, and coding standards.

• Mentor less experienced team members through technical or process guidance. Champion and educate others on team goals and model superb quality practices and professional behavior.

• Provide insightful feedback on test designs during code and test reviews. Ask questions with the goal of identifying fallacies and affirming positive approaches.

• Deliver clear, flexible, reusable, and efficient automated tests to solve complex and diverse challenges in testing.

• Proactively identify, gain alignment, and implement improvements to current testing practices and tools.

• Create defects with clear and complete steps to reproduce. Perform the initial investigation using server logs, browser tools, and other resources available. Own and drive defects to resolution.

• Contribute to the sense of community and drive alignment within GTS by seeking opportunities to participate and contribute during meetings, training sessions, and group activities.

• Seek opportunities to continually grow professional skillset. Includes proactively seeking feedback from manager, team, and cross-functional stakeholders. Demonstrate self-awareness of strengths and take action around growth areas.

• Requires being the backup for the Release Manager, responsible for knowing the release management tasks for all deployments and supporting when the Release Manager is unavailable.

• Participate in 24x7 on-call rotation for high priority incidents and address issues with appropriate level of urgency.

You have:

• Degree in Computer Science or related field, completion of a qualified bootcamp, or equivalent experience.

• Deep knowledge of software development and testing practices, methodologies, and tooling.

• Deep understanding of web services, service oriented and microservice architectures, and event-driven systems.

• Strong awareness of principles, practices, and patterns used in clear and efficient code.

• Deep knowledge and direct experience with the following activities:

• Software testing and defect identification

• Writing manual and automated tests

• Use of test and defect management systems

• Use of code version control systems

• Writing test code in object-oriented languages

• Writing SQL queries

• Use of integrated development environments

• Debugging and troubleshooting issues

• Strong sense of accountability. Take ownership of assigned work, seek clarification or guidance when needed, and deliver on time.

• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities appropriately based on impact and delivery dates.

• Ability to learn from mistakes and seek to minimize risk of recurrence without dwelling on them.

• Encourage feedback from peers and managers. Act upon it accordingly by looking at both strengths and growth areas. Ability to also provide thoughtful and effective feedback.

• Share ideas to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the team. Encourage others to do the same by fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation.

• Engage in valuable, open, exchanges of differing ideas through productive conflict.

• Communicate proactively, forthrightly, and concisely with the ability to adapt messaging to specific audiences. Includes sharing information to influence as well as to inform and align.

• Ability to build healthy cross-functional relationships, facilitate conversations, and drive disagreements to resolution through active listening and impartial feedback focused on organizational goals. Includes engaging in valuable, open, exchanges of differing ideas through productive conflict.

• Ability to take calculated and decisive action, even when unpopular or under stressful conditions.

Bonus points for:

• Tooling and languages: .NET frameworks, C#, Azure DevOps, Git, SQL Server, test repositories, automation frameworks.

• Experience working in a team or project lead capacity.

• Experience working with agile, SAFe, or scum methodologies and processes.

• 10+ years of experience in software testing or development with 7 of those years including writing and maintaining automated tests.

• Experience working with event-driven services and web service testing.

What you will get:

• We offer a competitive salary and annual bonus opportunity

• In addition, we offer amazing benefits including but not limited to:

• Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)

• Dental and Vision

• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

• Paid caregiver leave

• You will receive at least 3 weeks of PTO + Holiday Pay and Volunteer Hours

• 401k with company match and immediate vest

• Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate

• Matching grants through Protolabs foundation

• And More!

Proto Labs maintains ITAR-compliant operations in all of our United States based facilities. Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.

Proto Labs, Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer

Physical Demands:

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor and mouse, telephone and printer; reach with hands, and arms, talk, see and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop or kneel and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

Indoors (A/C); nonsmoking; the majority of this job function is performed in an office setting requiring normal safety precautions. However, there may be job duties that require the employee to spend time in the manufacturing areas exposed to machinery and noise; eye protection occasionally required. Occasionally works in outside weather conditions. Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.