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Senior Manager, Software Development Engineering in Test

Seattle Area (Bellevue), WA

Niantic’s Engineering Team seeks a seasoned SDET Manager with a proven track record of leading large teams through the transition from manual testing to automation. Niantic Engineering leads the advancement of AR and other immersive technologies while creating engaging apps for a user base in the billions. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership capabilities, in-depth knowledge of software quality assurance, and hands-on experience in building automation tooling. This role will be crucial in driving the transformation of our testing processes to ensure high-quality, scalable software delivery.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead, mentor, and manage a team of SDETs across different projects comprising the entire Niantic Platform.
  • Provide strategic direction and technical oversight to advance the team’s transition from manual testing to a high level of automation.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation within the team.
  • Lead the development of automated test frameworks and scripts for functional, performance, and regression testing.
  • Drive the transformation from manual testing to automation by identifying automation opportunities and reducing manual test efforts.
  • Collaborate with product and development teams to integrate automated tests into the development lifecycle.
  • Ensure best practices and methodologies are followed for automated testing and manual testing where necessary.
  • Work closely with product managers, developers, and other stakeholders to align testing efforts with business goals.
  • Participate in design and architecture reviews to ensure testability and quality standards.
  • Drive shared ownership of test code between SDET and development teams
  • Generating comprehensive test reports and metrics to provide high-level visibility into the quality of the products.
  • Define and document test strategies, guidelines, and standards to ensure consistency across the team.

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of experience in software quality assurance, with at least 3 years in a managerial or lead role.
  • 3+ years of experience of automated test development
  • Proven experience leading a large team of SDETs and/or SWQA engineers.
  • Strong experience transitioning teams from manual testing to automation.
  • Hands-on experience with automation tools such as Selenium, Appium, or similar.
  • Proficient in one or more programming languages (Java, Python, C#, etc.) for test automation development.
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.
  • Ability to motivate change, influence stakeholders, and champion best practices in software testing.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and balance multiple competing priorities.
  • High attention to detail and a passion for delivering high-quality software.

Plus If…

  • Experience with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitLab.
  • Experience with game development in Unity

The total compensation package for this position includes a new hire offer base salary range of $190,700.00 - $211,900.00 + bonus + equity + benefits.

Join the Niantic team!

Niantic's global-scale augmented reality platform and digital map powers spatial computing experiences in the real world. Incubated out of the Maps team at Google, Niantic first created Ingress and then Pokémon GO, a cultural phenomenon and hit game played by tens of millions of people each month. Niantic’s Lightship platform, which powers Pokémon GO, also supports the company's other games including Pikmin Bloom, Peridot and Monster Hunter Now. Developers use Niantic’s platform to build their own AR applications and experiences, either with the Lightship Platform or directly through the web with 8th Wall.

We believe that cultivating a workplace where our people are supported and included is essential to creating great products our community will love. Our mission emphasizes seeking and hiring diverse voices, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the technology industry, and we consider this to be one of the most important values we hold close.

Niantic is a hybrid first company. We believe that in person interaction and collaboration fosters creativity, a sense of community, and is critical to our future success as a company. Our hybrid work schedules allow for a mix of remote and in-office work.

We're a hard-working, fun, and exciting group who value intellectual curiosity and a passion for problem-solving! We have growing offices located in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Bellevue, Kansas, London, Tokyo, Hamburg, Hyderabad, and Zurich. #LI-HYBRID

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