Sr. QA Automation Test Engineer

Primary Purpose: The Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Test Engineering team at Motional is responsible for validating the safety, functionality, and performance of our self-driving technology and commercial operations platform through rigorous, system-level testing. Motional’s Las Vegas office is located less than 10 miles from the Las Vegas Strip at 730 E Pilot Road and is home to one of the largest fleets of self-driving vehicles. The city’s grid system of roads and status as one of America’s “smart cities” enables extensive research and development testing.

As a Senior QA Automation Test Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and execution of backend and frontend automation frameworks for our fleet operations platform—the operational backbone of our commercial robotaxi service. In this role, you will also lead and mentor a fellow automation engineer, driving best practices and continuous improvement across the team. Your work will establish scalable quality gates within CI/CD pipelines and ensure reliable end-to-end validation across fleet management, dispatching, and monitoring systems.

Essential Duties:

Automation Architecture & Framework Ownership

Own the architecture, development, and maintenance of scalable backend and frontend test automation frameworks for the fleet operations platform, with a primary focus on backend API and service-level validation.

Design and execute comprehensive automated test suites covering backend services, APIs, and data pipelines, as well as frontend UI workflows within the operations platform.

Develop automation solutions primarily in Python and Go for backend testing, and JavaScript for frontend validation, while proactively adopting new tools and frameworks as the platform evolves.

Integration & Platform Validation

Lead integration testing efforts for third-party APIs and internal services, ensuring reliable end-to-end data flow across fleet management, dispatching, and monitoring systems.

Conduct root-cause analysis on test failures and system defects, driving resolution across backend services and frontend interfaces.

Quality Strategy, CI/CD & Collaboration

Partner closely with software engineers and product teams to define test strategies, identify coverage gaps, and establish quality gates within CI/CD pipelines.

Contribute to documentation, test plans, and operational frameworks that bring clarity and transparency to the automation testing process for all stakeholders.

Leadership & Mentorship

Lead, mentor, and collaborate with one automation test engineer, providing technical guidance, code reviews, and support for professional development.

Drive continuous improvement and best practices across the automation testing function.

Strategic Adaptation & Support

Continuously adapt automation strategies in response to evolving platform requirements, architectural shifts, and stack changes.

Support after-hours validation or release activities as needed by fleet or field operations.

Travel domestically on occasion to support on-site testing or operational deployments.

Perform additional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.

5+ years of experience in software QA or test automation, with a strong emphasis on backend and API testing.

Hands-on proficiency in Python and Go for backend test automation, and JavaScript for frontend automation.

Demonstrated experience designing and building automation frameworks from the ground up for complex, distributed systems.

Experience with REST/gRPC API testing, service integration validation, and data pipeline verification.

Experience with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated quality gates for production-grade software releases.

Proven ability to lead technical efforts, operate autonomously, mentor engineers, and drive cross-functional collaboration.

Ability and willingness to quickly learn new tools, frameworks, and technologies as the platform and stack evolve.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to drive cross-functional alignment and effectively report technical findings.

High level of initiative, ownership, and accountability in a fast-paced engineering environment.

Flexible schedule and willingness to support late meetings, night shifts, or urgent validation activities as required.

Preferred:

Experience with autonomous vehicle fleet monitoring, dispatching, or fleet management systems.

Experience with Uber API or similar ride-hail/transportation platform integration testing.

Familiarity with cloud telemetry systems or AV data pipelines.

Experience in a cross-site or global engineering organization.

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk, or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and at times for long periods; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 50 pounds.

Working Environment

The work environment characteristics described here represent those a team member encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions, road conditions, and pedestrian traffic. The team member is regularly exposed to mechanical and computer parts. The team member is occasionally exposed to fumes and airborne particles. The noise level in the environment is low to moderate.

Motional AD LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and we welcome all qualified applicants. All applicants will receive impartial consideration regarding race, sex, color, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic data, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or another legally protected status. Motional AD LLC is a Drug-free workplace.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional’s benefits program. Motional’s benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range

$125,000 — $167,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We’re driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We’re creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued