QA Automation Engineer6-12 Month Contract (Possible extension or Contract-to-Hire)Location: Remote- Client located in San Francisco, CA*Must be able to work Pacific Standard Time Hours*Must be able to work on W-2 basisJob DescriptionThe QA Automation Engineer is a technical position that requires experience with test automation creation and maintenance, automated regression testing, and performance testing.The position will require the candidate to understand system & solution designs and use that to define suites of automated tests. The QA Automation Engineer will be responsible for designing and creating the automated tests, will work within the automation framework that is in place and will be responsible for executing and maintaining the automated tests. At times, the QA Automation Engineer may be asked to determine what test automation tool would be the best solution for the particular testing activities that are required.Thoroughly test integrated software applications in a complex Unix and Windows environment.Act as a liaison between business stakeholders and developers to ensure test plans adequately cover all business and functional software requirements.Create and execute test plans and test cases. (UAT, Integration, End-to-End, Penetration, Performance, Load, Regression, Beta)Create readable and maintainable high-performance automation scripts & scenarios.Design and execute QA tests using scripts that automatically test functionality.Identify opportunities for automation within software processes.Build & improve our automated testing system in collaboration with technology, DevOps and product teamsWork closely with the Agile Team to develop comprehensive automated test suites providing maximum test coverage in the most efficient mannerContinuously review and improve test methodologies, tools and measurement of QA processes.Ability to quickly and independently learn complex, highly configurable application software.Identify, validate, track and communicate defects and risks to the development team(s).Generate high-level QA status reports for management.Work closely with team members to evangelize an emphasis on quality throughout the entire SDLCDefine and implement best practices for product releases including deployment prerequisites, documentation, and troubleshootingAssist in preparing test criteria and test case specification documents for all phases of testingCollaborate with developers to help create high value unit tests and testing solutions.Assist in creating test data.Organize large sets of tests into manageable test suites.SKILL REQUIREMENTS3-5+ years of QA Engineering experienceExperience working in an Agile environmentExperience with cross-browser testingWeb Service automation testing.Experience with JIRA is a plus.Experience with writing performance testing automation is a plusPerformance testing experience.Strong knowledge and hands on test experience of RESTful APIsProven experience collaborating with remote teams.EDUCATIONBS or MS degree (or equivalent experience)