QA Automation Engineer

We are seeking a proactive Quality Engineer to join our dynamic team in San Mateo. In this role, you will be instrumental in ensuring the quality of our web applications, mobile apps, and backend services, taking ownership of quality features with increasing independence. You will translate broad requirements into actionable test strategies, comprehensive automation coverage, and clear readiness signals for our development squads. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in fast-evolving environments, embraces AI-first and AI-assisted workflows, and excels in containerized infrastructure, contributing significantly to customer satisfaction and software excellence.

In this role, you will contribute to the delivery of high-quality software solutions by designing, implementing, and executing comprehensive test plans and strategies. You will ensure that software products meet functional, performance, and reliability standards through rigorous testing, defect identification, and documentation. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including developers, product managers, and system architects, to identify quality objectives, address issues, and improve testing processes. By leveraging your analytical skills and attention to detail, you will play a critical role in enhancing customer satisfaction and maintaining software excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administers QA tools and systems to ensure consistent application of testing processes and protocols across projects.
• Coordinates somewhat complex testing activities, collaborating with cross-functional teams to align on project goals and deliverables.
• Analyzes somewhat complex requirements and test results to identify areas of improvement and ensure software functionality meets specifications.
• Develops somewhat complex test scripts and scenarios for automated and manual testing, enhancing efficiency and coverage.
• Conducts routine testing activities, identifying and documenting software defects, and collaborating with developers for resolution.
• Implements best practices and QA methodologies to optimize testing processes and improve software quality.
• Communicates findings and recommendations effectively with stakeholders, contributing to informed decision-making and project success.
• Identifies opportunities to improve testing frameworks and tools, recommending solutions to enhance quality assurance processes.
• Documents test cases, results, and defect tracking to ensure traceability and compliance with organizational standards.
• Own end-to-end quality for moderately sized features: define the test strategy, drive test planning and execution, set automation targets, and lead release validation.
• Build, maintain, and continuously improve automated tests across UI and backend services using Python, Java, or JavaScript/TypeScript, increasing coverage, stability, and CI signal quality.
• Use AI-assisted tools to improve test design, generate test data, and accelerate automation development.
• Deploy, debug, and validate backend applications in containerized environments using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Identify and escalate quality risks early, including unclear requirements, missing telemetry, environment drift, or coverage gaps.
• Create and manage test data in non-production environments using approved methods.
• Support release readiness by executing validation steps, documenting coverage, and contributing to post-release follow-ups.
• Plan and execute performance and load testing using tools like JMeter or k6 to identify bottlenecks early.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or JavaScript with hands-on experience writing and maintaining UI and API automated tests and regression suites.
• Working knowledge of CI/CD systems such as GitHub Actions and containerized environments including Docker and Kubernetes, with ability to troubleshoot common failures.
• Experience testing REST or GraphQL APIs and querying SQL databases.
• Experience using BrowserStack for cross-browser or mobile testing and test case management.
• Ability to create practical feature-level test strategies and clearly communicate coverage and risk.
• Strong analytical skills for root cause investigation across distributed systems.
• Proactive communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers, product managers, and platform teams.
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new tools, frameworks, and AI-assisted workflows.

Minimum Requirements:

• 3 to 5 years of experience in Quality Assurance.
• 2+ years of experience in Test Automation (Web/Mobile/API).
• 1+ years of experience with Docker/Kubernetes.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience) Required.

Five Principles for Success

Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.

Always improve, Always Advance - Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen

Passionately Professional - Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best

Hypothesize - Practice - Validate – Shikumika - Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory

Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile

Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

Rakuten provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. Rakuten considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial or local laws.

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base compensation for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.

USD $96,442.50 - $163,680.00 annually