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QA and Release Engineer (Hybrid) - 26691

Enlighten Columbia, Maryland, United States

hybridfull-time

Salary: $137,510 - $175,000 / year

Posted Feb 7, 2026Apply by Mar 18, 2026

Role & seniority: Software Quality Assurance and Release Engineer, Mid–Senior Level

Stack/tools: Test planning and execution; automated testing frameworks; manual testing; CI/CD (Jenkins, Bamboo); configuration management (Git, Nexus, Maven); issue/project tracking (Jira); release management; Agile lifecycle; hybrid work

Top 3 responsibilities

  • Develop and execute comprehensive test plans and test cases (functional/non-functional)

  • Design/build/maintain automated testing frameworks; perform manual testing as needed

  • Coordinate release processes; monitor quality metrics; collaborate with development teams to resolve defects

Must-have skills

  • Extensive full lifecycle QA experience (functional, performance, regression, UAT)

  • Strong communication with product, tech team, and users; robust test planning and defect documentation

  • Experience with CM tools (Git, Nexus, Maven), CI/CD (Jenkins, Bamboo), Jira; agile methodology

  • Ability to work in a hybrid environment; willingness to spend 1–2 days/week in Columbia, MD office

  • U.S. citizenship; ability to obtain Secret-level clearance

Nice-to-haves

  • Scripting experience

  • Test automation tools (Protractor, Selenium)

  • API/RESTful web services experience; Linux familiarity

  • Location & work type: Hybrid in Columbia, MD; flexible schedule with in-office days required

Note: Role anticipates a typical salary range of $137,510–$175,000 and benefits including 100% employee healthcare premium, 10% 4

Full Description

Enlighten, honored as a Top Workplace from USA Today, is a leader in big data solution development and deployment, with expertise in cloud-based services, software and systems engineering, cyber capabilities, and data science. Enlighten provides continued innovation and proactivity in meeting our customers’ greatest challenges.

We recognize that the most effective environment for your projects doesn’t always look the same. Our hybrid work approach ensures that you can make lasting relationships with your team and collaborate in-person to get the job done—while having the flexibility to be working from home when needed to achieve focused results.

Why Enlighten?

Benefits

At Enlighten, our team’s unwavering work ethic, top talent and celebration of innovative ideas have helped us thrive. We know that our employees are essential to our company’s success, so we seek to take care of you as much as you take care of us. Here are a few highlights of our benefits package

100% paid employee premium for healthcare, vision and dental plans. 10% 401k benefit. Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays. Education/training allowances.

Anticipated Salary Range: $137,510.00 - $175,000.00. The salary range for this role is intended as a good faith estimate based on the role's location, expectations, and responsibilities. When extending an offer, Enlighten takes a variety of factors into consideration which include, but are not limited to, the role's function, internal equity and a candidate's education or training, work experience, certifications and key skills. Occasionally positions/roles may include additional non-recurrent compensation and will be addressed by the recruiter during the interview process.

Job Description

Enlighten is looking for a Software Quality Assurance and Release Engineer to ensure and improve product quality during all phases of the software development lifecycle. If you're detail-oriented and thrive on delivering reliable, high-performing software teams, we’d love to hear from you. Work is performed in a hybrid environment.

#Mid-Senior Level

Essential Job Responsibilities

Develop and Execute Test Plans: Create, maintain, and implement comprehensive test plans and cases to ensure software functionality, performance, and reliability.

Automated Testing: Design, build, and maintain automated testing frameworks to streamline testing processes and improve efficiency.

Manual Testing: Perform hands-on manual testing to identify bugs, inconsistencies, and usability issues.

Collaborate with Development Teams: Work closely with the development team to understand system requirements, identify potential issues early, and provide feedback on software design and implementation.

Monitor and Report Quality Metrics: Track, analyze, and report on key quality metrics.

Release Management: Coordinate and oversee the release process to ensure timely and successful software deployments.

Continuous Improvement: Advocate for and implement quality assurance best practices, processes, and tools.

Defect Tracking and Resolution: Identify, document, and work with the development team to resolve software defects and performance issues. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Security Clearance: A current U.S. Government Security Clearance is not required to start, but will be processed for a Secret level clearance; U.S. Citizenship required. Can also consider candidates with a current Secret or TS level clearance. 9 years of experience testing software applications with Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 4 years experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.

Experience performing full lifecycle quality assurance, including: functional and non-functional testing (e.g. performance, regression, user acceptance) Strong ability to communicate effectively with product owner, technical team, and users Experience in creating and executing robust test plans and procedures Experience in documenting software defects and generating test reports Experience with configuration management tools (e.g. Git, Nexus, Maven) Experience with continuous integration and deployment tools (e.g. Jenkins, Bamboo) Experience with software release management, including automation of release processes Experience utilizing issue and project tracking software (e.g. Jira) Experience with the agile software lifecycle Strong attention to detail, organized and efficient Has a proven ability to learn quickly and works well both independently as well as in a team setting Must be able to work in a hybrid environment, spending an average of 1-2 days per week at our Columbia, MD office. Flexibility is essential to adapt to schedule changes as needed.

Preferred Requirements

Scripting experience is a huge plus Test automation tools experience (e.g. Protractor, Selenium) Experience working with web services and APIs (e.g. RESTful APIs) Experience with the Linux operating system

We have many more additional great benefits/perks that you can find on our website at www.eitccorp.com [eitccorp.com].

Test Plans DevelopmentAutomated TestingManual TestingCollaborationQuality Metrics ReportingRelease ManagementContinuous ImprovementDefect TrackingFunctional TestingNon-functional TestingCommunicationConfiguration ManagementContinuous IntegrationContinuous DeploymentIssue TrackingAgile Software Lifecyclemulti-location

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