**Role & seniority: ** Senior QA Engineer (QA with meaningful automation component; initial manual-heavy then ~70/30 automation/manual mid-term).

**Location & work type: ** US education-technology company; distributed international team. Independent contractor (sole proprietor / IP). Incubator arrangements not accepted.

**Stack/tools: **

Automation: Cypress (primarily); nice-to-have Playwright/Selenium
APIs/Tech: HTTP, HTML, AJAX, JSON, REST APIs, client-server architecture
Test management: JIRA, TestRail, Qmetry
Data: basic SQL
Optional: CI/CD, Linux (Ubuntu CLI), Git
Top 3 responsibilities:
- Test complex integrated web applications across UI and API layers.
- Develop and refine test plans and manage/maintain test cases.
- Write/maintain automated tests and determine where automation improves reliability/maintainability.
Must-have skills:
- 4+ years senior-level Manual QA experience.
- Hands-on automation experience (UI/API test scenarios); automation-oriented mindset with programming concepts.
- Strong understanding of web/API fundamentals (HTTP/REST/JSON/AJAX/architecture).
- Basic SQL knowledge.
- Strong written/spoken English; ability to communicate in Russian or Ukrainian.
Nice-to-haves:
- Cypress/Playwright/Selenium; CI/CD knowledge; Agile experience
- Experience with JIRA/TestRail/Qmetry
- Basic Linux (Ubuntu CLI) and Git
Compensation: Up t

Full Description

About The Company

A well-established US education-technology company with a global presence, providing digital learning content and platforms to a large user base for over two decades. Distributed, international team working on products used by millions of active users worldwide.

About The Role

Senior QA Engineer with Automation needed to join the Engineering team. This is a QA role with a meaningful automation component: the focus is on strong testing fundamentals, solid software design foundations, and identifying where automation adds real value, rather than a pure automation-first approach.

The role involves testing complex integrated web applications across both UI and API layers. Initially, most of the work will be manual QA; in the mid term, the expected split is roughly 70/30 automation-to-manual.

Responsibilities

UI and API testing of complex integrated web applications Developing and refining test plans Writing and maintaining automated tests, primarily using Cypress Close collaboration with developers in an Agile environment Tracking and managing test cases using JIRA, TestRail, and Qmetry Identifying areas where manual testing processes can be automated for reliability and maintainability

Requirements

4+ years of experience as a Manual QA, at a senior level

Some hands-on experience with QA automation: writing or maintaining automated tests for UI or API scenarios

An automation-oriented mindset: comfort with programming concepts and logical problem-solving Understanding of HTTP, HTML, AJAX, JSON, REST APIs, and client-server architecture Basic knowledge of SQL Strong written and spoken English (interviews are conducted in English) Ability to freely communicate in Russian or Ukrainian

Nice to Have

Hands-on experience with Cypress, Playwright, or Selenium Understanding of CI/CD systems Experience with Agile methodology Experience with JIRA, TestRail, and Qmetry Basic knowledge of Linux (Ubuntu command line) Basic Git knowledge

Benefits

Compensation: Up to $4,500 gross/month

What's Offered

Stable, long-term position with a well-established American company (many team members have 5+ years of tenure) Competitive compensation Friendly and supportive team culture Good vacation policy

Contract type: Independent contractor (sole proprietor / IP), incubator arrangements are not accepted.