Senior Test Lead (Tricentis Tosca), Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Remote

Senior Test Lead (Tricentis Tosca), Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Remote

Summary:

• Job Title: Senior Test Lead
• Level: Senior; 8+ years of software testing, automation, or quality engineering experience; 5+ years hands-on Tricentis Tosca experience.
• Openings: To be confirmed.
• Security Clearance: Active clearance is not required to be considered. Candidates must be able to obtain an interim clearance; candidates with lapsed clearances are acceptable. U.S. citizenship required.
• Work Type: Remote, with periodic meetings in Quantico, VA or Annapolis, MD as required.
• Job Type: Full-time.
• Program Name: DCSA programs; testing and quality engineering across mission-critical systems.
• Agency name: Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
• Start Date: To be confirmed.

BizFirst is assisting our client with recruiting a Senior Test Lead to support Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) programs through hands-on automated testing, test strategy, team coaching, and stakeholder alignment.

Our client is a technology integrator that supports government customers with IT modernization, performance engineering, and cybersecurity. Its engineering teams collaborate on complex technical programs in a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and professional development.

What will you do

The Senior Test Lead is a player/coach who spends 50–70% of their time hands-on with the team building, executing, and debugging automated tests, and the remaining time setting strategy, coaching, and driving stakeholder alignment.

The role leads delivery across the Tricentis Quality Engineering platform: Tosca, qTest (Manager/Insights/Launch), Elastic Execution Grid (EEG/DEX), NeoLoad, and LiveCompare, fully integrated into CI/CD for Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency programs.

The role requires a senior testing professional capable of operating independently with government stakeholders, managing complex testing cycles, and ensuring delivery quality across mission-critical systems.

This is a key-person position on the contract and requires a highly experienced testing professional capable of operating independently with senior customer and program stakeholders.

The position may be performed remotely but requires the ability to participate in periodic customer and program meetings in the Quantico, VA or Annapolis, MD area, as required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Hands-On Test Design & Automation

• Build and maintain release-ready automated suites; ensure CI/CD quality gates backed by qTest traceability.
• Author Tosca automation across UI, API, Mobile (Engine 3.0), Vision AI, and packaged apps; implement TestCase Design and TDM.
• Configure and optimize EEG/DEX for stable, parallel execution; resolve flaky tests and environment issues.
• Work directly with engineers to reproduce failures, collect evidence, isolate defects, and recommend release readiness.
• Identify automation opportunities based on risk, complexity, and mission needs.
• Serve as escalation point for complex testing and automation problems.

Test Architecture & Quality Management

• Architect Tosca modules, reusable assets, naming standards, and automation frameworks.
• Govern qTest structures (plans, cycles, traceability, execution, and reporting) and ensure data accurately reflects priorities and readiness.
• Maintain requirement-to-test traceability; ensure test assets match current program releases.
• Use qTest Insights analytics to communicate quality, coverage, and execution trends.

CI/CD Integration & Quality Gates

• Build executable quality gates in Jenkins, GitLab, or Azure DevOps; trigger Tosca suites through qTest Launch.
• Define gating criteria supporting continuous integration and deployment.
• Integrate NeoLoad performance checks and LiveCompare change-impact analysis where appropriate.
• Review and approve automation designs for scalability, maintainability, and alignment with mission workflows.
• Oversee smoke, integration, regression, and end-to-end automated execution.

Planning & Schedule Alignment

• Lead and participate in test cycles (smoke, integration, regression, end-to-end, API, mobile, performance).
• Define entry/exit criteria, environments, data, and readiness checks.
• Provide testing inputs to the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), including durations, dependencies, resource needs, and critical-path impacts.
• Coordinate testing across development, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and government teams.
• Identify schedule risks related to defects, environments, automation readiness, or scope changes.

Defect Triage & Release Readiness

• Run daily defect triage; reproduce issues, attach evidence (logs, artifacts, screenshots), and drive prioritization and escalation.
• Manage defect lifecycle, root-cause analysis, and aging trends.
• Set quality thresholds for release gates; advise on release readiness and risk acceptance.

Coaching & Team Development

• Coach testers on model-based design, test data strategies, and CI/CD integration.
• Review automation for maintainability and risk-based coverage; improve practices through patterns and code reviews.
• Mentor testers on Tricentis tools and quality engineering.

Customer Engagement & Reporting

• Serve as senior point of contact for Tricentis testing with DCSA and contractor partners.
• Participate in readiness sessions, technical reviews, and program leadership briefings.
• Communicate technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Build effective relationships across development, testing, cybersecurity, infrastructure, DevSecOps, and program management.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Candidates must be able to obtain an interim clearance; active clearance is not required to be considered, and candidates with lapsed clearances are acceptable.
• U.S. citizenship required due to federal access requirements.
• 8+ years of software testing, automation, or quality engineering experience.
• 5+ years hands-on Tricentis Tosca experience.
• Experience supporting federal systems, ideally DCSA, NBIS, or NI2 mission environments.
• Experience integrating automated testing into CI/CD or DevSecOps workflows.
• Strong foundation in SDLC, Agile, DevOps, and DevSecOps.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical testing teams.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Tricentis Tosca and/or qTest certifications.
• Hands-on experience with Tosca API Testing, DEX, TestCase Design.
• Experience with Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Jira, Confluence, Git/GitLab.
• SQL/database testing and REST/SOAP API testing experience.
• Experience supporting large DoD or federal-sector programs.
• PMP, ISTQB, or relevant testing/project management certifications.
• Experience with AI-assisted testing or emerging Tricentis capabilities.