Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) with a Performance Focus

The exciting world of scientific research is fueled by people with a passion for solving complex problems. At Cayuse , we are committed to our customers’ success by empowering organizations to conduct globally connected research that advances their impact on science, discovery and society. We build on that commitment with proven, integrated and easy-to-use technology that delivers exceptional value, and world class service and support that accelerates outcomes.

But we are more than just an empowering platform powered by advanced technologies. We are a collaboration of exceptional, highly skilled people with multi-disciplinary expertise, and are building our team to support our ambitious growth plans. Cayuse ’s foundational strength comes from our customer and employee focused values and commitment to industry-leading solutions. It’s an exciting time to become a key member of our growing team.

As an SDET, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining the performance testing framework and automated test frameworks. The performance testing focus includes responsibility to evaluate application reliability, scalability, and responsiveness under varying levels of load and stress both at a Team level and at an Enterprise level. You will design and execute performance test strategies, build performance test scripts and frameworks, analyze system bottlenecks, and collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure products meet performance and stability requirements. Once teams are set up and working in the performance model, you will shift focus to an SDET team testing execution, designing comprehensive test plans, and working closely with developers and product teams to ensure software quality and performance.

An effective SDET combines deep technical knowledge with a strong understanding of testing principles to build reliable, scalable, and maintainable test systems. You will be expected to provide comprehensive coverage including both automation and manual testing.

Primary Responsibilities

- Define and execute comprehensive test strategies - including functional automation, load, stress, endurance, spike, and scalability testing.

- Establish and maintain performance baselines and analyze test results over time to identify trends and performance regressions.

- Collect, analyze, and interpret performance metrics (CPU, memory, throughput, response time, latency, and error rates).

- Identify system bottlenecks, performance degradation, and root causes through profiling and diagnostics.

- Partner with DevOps and Engineering teams to define and use realistic test environments and datasets.

- Provide detailed performance test reports and recommendations for optimization.

- Partner with software engineers, product owners, and QA to define test strategies and acceptance criteria.

- Design, develop, and maintain automated test scripts and frameworks for web, API, and backend systems.

- Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to ensure continuous testing.

- Identify, document, and track bugs through resolution.

- Perform code reviews for test code and contribute to best practices in test automation.

- Develop tools and utilities to improve test automation and test coverage.

- Analyze test results and provide insights into product quality and potential risks.

- Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies and contribute to sprint planning and retrospectives.

Minimum Qualifications and Skills Required (Knowledge)

- 3+ years of experience in software testing, with demonstrated experience in both test automation and performance testing.

- Hands-on experience with k6 as a primary performance testing tool.

- Hands-on experience with Playwright for test automation (Cypress or Selenium also considered).

- Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, TypeScript (or JavaScript).

- Strong understanding of QA methodologies, test processes, and best practices.

- Experience testing APIs usi