Quality Assurance & Testing Specialist

Blue Iris Tech Consulting Inc. is a mission-driven small business dedicated to delivering innovative cybersecurity and technology solutions to our government partners. We’re currently seeking a highly skilled Quality Assurance & Testing Specialist to join our federal development team supporting the iEdison platform at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This is your opportunity to ensure system security, compliance, and user success by driving quality across complex federal applications. 

This position is 100% on-site in Gaithersburg, MD

What You’ll Be Doing: 

The Quality Assurance & Testing Specialist works closely with developers, project managers, and stakeholders to ensure high-quality, secure, and reliable software delivery. Responsibilities include: 

• Reviewing and analyzing system specifications to develop effective test strategies.  

• Designing, executing, and documenting manual and automated test cases across legacy and modern testing frameworks.  

• Partnering with developers to move testing earlier in the lifecycle and establishing processes to ensure a clear work scope.  

• Identifying, logging, and tracking software defects in GitLab.  

• Performing regression and smoke testing before each release.  

• Integrating and maintaining automated testing within the CI/CD pipeline using modern and legacy tools (Playwright, Selenium, Cucumber, and JUnit).  

• Provide Customer Acceptance Testing support, validate results, log customer-reported issues, assist resolution, and maintain the enhancement/bug log, incorporating COR feedback.  

• Conducting post-release testing and troubleshooting issues.  

• Plan and execute performance/load/stress testing (e.g., JMeter or equivalent), analyze bottlenecks, and report remediation.  

• Managing customer support requests in Salesforce and following up with users after bug fixes.  

• Reviewing tickets ready for testing and ensuring acceptance criteria are met; proactively resolving delivery bottlenecks and validating ticket scope to drive project velocity.  

• Testing APIs and Bulk Upload functionalities using Postman.  

• Participate in COR review/validation gates; derive test scenarios from approved designs/use cases and document outcomes.  

• Author traceable test plans mapping each requirement to corresponding test cases; maintain results and coverage.  

• Presenting high-priority issues, fixes, and data-driven process improvement recommendations to stakeholders.  

• Supporting onboarding of new employees by assisting with application knowledge.  

• Plan and execute Section 508 accessibility testing (e.g., WAVE) for all UI changes; document results and remediation. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Must be a U.S. Citizen 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent work experience). 

• 5+ years hands-on testing of web and RESTful apps including regression/negative, UI/compatibility, data interface & migration, performance/load/stress, test automation, defect tracking, and test strategy/coverage. 

• Experience integrating automated tests into GitLab CI/CD; familiarity with Maven/JUnit pipelines and interpreting security/quality scan outputs supporting ATO (static analysis, dependency check, dynamic testing, penetration testing). 

• Hands-on experience with automation tools (Selenium, Playwright, Cucumber, JUnit); proficiency in authoring modular test scripts. 

• Strong knowledge of test management, defect tracking, and CI/CD practices. 

• Experience with GitLab, Postman, Salesforce, and MS Excel. 

• Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and documentation ability. 

• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with developers and stakeholders. 

• Employment is contingent on NIST Moderate Risk ADP clearance and PIV badge issuance (start date may be delayed pending issuance). New hires must complete NIST orientation within 1 month and security awareness training within 2 weeks, and sign NIST IT Rules of Behavior. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Experience testing federal government applications or within regulated industries.  

• Knowledge of Java and TypeScript/JavaScript for test script development.  

• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and sprint-based testing cycles.  

• Prior experience with security compliance testing.  

• Customer service or help desk experience supporting ticket resolution.  

• Prior experience in high-growth Agile environments with a focus on refining requirement clarity and maintaining sprint momentum. 

Company Overview   

Blue Iris Tech is an 8(a) and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) that has supported a range of government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense Health Agency (DHA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  

Why Join Blue Iris:  

• Opportunity to support a high-visibility national security mission with NCIS headquarters. 

• Collaborative, mission-focused culture with meaningful work supporting federal clients. 

• Professional growth at the intersection of CI/CT operations, program management, and emerging unmanned systems mission sets. 

Benefits Include:   

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 

• Federal Holidays 

• Paid Time Off (PTO) 

• Professional development and training opportunities 

• Flexible work options (if applicable) 

Commitment to Non-Discrimination 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.  

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

If you require reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us.