Staff Software Test Engineer

Job DescriptionWe are seeking a highly skilled Staff Software Test Engineer to lead the end-to-end (E2E) and integration quality strategy for Visa's mission-critical payment services. The ideal candidate will architect and implement robust automated testing solutions that validate complex, large-scale transaction flows across multiple systems. You will be a technical leader in the quality engineering space, responsible for ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of our global platforms within a fast-paced Agile, CI/CD-driven environment. Primary Stack: Java, REST Assured, Playwright/Selenium, Kafka, SQL/NoSQL Environment: Agile/Scrum, CI/CD (Jenkins/GitLab), Cloud Services (AWS/Azure/GCP), Microservices Architecture What You Will Do (Core Responsibilities) E2E Test Strategy & Design: Architect and own the end-to-end test strategy for complex payment flows, from authorization and tokenization to clearing and settlement. Define quality gates, risk-based testing approaches, and success criteria for large-scale programs. Integration & API Test Automation: Design, build, and maintain scalable automated test suites for REST/gRPC APIs, message queues (e.g., Kafka), and third-party partner integrations. Implement and champion contract testing and service virtualization to enable independent testing. Framework Architecture & Enhancement: Lead the evolution of our test automation frameworks. Promote and enforce best practices for creating maintainable, scalable, and efficient test code. Mentor other engineers on framework usage and contributions. CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Engineer and integrate comprehensive test suites into our CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI) to provide rapid feedback to development teams and ensure release readiness. Advanced Failure Analysis & Triage: Drive the investigation of complex, multi-system failures. Perform root cause analysis and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement preventative measures. Quality Governance & Mentorship: Mentor SDETs and QA engineers on test design and automation best practices. Define and report on key quality metrics (e.g., defect leakage, test reliability, release risk) to stakeholders and leadership. Test Data & Environment Management: Design and implement robust strategies for managing test data and ensuring the stability and availability of complex, integrated test environments. Core Practices Distributed Systems Testing: Proven experience testing in a microservices architecture, including service-to-service communication, data consistency, and resiliency. Agile Methodologies: Extensive experience working as a quality leader within Agile/Scrum teams. Technical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, influence architectural decisions for testability, and lead quality initiatives across multiple teams. Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical and debugging skills, with a talent for solving complex, cross-system issues. Nice-to-Have Skills Payments Domain Knowledge: Experience in the payments or fintech industry, with an understanding of transaction lifecycles, ISO 8583 messaging, or related standards. Performance Testing: Experience with performance and load testing tools like JMeter or Gatling. Containerization & Cloud: A solid understanding of Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure). Observability: Familiarity with using logs, metrics, and traces (e.g., Splunk, Grafana, Prometheus) to diagnose and validate system behavior. This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. ​ QualificationsBasic qualifications:5 or more years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or at least 2 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 0 years of work experience with a PhDPreferred Qualifications:6 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or 4 or more years of relevant experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or up to 3 years of relevant experience with a PhDBachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent experience).Experience in software quality engineering with deep experience in E2E and integration testing of distributed, API-first systems.Strong coding skills in one or more: Java, TypeScript/JavaScript, or Python. Proven experience building/maintaining test automation frameworks and CI/CD pipelines.Hands-on with REST/gRPC, microservices, containers/Kubernetes, and message/event platforms (e.g., Kafka). Solid understanding of data stores (SQL/NoSQL) and validating data integrity across services.Experience with contract testing, service virtualization, and environment orchestration.Experience in payments/fintech or other high-availability, regulated environments.Knowledge of payment flows (authorization, clearing/settlement), tokens, and partner onboarding.Familiarity with reliability engineering practices (SLOs, error budgets) and chaos/resiliency testing. Cloud experience (AWS/GCP/Azure) and infrastructure-as-code basics. Security and compliance awareness (PCI DSS concepts, data privacy, secure SDLC).Experience with data pipelines/stream processing validation and schema evolution testing.Strong coding and scripting ability in Java or Python.Excellent communication skills in both written and verbal.The ability to technically analyze a problem and a solution and recognize the right level of detail and abstraction to lead discussions with different stakeholders.Comfortable challenging the status quo and always curious about the way things work. A sound understanding of agile methods of software delivery and the principles and practices of BDD, ATDD and TDD.The ability to work closely with technical and non-technical stakeholders in order to determine appropriate acceptance criteria for both business and technical needs.Ability to make tactical as well as strategic decisions and recommendations based on incomplete or ambiguous information.Excellent knowledge of CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI.Programming & ToolsLanguages: Strong, hands-on proficiency in Java. Experience with Python or TypeScript is a plus.API Automation: Deep, expert-level knowledge of API testing and frameworks like REST Assured or Karate. Proven experience testing both RESTful and event-driven services.UI Automation: Hands-on experience with modern UI automation tools such as Playwright or Selenium.CI/CD & DevOps: Deep experience with Git and CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or similar.Test Runners & Frameworks: Expertise with JUnit or TestNG.Databases: High proficiency in SQL and/or NoSQL databases for test data setup and validation across distributed systems. Additional InformationVisa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.