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Software Quality Assurance Lead

American Systems Corporation

Arlington, VAFull-time$125–150K/yrPosted 2mo agoStill listed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$125–150K/yr
Location
Arlington, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

TS/SCI clearance, required

Job overview

AMERICAN SYSTEMS seeks a Software Quality Assurance Lead for a national defense program. The lead will own quality strategy across a portfolio of software products, coordinate testing, and work with government software leads and consulting engineers on test plans and DevOps pipelines. The role also leads QA teams, reports quality metrics, and drives process improvements. Candidates need an active Top Secret/SCI clearance and at least four years of relevant experience.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Quality Assurance, requiredSoftware Testing, requiredQA Team Leadership, requiredFunctional Testing, requiredIntegration Testing, requiredRegression Testing, requiredPerformance Testing, requiredSDLC Models, requiredV-Model, requiredAgile, requiredDevSecOps, requiredTest Automation, requiredPython, requiredPytest, requiredC++, requiredGoogleTest, requiredSelenium, requiredCI/CD, requiredDevOps Tools, requiredCommunication, requiredTeam Coordination, requiredStakeholder Coordination, requiredDefense Programs, nice to haveAerospace Programs, nice to haveSecurity-Focused Testing, nice to haveSAST, nice to haveDAST, nice to haveVulnerability Scanning, nice to haveModel-Based Testing, nice to haveFormal Verification, nice to have

Qualifications

Active Top Secret/SCI Clearance, requiredSAP Eligibility, requiredBachelor's in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Related Field or Equivalent Experience, required4+ Years Software Engineering Experience, required2+ Years QA Leadership Experience, required

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

Overview

AMERICAN SYSTEMS, a 100% employee-owned contractor, is seeking a Software Quality Assurance (QA) Lead with a strong background in software engineering and quality assurance to join a critical national defense program.

This role is essential for ensuring the reliability, security, and overall quality of software products developed for government use. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who can drive quality initiatives across multiple development teams and ensure the integrity of every software release.

Responsibilities

Role Overview

As the Software QA Lead, you will own the end‑to‑end quality strategy for the program’s portfolio of software products. Directly supporting the Government Software Lead for the program, you will coordinate all testing activities, drive consistency in test processes, and partner with consulting engineers to craft robust test plans and modern DevOps pipelines.

As a Software QA Lead with AMERICAN SYSTEMS, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Lead and mentor a team of QA engineers and testers, providing guidance on best practices, test methodologies, and quality standards.

  • Coordinate all QA and testing activities for a suite of software products developed by multiple defense contractors, ensuring a cohesive and standardized approach to quality.

  • Collaborate directly with the Government Software Leads to define, develop, and execute comprehensive test plans and strategies.

  • Work with consulting engineers to implement DevOps strategies, including continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, to automate testing and improve release - efficiency.

  • Analyze software requirements and design detailed test cases to identify defects and ensure software meets all functional and non-functional requirements.

  • Report on key quality metrics to program leadership, highlighting areas of risk and recommending improvements to the software development lifecycle.

  • Lead periodic QA retrospectives, capture lessons learned and implement process enhancements across the contractor ecosystem.

  • Stay current on emerging testing standards and introduce best‑practice innovations.

U.S. Citizenship Required for the purposes of obtaining/holding a U.S. security clearance.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with ability to obtain SAP eligibility.

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

  • 4+ years of experience in software engineering or a related technical field, with a focus on quality assurance and software testing.

  • 2+ years of experience in a leadership role, specifically managing or leading software testing and QA teams for multiple software products.

  • Demonstrated experience with a wide range of testing methodologies, including functional, integration, regression, and performance testing.

  • Strong grasp of SDLC models (e.g., V‑Model, Agile, DevSecOps).

  • Hands-on experience with at least one test automation framework (e.g., Python/pytest, C++/GoogleTest, Selenium).

  • Solid understanding of CI/CD principles and DevOps tools.

  • Strong communication skills and the ability to effectively coordinate with multiple teams and stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Prior experience on defense or aerospace programs, especially in a multi-contractor environment.

  • Experience with security-focused testing (SAST, DAST, vulnerability scanning).

  • Exposure to Model‑Based Testing (MBT) or formal verification methods.

#LI-PRK1

Pay Transparency Statement AMERICAN SYSTEMS is committed to pay transparency for our applicants and employee-owners. The salary range for this position is USD $125,000.00/Yr. - USD $150,000/Yr. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors permitted by law. AMERICAN SYSTEMS provides for the welfare of its employees and their dependents through a comprehensive benefits program by offering healthcare benefits, paid leave, retirement plans, insurance programs, and education and training assistance. EEO Statement EEO Race/Sex/Disability Status/Veteran Status

How this job compares

Set against the 675 open Software Testing jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 11, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$125–150K/yr
  • Virginia median$95–157K/yr29 salary ranges
  • US median$95–160K/yr390 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $138K, is 6% above the Virginia median midpoint ($129K) — in the middle half of Software Testing salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 33 open Software Testing jobs in Virginia and 675 across the US. 10% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Software Testing postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (521 postings).
Education
166 of the 675 open Software Testing jobs (25%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 11, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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