Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET 2 / Senior SDET)

The posting

• Department - Engineering
• Location - Whitefield, Bangalore
• Reports to - Engineering Manager - QA
• Level - SDET 2 / Senior SDET

About Zluri: Securing the AI Future

Every enterprise is deploying AI agents. Almost none of them know what those agents can access. Zluri is building the Identity Control Plane for the AI Era — a unified platform that provides real-time visibility and governance for every identity in an organisation, human and non-human alike. We combine Identity Security Posture Management (ISPM), Identity Visibility & Intelligence (IVIP), and Identity Governance into a single platform powered by a Context Graph architecture.

We're a Series-B startup backed by Lightspeed, MassMutual Ventures, Endiya Partners, and Kalaari Capital, trusted by 200+ enterprise customers to secure their identity landscape. If you're excited about defining how the world governs identity in an AI-first future, we'd love to talk.

Role Summary

As a Senior SDET (SDET 2) at Zluri, you will independently own quality for product areas and be a force multiplier for the QA team. You will design and implement robust automation frameworks, conduct advanced exploratory testing, mentor junior SDETs, and actively drive process improvements. This role demands strong technical depth in test automation, end-to-end ownership of testing sub-projects, and the ability to work across teams with infrequent management oversight.

This is a mid-level position suited for engineers who have moved beyond executing predefined test cases and are ready to shape test strategy, build scalable automation, and contribute meaningfully to team culture and quality bar.

Key Responsibilities

Test Design & Automation

• Independently design and implement automated test suites for component-level and cross-component features
• Apply design patterns such as Page Object Model (POM), Data-Driven, and BDD to automation frameworks
• Write E2E automation tests covering integration points and edge cases
• Contribute to automation framework improvements and participate in code reviews for test code
• Evaluate new testing tools and libraries in a data-driven way; recommend the right framework for the problem

Quality Assurance

• Perform advanced exploratory testing, identifying subtle defects that scripted tests miss
• Design comprehensive test strategies for features — covering functional, integration, regression, and edge-case scenarios
• Create and maintain regression test suites; ensure traceability to requirements
• Test E2E flows across components, covering all edge cases and integration points
• Put yourself in the user's shoes: advocate for better UX and code/test defensively for obscure corner cases
• Conduct performance test plans with guidance; contribute to load testing approaches

Ownership & Delivery

• Lead delivery of testing sub-projects end-to-end with clear timelines and quality outcomes
• Proactively monitor test component health and reduce escaped defects
• Perform formal, detailed Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for all production issues; identify and drive short- and long-term fixes
• Stay aware of risks to test schedules and call them out proactively
• Contribute to problem-solving using defect data and metrics effectively

Collaboration & Process

• Mentor SDET 1s and interns on testing best practices, test case design, and defect lifecycle management
• Initiate and conduct test review discussions for related components
• Collaborate across product teams (Engineering, PM, QA, UX) to ensure quality outcomes
• Participate in CI/CD pipeline improvements and help ensure pipeline reliability
• Proactively propose and participate in efforts to improve QA processes, tooling, and culture
• Take QA interviews for SDET 1s and interns; provide detailed, objective feedback

AI-Assisted Quality

• Actively scrutinize AI-generated test cases (your own and peers') for coverage gaps, false positives, and relevance to actual user workflows
• Leverage AI tools effectively for test data generation, API testing script creation, and rapid prototyping of test utilities
• Apply prompt engineering to get high-quality AI outputs for test generation, data setup scripts, and refactoring of test code
• Educate the team on AI limitations (e.g., hallucinations) and identify when a problem is too complex for an AI assistant to solve safely

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field

Experience

• 3–6 years of experience in software testing and test automation
• Proven track record of independently owning test automation for product areas with minimal oversight
• Demonstrated experience in:
• Web application automation testing — designing and maintaining automated test suites
• API automation and testing at scale
• End-to-end testing covering integration points and edge cases
• Working in CI/CD environments and contributing to pipeline reliability
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) in a test context

Required Skills

Core Technical Skills

• Proficiency in AI-assisted development and testing using tools such as Claude, Cursor, or equivalent — including prompt engineering, AI-augmented test generation, and responsible use of AI outputs in QA workflows
• Strong hands-on experience with Playwright for both API and UI automation, including modern testing paradigms such as Playwright MCP and AI-driven test agents; ability to design, build, and maintain scalable Playwright-based frameworks (not just execute scripts)
• Solid experience with MongoDB and SQL for database testing and validation — writing queries to verify data integrity, audit state changes, and validate application behaviour end-to-end
• Proficiency with GitHub or equivalent platforms for version control, branching strategies, and CI/CD pipeline setup — including integrating automated test suites into GitHub Actions or similar workflows
• Working knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes for building lightweight, reproducible environments required for automated workflow testing — including containerising test dependencies and running tests in isolated, scalable infrastructure

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills — able to identify root causes and drive fixes
• Proactive communicator: escalates blockers, flags risks, and shares test findings clearly with developers and stakeholders
• Mentorship mindset: invests in growing SDET 1s and interns
• Detail-oriented with a quality-first approach, balanced with pragmatic delivery instincts
• Self-motivated with the ability to deliver with infrequent management guidance
• Adaptable to changing priorities in a fast-paced agile environment
• Collaborative — works well across Engineering, PM, and Design teams

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of Identity and Access Management (IAM), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) concepts — directly relevant to Zluri's product
• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) in a QA or dev context
• Prior experience with AI-assisted testing tools or prompt engineering for test automation
• Familiarity with observability and monitoring tools (Datadog, Sentry, or similar) to aid in defect analysis
• Experience with contract testing or chaos testing for distributed/microservices architectures

Empowering Diversity, Championing Inclusivity

Zluri values diversity and inclusivity, fostering an environment where every individual feels welcome and respected. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing fair consideration to all qualified applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.