API/Automation Tester

Location: Whippany, NJ (Onsite / Hybrid – as per client requirement)
Experience: 6–8 Years
Employment Type: Contract
Role Type: QA Engineer – API & Automation Testing

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced API / Automation Tester with strong hands-on expertise in building and executing automated test frameworks for backend services, APIs, and microservices-based platforms. The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge of REST API validation, automation scripting, and CI/CD integration, along with strong analytical and communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and execute automated API test scripts using tools like Postman, RestAssured, Karate, or SOAP UI.
• Build and maintain UI or API automation frameworks in Java/Python or similar languages.
• Validate RESTful and SOAP APIs, ensuring coverage for functional, regression, performance, and security tests.
• Perform end-to-end API testing including request/response validation, status codes, schemas, payloads, headers, and error handling.
• Work closely with developers and business analysts to understand requirements and translate them into test cases.
• Collaborate within Agile/Scrum teams, participate in sprint planning, story grooming, and defect triage.
• Integrate test automation suites with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, etc.).
• Identify, log, troubleshoot, and track defects using tools such as JIRA or Azure DevOps.
• Prepare QA documentation including test plans, test cases, and execution reports.
• Contribute to improving QA processes, coding standards, and automation best practices.

Required Skills & Experience

Technical Skills

• 6–8 years of QA experience with strong focus on API testing and test automation.
• Hands-on experience with:
  • Automation Tools: RestAssured, Postman/Newman, Karate, or similar.
  • Programming: Java (preferred), Python, or JavaScript.
  • Frameworks: TestNG / JUnit / Cucumber / BDD.
  • Build Tools: Maven or Gradle.
• Strong knowledge of RESTful APIs, JSON, XML, HTTP protocols, OAuth, and authentication mechanisms.
• Experience in Microservices testing and mocking tools (WireMock, Mockito).
• Solid experience with CI/CD pipelines and integration of test suites.
• Understanding of SQL and ability to validate data at database level.
• Knowledge of cloud-based environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub, Jenkins, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, or similar tools.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and in cross-functional teams.
• Commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience testing event-driven or streaming platforms (Kafka).
• Performance testing exposure with JMeter, Gatling, etc.
• Knowledge of containerization (Docker) and Kubernetes.
• Financial / Banking domain experience (huge plus for Whippany-area roles).

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent experience.