QA Engineer at Zero Hiring in Portland, OR

Position Summary

A rapidly growing company is seeking a detail-oriented and highly skilled Mid-Level QA Engineer to join the team. This role plays a crucial part in ensuring software and hardware quality, verifying feature implementations, and maintaining stability throughout the development lifecycle.

The QA Engineer will work closely with the development and product teams to define test plans and test cases based on requirements documents or user stories, execute structured test plans, test new features, and validate bug fixes. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining test coverage across web and mobile applications, identifying defects, and ensuring products meet high-quality standards before release.

This role is specifically focused on bridging quality on in-house charging station production to ensure both hardware and software meet the company’s quality standards. The QA Engineer will work closely with charging station developers, mechanical engineers, and software engineers to ensure that charging stations are thoroughly tested with an emphasis on quality across the product stack.

In addition to traditional QA responsibilities, this role includes hands-on validation of charging station hardware and real-world system behavior. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working with physical devices, executing real charging scenarios, and validating how software, firmware, and hardware interact under real operating conditions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and maintain test plans and test cases based on product requirements and system behavior.
• Perform testing across integrated systems (device + backend + application), ensuring correct behavior across system interactions.
• Execute and validate end-to-end charging workflows, including real-world scenarios with vehicle charging sessions.
• Verify system behavior under varying conditions (e.g., multiple vehicles, load distribution, prioritization, and state transitions).
• Validate charging performance, including charge rates and power delivery against expected system behavior.
• Test system behavior under edge conditions (e.g., network interruptions, restarts, partial failures).
• Debug issues across hardware, firmware, backend, and application layers by analyzing logs and observed system behavior.
• Identify, document, and reproduce defects across testing, staging, and production environments.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and hardware teams to ensure quality across the full system.

Years of Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in QA or testing roles, with a preference for candidates who have demonstrated strong problem-solving ability, ownership, and the ability to ramp quickly in complex, integrated system environments.

Hard Requirements

Technical Skillset

• Strong proficiency in manual testing techniques across software and integrated systems (black box and grey box), including the ability to validate behavior beyond individual features.
• Experience testing or validating integrated systems (device + backend + application), with an understanding of how components interact in real-world scenarios.
• Experience with test case management tools (e.g., TestRail) and ability to design, organize, and maintain effective test coverage.
• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., JIRA) and working within Agile development environments.
• Experience with API testing tools (e.g., Postman), including validating request/response flows and system integrations.
• Basic knowledge of SQL for data validation and verifying system behavior across backend services.
• Strong working knowledge of UNIX/Linux environments, including the ability to test, observe, and troubleshoot directly on charging station devices.
• Familiarity with Git and command-line tools for navigating codebases, logs, and system environments.
• Ability to interpret and correlate device logs, backend logs, and system outputs to diagnose issues across multiple system layers.
• Strong troubleshooting skills, with the ability to investigate issues across hardware, firmware, and software boundaries.

Core Expertise

• Comprehensive Testing Skills — Strong expertise in manual testing across web, mobile, and integrated systems, with a solid understanding of black box and grey box techniques.
• System & Integration Validation — Ability to validate end-to-end workflows and system behavior across multiple components, including real-world scenarios involving hardware and backend interactions.
• Debugging & Diagnostic Skills — Proficiency in using developer tools, logs, and system data to troubleshoot issues across device, backend, and application layers.
• Technical Proficiency — Strong understanding of REST APIs, SQL for data validation, and basic web technologies. Ability to validate system integrations and ensure data integrity.
• Cross-Platform & Real-World Testing — Experience testing across platforms (web, mobile, and devices), with the ability to identify platform-specific issues and validate behavior under varying system conditions.
• Agile & Cross-Functional Collaboration — Experience working in Agile environments and collaborating effectively with software, firmware, and hardware teams.
• Communication & Documentation — Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document defects, test results, and system behavior.

Bonus Skills (Preferred, but not Required)

• Strong understanding of version control systems (e.g., Git) and command-line interfaces.
• Experience with automated testing tools (e.g., Playwright, Selenium) or performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, Siege).
• Familiarity with EV charging protocols (e.g., OCPP, ISO15118) or similar communication frameworks within the EV ecosystem.
• Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and how testing integrates into release workflows, including build validation, regression testing, and deployment verification.
• Experience supporting or coordinating software release processes, including working across development, QA, and operations teams to ensure smooth, stable, and timely deployments.
• Experience setting up and maintaining test environments, including configuration, deployment, and troubleshooting.
• Experience validating releases in staging or production-like environments, with an understanding of rollout risks and system-level impact.

Additional Bonus

• Hands-on experience in testing for integrated systems.
• Background in mechanical or electrical engineering.
• Background in software engineering.

Soft Skills

• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail to catch subtle errors and inconsistencies that could lead to larger issues down the line.
• Critical Thinking: The ability to approach problems methodically and use data-driven insights to make informed decisions. A keen analytical mind that questions assumptions and seeks new solutions.
• Adaptability: The capacity to quickly adjust to new challenges and changes in project requirements or technologies, maintaining effectiveness in a dynamic environment.
• Team Collaboration: Strong team player skills, with the ability to work cooperatively with developers, other QA testers, and project managers to achieve common goals.
• Leadership Potential: While primarily a contributor role, potential for leadership is a plus, including the ability to mentor junior staff or lead testing segments of projects.

Why Join

• Be part of a dynamic and fast-growing company
• Competitive Salary
• Benefits Package includes:
  • Medical, Dental and Vision insurance
  • Paid Holidays
  • Paid Time Off
  • Ability to Participate in Electric Vehicle Incentive Program
  • Ability to Participate in Company 401K Plan with match
  • Quarterly Mental Health Days
  • Employee Educational Reimbursement

Final compensation will be determined based on experience and skills, but will sit in a range of $80,000 - $90,000

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and offers a remote-friendly work environment with benefits and the opportunity for personal growth as well as advancement within the company.

Engagement Structure

This role begins as a 1099 independent contractor engagement for up to three (3) months, with the intention of converting to a permanent, full-time position based on mutual fit and performance during the contract period. Benefits listed above apply upon conversion to a permanent employee.