Senior Software QA Engineer

About Us

Culture’s mission is to simplify and accelerate bioprocess development to help our customers bring biopharmaceutical products to market faster.

Focusing on upstream cell culture process development, we’ve developed a unique platform that combines products, services, and data management for mammalian, microbial, and viral vector production processes. Our platform enables high-throughput process development projects to be executed rapidly and seamlessly—either in our customers’ facilities, in our service laboratories, or both. Everything is driven by our cloud-connected web application, accessible from anywhere for designing, managing, and analyzing experiments.

At Culture, we bring together biomanufacturing, engineering, and operations to develop solutions that make bioprocess development and scale-up faster and more efficient. We value collaboration for exceptional results, innovate with purpose, and earn our customers’ trust every day.

About the Role

We’re seeking a passionate and detail-oriented Senior Software QA Engineer to join our team and play a critical role in ensuring the robustness and reliability of our integrated system as we build the next generation of cloud-based tools for the biotechnology industry.

This role involves designing and implementing a comprehensive testing strategy across user flows, hardware integration, data integrity, and network resilience—covering the full stack from backend services and APIs to frontend interfaces and cloud infrastructure. You’ll work closely with developers, hardware engineers, and other stakeholders to identify and mitigate potential risks, ensuring the highest quality standards for our users.

At Culture, we put kindness and empathy first—we hire thoughtful, self-aware engineers, prioritize work-life balance, and encourage curiosity and experimentation. You’ll be part of a culture that values cross-disciplinary collaboration (“lift others up”), scientific integrity, and delivering quality with purpose.

What You’ll Do

• Test Planning & Execution
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test strategies for functional, performance, and security validation of the complete system.
• Plan and execute end-to-end testing covering hardware integration, backend services (REST & GraphQL APIs), and frontend UI.
• Design, develop, and execute test protocols including UI testing, load/stress testing, fault tolerance, performance, and security assessments.
• Automation & Tooling
• Build and maintain automated test suites for end-to-end workflows, regression testing, and system integration checks.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to enable frequent, reliable releases.
• Collaboration & Quality Improvement
• Partner with developers, hardware engineers, and cloud service teams to identify issues early, resolve defects quickly, and embed testing best practices.
• Maintain a robust Software Test Life Cycle (STLC) addressing test procedures, automation strategy, defect tracking, and test closure processes.
• Scenario & Failure Mode Testing
• Simulate complex operational events such as network outages, power failures, cloud service interruptions, and system load spikes.
• Design and run test scenarios involving bioprocess experiment workflows, including recipe variations, parameter changes, and environmental adjustments, to assess impact on system behavior and reliability.
• Regulatory & Risk Awareness
• Maintain awareness of risk factors in software for bioprocessing equipment.
• Ensure relevant testing documentation aligns with 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.
• Future AI/ML Testing (as the system evolves)
• Contribute to test strategy for upcoming AI/ML components, including data validation, model performance checks, and integration with existing systems.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of direct experience in Software QA / Test Engineering, with a proven track record of leading testing strategy for complex systems.
• Proven experience with test automation tools such as Cypress, Playwright (TypeScript/JavaScript), and PyTest.
• Hands-on experience testing REST APIs and GraphQL APIs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge and/or experience with CI/CD platforms such as CircleCI, Git/GitHub, Linux, and SQL.
• Strong understanding of 21 CFR Part 11 and relevant industry standards.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, iterative development environment.
• Proven ability to accelerate quality software development and delivery.

Nice to Have

• Interest in testing software that interfaces with hardware and instrumentation.
• Enthusiasm for working in a biotech setting and collaborating with scientists, engineers, and developers.

In Return, We Will Support You By:

• Placing a high degree of trust in your ideas and execution.
• Encouraging collaboration and open communication.
• Caring about you as a whole person, not just an employee.
• Supporting your personal and professional growth through mentorship and learning opportunities.

Location & Schedule

• This is a hybrid position based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Candidates should be available to work on-site at our South San Francisco office at least 2 days per week.

Base Salary Range

Culture Biosciences's compensation package includes market competitive salary, equity for all full time roles, and great benefits. Our expected salary range for this role is $155,000 to $185,000. We are hiring for multiple levels and backgrounds so final offers may vary within the range provided based on experience, expertise, and other factors.