Software Engineer 2 (SDET)

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

About Illumina

Illumina is the global leader in genomics, providing sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. Our technology powers discoveries in life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and more.

About the Role

We are looking for Software Engineers to join our R&D team in Singapore, focused on building and modernizing the test infrastructure that enables high-quality software delivery across the world's leading genomics instruments. You will work at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD automation, and AI-assisted development to transform how we validate embedded software.

This role is ideal for engineers who are passionate about real-world problem solving, care about human health, and treat AI-assisted development as a core craft.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and modernize automated test frameworks, tooling, and suites into scalable platforms for our industry-leading DNA sequencing instruments.
• Author and run API, UI, service-level, functional, and end-to-end tests integrated into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous delivery.
• Own test coverage and quality for features from design through production release, building deep full-stack understanding of the platform to validate system behavior and shape robust test strategies.
• Automate tests in parallel with feature development to provide early validation and fast feedback.
• Drive shift-left practices, partnering with developers so unit and integration coverage catches defects before they reach system-level testing.
• Act as a true engineering partner to developers — improving code quality, testability, and design rather than serving as a downstream tester.
• Perform exploratory testing to surface issues automation cannot easily catch, and convert findings into durable automated coverage.
• Build and enhance test infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines for reliable nightly, regression, and release validation runs, applying AI-based solutions to improve pipeline efficiency, failure analysis, and reliability.
• Support and improve environment setup, deployment workflows, and orchestration across cloud and distributed systems.
• Apply AI-assisted tools across the testing lifecycle — authoring, debugging, coverage, code review, edge-case discovery, root cause analysis, and release documentation.
• Continuously identify testing gaps and propose AI-assisted approaches to improve validation coverage and efficiency.
• Participate in design and code reviews, advocating for testability, observability, reliability, and overall system quality.
• Contribute to release-process compliance and identify opportunities for process and tooling improvement.
• Collaborate across time zones with project managers, developers, and quality assurance peers in Singapore and the United States, jointly accountable for product quality, and help drive automation and AI adoption across testing workflows.

Tech Stack

• Java, Python, and C#, depending on the functional component
• TypeScript / JavaScript
• Playwright, Karate, Cucumber/Gherkin, pytest
• GitHub Actions, Jenkins
• PostgreSQL
• Docker, Kubernetes (K3s)
• Linux Shell
• AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, LLM-based agents and workflows)

Who you are

• Developer-first mindset — you solve test and quality problems by writing software, not by filing tickets
• Strong design instinct and systems view — you reason about architecture, trade-offs, and where quality investments pay off
• Creative problem-solver who uncovers non-obvious failure modes and finds elegant ways to prevent them
• Sound trade-off judgment — you intentionally balance coverage, speed, cost, and maintainability
• Bias toward automation — if it can be scripted, you script it
• Curious about AI tooling, using AI methodologies effectively in daily work to improve engineering productivity, and readily experimenting as the landscape evolves
• Full SDLC experience with hands-on expertise in modern UI and API automation frameworks
• Proven experience building end-to-end, API, and service-level automated tests integrated with CI/CD
• Strong debugging skills across application, test, and infrastructure layers
• Strong communicator who collaborates globally on complex, multi-platform challenges

Preferred experience

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Computer Science, Engineering, AI/ML, Data Science, or related field
• 2+ years of experience in software test development, automation engineering, or software development
• Experience in biotech, bioinformatics, or scientific instrumentation software is a plus

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Illumina is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission. Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritized openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics. We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information. Illumina conducts background checks on applicants for whom a conditional offer of employment has been made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws. Background check results may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment. The background check process and any decisions made as a result shall be made in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. Illumina prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the application and interview process. If you require accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact [email protected]. To learn more, visit: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf. The position will be posted until a final candidate is selected or the requisition has a sufficient number of qualified applicants. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.