IT · Software Engineering · QA Engineer

Retained Recruitment for QA Engineers

QA Engineers ensure software quality through systematic testing — building the automation frameworks and quality processes that allow teams to ship confidently. We find the professionals your team needs through dedicated retained search — not job boards.

Retained Only 21–35 Day Placement 90-Day Guarantee $75,000 – $140,000
Quality Assurance EngineerSDETTest EngineerAutomation EngineerSoftware Development Engineer in Test

Find Your Next QA Engineer

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🔒 No hard sell · No obligation · Google Meet

380+Technology Placements
21–35Days to Placement
96%1-Year Retention
90-DayGuarantee
4.9★Client Rating
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What Does a QA Engineer Do?

Designing and implementing automated test frameworks, writing and maintaining test cases (unit, integration, end-to-end), identifying and documenting defects, collaborating with engineers on testability, monitoring test coverage, and contributing to CI/CD pipeline quality gates.

What We Screen For

Experience with at least one test automation framework (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, pytest, etc.), basic programming proficiency in the team's primary language, and solid understanding of testing principles. SDET roles require stronger engineering depth.

💡 Hiring Insight

QA automation engineers who can also review and improve CI/CD pipeline quality gates are significantly more impactful than those limited to manual testing — clarify the engineering depth expectation early in the process.

Typical Compensation
$75,000 – $140,000
SDET candidates with strong engineering backgrounds and automation architecture experience command the top of this range.
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Also Known As

Quality Assurance EngineerSDETTest EngineerAutomation EngineerSoftware Development Engineer in Test

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25 min · Google Meet · No obligation

Every Week Without a QA Engineer Is Compounding Cost and Missed Opportunity.

Retained recruitment delivers a pre-screened shortlist within 21–35 days. Start with a free, confidential 25-minute consultation.

📅 Book a Free Consultation No obligation · 25 minutes · Google Meet · Confidential
Common Questions

Recruiting a QA Engineer — FAQ

Most QA Engineer searches through our retained model are completed within 21 to 35 business days. QA automation engineers who can also review and improve CI/CD pipeline quality gates are significantly more impactful than those limited to manual testing — clarify the engineering depth expectation early in the process. We provide a realistic timeline at the start of every engagement.
Experience with at least one test automation framework (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, pytest, etc.), basic programming proficiency in the team's primary language, and solid understanding of testing principles. SDET roles require stronger engineering depth.
The best QA Engineers are almost always employed and not browsing job boards. QA automation engineers who can also review and improve CI/CD pipeline quality gates are significantly more impactful than those limited to manual testing — clarify the engineering depth expectation early in the process. A retained search means one dedicated recruiter works your role exclusively — conducting passive candidate outreach, pre-screening technically, and presenting only candidates who genuinely match your brief.
Every permanent retained placement includes a 90-day guarantee. If the placed professional departs or is released within 90 days for reasons covered under our guarantee terms, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional fee.
Compensation for QA Engineer roles typically ranges from $75,000 – $140,000. SDET candidates with strong engineering backgrounds and automation architecture experience command the top of this range. We include real-time compensation benchmarking in every retained search.
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