QA Engineer - Technical Investigation & Automation

Description

About Us:

RunBuggy is the most technically advanced automotive logistics platform on the market. Period.

Backed by Porsche Ventures and Hearst Ventures, RunBuggy is transforming the way cars move. Our cutting-edge technology is trusted by some of the largest OEMs, captive finance companies, and automotive lenders in the world to streamline vehicle transportation at scale.

RunBuggy’s end-to-end platform connects car shippers and haulers in real time - eliminating the friction of traditional load boards and costly custom software. For shippers, RunBuggy integrates directly into existing management systems, reducing transportation costs and accelerating delivery timelines. For transporters, we offer a smarter, more profitable way to find, accept, and manage loads - all from a single app.

Since launching in 2019, RunBuggy has grown to over 190 team members, facilitated the movement of hundreds of thousands of vehicles, and attracted tens of thousands of transporters across the U.S. 

We’re not just building a better logistics platform - we’re redefining the future of automotive transportation.

About the Role:

Runbuggy is looking for a QA Engineer - Technical Investigation & Automation who digs in. This is not a checklist role; it is a seat for someone who reads error logs before asking questions, who gets curious about why a system fails, and who does not stop investigating until they understand the root cause.

You will build and own the technical side of QA: Test architecture, planning, design, automation frameworks, API test suites, deep-dive investigations, and the infrastructure that makes testing reliable at scale. You are the person the team turns to when something breaks in a confusing way, and no one else knows where to start.

This is a hybrid role based in Tempe, AZ.

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

• Test planning, design, build, and maintain automated test suites covering API, integration, and end-to-end workflows.
• Investigate complex defects and system failures - trace execution paths, read logs, analyze API behavior, and identify root causes.
• Develop and maintain API-level tests using Robot Framework + Requests Library against live and staging environments.
• Evaluate and evolve the automation architecture as the platform scales.
• Write scripts and tooling to support test data management, environment setup, and coverage analysis.
• Collaborate with developers and DevOps to integrate tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate test scaffolding, API contract analysis, and gap identification - you bring the depth; the tools bring the leverage.
• Serve as the technical resource in QA triage - the person who can get to an answer quickly when something breaks.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Bring to the Team by Way of Skills and Experience:

Technical Foundation

• 3–6 years of software testing experience with a strong emphasis on automation and technical investigation.
• Hands-on experience with at least one scripting or programming language (Python strongly preferred; JavaScript, Java, or Go also relevant).
• Solid understanding of REST APIs - you can read an API contract, construct requests, validate responses, and write tests that cover edge cases.
• Experience with a test automation framework - Robot Framework, Pytest, Mocha, or similar.
• Comfortable in a Linux/Unix environment; proficient at the command line.
• Ability to read and interpret application logs, stack traces, and HTTP traffic.
• Experience with a test management system (TestRail, Zephyr, Jira, or similar).

Investigation and Systems Thinking

• You approach failures methodically - you form hypotheses, test them, and do not give up because the first thing you tried didn't work.
• Comfortable working across microservices - you understand that a test failure may involve tracing a request through several independent services before you find the actual problem.
• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines - building test stages, interpreting failures, and understanding where in the pipeline something breaks.
• Familiarity with distributed systems concepts: async messaging, eventual consistency, service dependencies.

Soft Skills That Matter Here

• You take ownership of hard problems and follow them through to resolution.
• You can explain a technical finding clearly to someone who wasn't in the weeds with you.
• You work well independently and don't need a lot of supervision to make progress.
• You are honest about what you don't know - and fast at learning it.

Bonus

• Experience with Robot Framework and the Requests Library or Selenium Library.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes - reading pod logs, navigating namespaces, understanding deployment environments.
• Experience with Elasticsearch - querying indexes, validating indexed data, or using log aggregation for test analysis.
• Exposure to vehicle logistics, fleet management, or marketplace-style platforms.
• Experience with performance or load testing tools (k6, JMeter, Locust, or similar).
• Familiarity with Camunda, ActiveMQ, or other workflow/messaging systems.

What is in it for You and Why you Should Apply:

• Market-competitive pay based on education, experience, and location.
• Highly competitive medical, dental, vision, Life w/ AD&D, Short-Term Disability insurance, Long-Term Disability insurance, pet insurance, identity theft protection, and a 401(k) retirement savings plan.
• Employee wellness program.
• Employee rewards, discounts, and recognition programs.
• Generous company-paid holidays (12 per year), vacation, and sick time.
• Paid paternity/maternity leave.
• Monthly connectivity/home office stipend if working from home 5 days a week.
• A supportive and positive space for you to grow and expand your career.

Pay Range Disclosure:

The advertised range represents the expected pay range for this position at the time of posting based on education, experience, skills, location, and other factors.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

RunBuggy is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), pregnancy, parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Unsolicited resumes sent via email or LinkedIn Messenger will not be considered.

No agencies, please.