Sr. Tools and Automation Engineer

The VideoApps QA team is responsible for ensuring the quality and reliability of Apple's video editing applications, including Final Cut Pro for iPad and related products. As a Tools and Automation Engineer, you will play a critical role in shaping the test strategy and infrastructure that keeps these creative tools polished and performant for users worldwide. This is an opportunity to blend deep QA expertise with hands-on automation engineering in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.

Description
In this role, you will plan, design, write, maintain, and execute test cases — both manually and through automation — using Swift and/or Python. You will work closely with engineering and product teams to extract user scenarios from feature descriptions and requirements, translating them into effective, comprehensive test plans. Day-to-day work spans bug detection, isolation, regression testing, and continuous investment in automation frameworks that scale with the product.

Responsibilities
Design and implement scalable automated test frameworks in Swift and/or Python targeting Final Cut Pro for iPad and related video applications
Plan, author, and maintain manual and automated test cases derived from feature specifications and user-facing requirements
Execute test plans across functional, regression, and exploratory testing cycles, ensuring thorough coverage ahead of each release
Detect, isolate, and document bugs with precision — providing clear reproduction steps, logs, and impact assessments to engineering teams
Evaluate and integrate AI/ML-driven testing approaches to improve test efficiency and coverage breadth
Collaborate with software engineers and product managers to translate feature requirements into actionable test strategies
Triage and track defects through the full software development lifecycle, driving issues to resolution
Balance multiple concurrent testing efforts and automation projects while consistently meeting strict ship deadlines
Contribute to continuous improvement of QA processes, tooling, and best practices across the VideoApps QA team

Minimum qualifications
5+ years of experience in software QA or quality engineering roles, with a strong command of testing methodologies, QA terminology, and processes
4+ years planning, designing, writing, maintaining and executing test cases manually and through automation using Swift and/or Python
3+ years testing customer-facing software applications, with a focus on functional correctness, usability, and reliability
Proven experience shipping at least one commercial or consumer product through a full release cycle
Deep expertise in software development lifecycle practices and the role QA plays at each stage
Strong bug detection, isolation, and regression skills — able to identify root causes and articulate impact clearly
Demonstrated ability to extract meaningful user scenarios from feature descriptions and requirements and translate them into effective, maintainable test plans
Track record of managing multiple simultaneous testing efforts and meeting non-negotiable release deadlines without sacrificing quality
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or we may consider an equivalent industry experience

Preferred qualifications
Hands-on experience writing test automation using Swift and/or Python in a professional setting
Familiarity with video technologies, codecs, or media pipelines relevant to editing and playback applications
Experience testing creative or media-focused applications such as video editors, DAWs, or content creation tools
Proficiency with Xcode, Instruments, or Apple platform debugging tools for diagnosing and reproducing issues
Skilled in building and maintaining CI/CD-integrated test pipelines that catch regressions early in the development cycle
Background in contributing to or owning QA tooling and internal test infrastructure improvements