How To Become A Staff Test Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a staff test engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Are you interested in a position that offers development opportunities and a career that ensures quality for each product? If you are someone who wants to be involved throughout the entire development life cycle or products, then working as a staff test engineer might just be the perfect career for you. It is a rewarding job where you get to work with experienced people like the product manager and the stakeholders and provides product delivery to clients.

The main responsibility of staff test engineers includes monitoring technicians and QA engineers, achieving the capability to set the appropriate test plans or requirements, and helping the entire digital output testing systems. They also lead the evaluation of product test parameters with equipment measurements. And oftentimes, they collaborate with other engineering teams to explain and execute testability requirements.

Most employers require applicants to have at least a bachelor's degree and relevant work experience. Advanced degrees like Masters's and a Ph.D. can be advantageous when seeking a job with a larger company.

ScoreStaff Test EngineerUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $115,935

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.1

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 16.45%

male 83.55%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a staff test engineer

Explore staff test engineer education requirements

Most common staff test engineer degrees

Bachelor's

69.3 %

Master's

15.2 %

Associate

9.7 %

Start to develop specific staff test engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
C++	8.54%
Data Analysis	7.63%
Test Results	5.25%
RF	5.02%
Test Equipment	4.84%

Complete relevant staff test engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff test engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff test engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff test engineer resumes.

Research staff test engineer duties and responsibilities

Construct and manage a complete VMware environment for testing multiple Openstack instances of different configurations.
Conduct subsystem / system level payload digital / rf testing of major communications satellite programs.
Log bugs find during test execution and determine root cause using Microsoft Windbg debugging tool.
Execute debugging and verify analog, digital test circuits using oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzer, and logic analyzer.

Prepare your staff test engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff test engineer resume.

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