---
title: 'Junior Test Engineer (DEA) at Hatch IT'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/junior-test-engineer-dea-hatch-it-arlington-84mb18zj7ykx'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-05'
---

# Junior Test Engineer (DEA) at Hatch IT

- **Company:** Hatch IT
- **Location:** Arlington, VA
- **Compensation:** $79k–$80k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-11-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/hatchit/c7526aee-ba04-4e5a-9cce-b79e294feb97

## Job description

hatch I.T. is partnering with Expression to find a Senior DevOps Engineer. See details below: About The Role: Expression is seeking an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to support the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Federal Spectrum Data Systems (FSDS) program within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The FSDS program supports the modernization of federal spectrum management systems through improved technology, automation, data integration, and interoperability. These systems help NTIA manage federal spectrum use and support essential government missions. As the DevOps lead for the program, you will design, implement, and maintain secure cloud infrastructure and delivery pipelines supporting applications, data services, and analytics across Azure Commercial, Government, and Secret cloud environments. You will work closely with government stakeholders, software engineers, system administrators, data engineers, and security personnel to move capabilities into production and keep them secure, reliable, and maintainable. We’re looking for someone who can own the work from infrastructure code through production deployment and leave behind automation and documentation the team can depend on. You will also help newer engineers grow their skills and set the standard for how DevOps work gets done on the program.

Location and Clearance: Clearance: Active Secret clearance or higher is required Location: Washington, DC (3 days/week on-site). About the Company: Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Washington DC, Expression provides data fusion, data analytics, software engineering, information technology, and electromagnetic spectrum management solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of State, and national security community. Expression’s “Perpetual Innovation” culture focuses on creating immediate and sustainable value for their clients via agile delivery of tailored solutions built through constant engagement with their clients. Expression was ranked #1 on the Washington Technology 2018's Fast 50 list of fastest growing small business Government contractors and a Top 20 Big Data Solutions Provider by CIO Review.

Responsibilities:

- Support the design and execution of functional test cases for Pega applications by following established testing guidelines and workflows.
- Work closely with developers, business analysts, and senior QA team members to understand requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
- Assist with validating system functionality against documented requirements to confirm expected system behavior.
- Execute functional and regression tests and accurately document test results.
- Help identify and document software defects and collaborate with engineering teams to follow issues through resolution and retesting.
- Participate in test-planning activities by providing input on test scope and helping estimate testing effort under guidance.
- Maintain and update test documentation, including regression test cases, test results, testing checklists, and supporting QA artifacts.
- Support User Acceptance Testing and other system validation activities as assigned.
- Participate in Agile ceremonies, including stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
- Support testing throughout development iterations and help ensure testing activities align with sprint requirements.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to promote quality standards throughout the software development lifecycle.
- Review and analyze test results and escalate potential risks, defects, or issues to senior QA team members for evaluation.
- Assist with testing system workflows, integrations, and user-facing functionality.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in computer science or related fields and 1 year of professional experience.
- Exposure to or foundational understanding of Pega testing concepts or Pega functional testing tools through coursework, training, internships, or professional experience.
- Basic understanding of Quality Assurance principles, including test-case creation, defect reporting, functional testing, and regression testing.
- Ability to read and interpret requirements or user stories and translate them into clear test steps.
- Familiarity with Agile development methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban through coursework, internships, or previous roles.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to clearly document issues, defects, test results, and testing outcomes.
- Experience with or knowledge of common test-management or defect-tracking tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Pega certification, such as CSA, CSSA, or another applicable entry-level certification.
- Exposure to automated testing tools for Pega applications, such as PegaUnit or Selenium for Pega UI.
- Familiarity with Agile-focused testing methodologies, including Scrum, SAFe, or hybrid environments.
- Interest in or basic exposure to test-automation or hybrid-testing frameworks.
- Awareness of CI/CD concepts and how software testing integrates into automated delivery pipelines.
- Exposure to testing Federal Government or other complex enterprise applications.

Benefits: Expression offers competitive salaries and benefits, such as: 401k matching PPO and HDHP medical/dental/vision insurance Education reimbursement Complimentary life insurance Generous PTO and holiday leave Onsite office gym access Commuter Benefits Plan

## About Hatch IT

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Hatch I.T. is a specialized tech recruiting partner that connects mission-driven startups with engineering, data, and product talent through flexible hiring models.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Bootstrapped)
- **Headquarters**: Tysons, Virginia, United States
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Tim Winkler (Founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Staffing and Recruiting, with a focus on technology roles for startups in defense, healthcare, AI, cybersecurity, and space.
- Target customers: B2B – early-stage and high-growth startups, especially those with a national security, healthcare, or dual-use mission.
- Mission or purpose statement: "Where talent meets mission" – connecting companies with skilled talent who are deeply aligned with the company’s mission and values.

## Products & Services
- **RPO / Embedded Recruiting**: Dedicated recruiters embedded in the client’s culture, managing full-cycle hiring from sourcing to onboarding.
- **Contingency Hiring**: Pay-only-when-you-hire model for hard-to-fill roles.
- **Contract-to-Hire**: Evaluate talent on the job before committing to a full-time hire.
- **Executive Search**: Finding leadership for mission-driven startups.
- **Scale**: Technical consulting and recruiting services for high-growth startups.
- **Stride**: Technical strategy and consulting for early-stage startups.
- **hatchpad**: An online community platform for startup technologists to network, learn, and advance their careers.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available (no disclosed funding rounds).
- **Key Metric**: 20 employees (down 12% YoY); 94% 1-year retention rate; 28 days average time to hire.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: No external investors identified. Partners include startups across defense, healthcare, and cyber sectors.
- **Growth Signals**: Active hiring for 5+ roles (Senior Data Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, etc.) with a 25% monthly increase in job postings; expanding remote/hybrid options; offices in the US and distributed team across 6 countries.

## Competitive Advantages
- Specialized focus on mission-driven startups (defense, national security, healthcare, AI) – a niche that traditional staffing firms often overlook.
- Flexible pricing and engagement models (contingency, contract-to-hire, RPO) tailored to startup budgets.
- High retention rates (94%) and fast hiring cycles (28 days) demonstrate effective matching.
- Proprietary community (hatchpad) and content (The Hatch Pad newsletter) to attract and engage technologists.

## Strategic Focus
- Deepen partnerships within defense, healthcare, AI, and cybersecurity verticals.
- Scale the hatchpad community to become a go-to resource for startup technologists.
- Maintain a distributed remote/hybrid workforce to access talent globally while supporting clients primarily in the Washington D.C. metro area.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasis on mission alignment, relational (not transactional) approach, and collaborative small-team environment.
- **Work Policy**: Hybrid and remote roles available depending on position; some on-site roles in Washington, DC, Arlington, VA, Reston, VA, and Somerville, MA.
- **Perks & Engineering Culture**: Not extensively documented, but employee reviews on LinkedIn rate Work-Life, Compensation, and Culture all at 5.0/5.0 (3 reviews). The company invests in professional community through hatchpad.
- **Team**: Small (20–25 employees), with a high proportion of HR and recruiting specialists. Distributed across the US, South Africa, Canada, Romania, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

## Sources
1. [hatchit.io](https://www.hatchit.io/)
2. [LinkedIn - hatch I.T.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hatch-it)
3. [Built In - hatch I.T.](https://builtin.com/company/hatch-it)
4. [Lever careers page - Hatch IT](https://jobs.lever.co/hatchit)
5. [The Org - hatch IT](https://theorg.com/org/hatch-it)

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