Lead QA Automation Engineer

Job Title: Lead QA Automation Engineer
Experience: 11+ Years

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Lead QA Automation Engineer with 11+ years of expertise in software quality assurance, test automation, and test strategy. The ideal candidate will lead the QA team, design scalable automation frameworks, drive quality initiatives, mentor automation engineers, and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure high-quality software delivery. The candidate should have extensive experience in web, API, database, cloud, and CI/CD testing while promoting quality engineering best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the QA Automation team and manage end-to-end testing activities across multiple projects.
• Define QA strategy, automation roadmap, testing standards, and best practices.
• Design, develop, and maintain scalable automation frameworks using Selenium WebDriver, Playwright, Cypress, or similar tools.
• Develop automated test scripts for Web, API, Mobile, Database, and Microservices testing.
• Lead functional, regression, integration, smoke, sanity, UAT, and end-to-end testing efforts.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Developers, Business Analysts, DevOps, and Solution Architects throughout the SDLC and Agile lifecycle.
• Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Azure DevOps.
• Perform API automation using REST Assured, Postman, Karate, or similar tools.
• Validate backend systems using SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or MySQL.
• Support performance and load testing using JMeter or Gatling.
• Drive defect management, root cause analysis, and quality metrics reporting.
• Review automation code, conduct peer reviews, and ensure adherence to coding standards.
• Mentor QA engineers, conduct technical training, and guide team members in automation best practices.
• Estimate testing efforts, allocate tasks, and provide project status updates to stakeholders.
• Ensure quality gates are met before production deployments.
• Participate in release planning, sprint planning, retrospectives, and production validation.

Required Technical Skills

• 11+ years of experience in Software Testing and QA Automation.
• Strong expertise in Selenium WebDriver, Playwright, Cypress, or Appium.
• Hands-on programming experience in Java, Python, or C#.
• Experience with TestNG, JUnit, NUnit, Cucumber (BDD), or SpecFlow.
• API testing using REST Assured, Postman, SoapUI, or Karate.
• Strong SQL skills with Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB.
• Experience testing RESTful APIs, Microservices, Kafka, and Event-driven architectures.
• CI/CD tools: Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI.
• Version control using Git, Bitbucket, or SVN.
• Agile methodologies including Scrum and Kanban.
• Test Management tools such as JIRA, Azure DevOps, TestRail, Zephyr, or ALM.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes environments.
• Cloud testing experience in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong understanding of SDLC, STLC, defect lifecycle, and risk-based testing.

Preferred Skills

• Salesforce testing and automation.
• Mobile automation using Appium.
• Performance testing with JMeter or LoadRunner.
• Security testing fundamentals.
• Accessibility and Cross-browser testing.
• AI-assisted testing tools and intelligent automation.
• Experience with Service Virtualization.
• Exposure to Data Validation and ETL testing.
• Experience with enterprise applications and distributed systems.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of QA Automation Engineers.
• Define automation strategy and quality engineering standards.
• Review automation architecture and framework design.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and leadership for project planning.
• Conduct performance reviews and technical mentoring.
• Manage QA deliverables, timelines, and resource planning.
• Ensure automation coverage and maintain quality metrics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor''s or Master''s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field.
• ISTQB or equivalent QA certification is preferred.
• Certifications in Selenium, Playwright, AWS, Azure, or DevOps are a plus.

Key Competencies

• Test Automation Framework Development
• Quality Engineering Leadership
• Selenium WebDriver
• Playwright
• Cypress
• Appium
• Java
• Python
• C#
• TestNG
• JUnit
• Cucumber BDD
• REST Assured
• Postman
• API Automation
• SQL
• Oracle
• PostgreSQL
• SQL Server
• Jenkins
• GitHub Actions
• Azure DevOps
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• AWS
• Azure
• Google Cloud Platform
• Microservices Testing
• Kafka
• Agile Scrum
• JIRA
• TestRail
• Performance Testing
• CI/CD
• Leadership
• Team Management
• Release Management
• Stakeholder Communication