Automation Lead

Role & responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of scalable test automation solutions.
• Define the overall test automation strategy, framework architecture, standards, and roadmap across applications and platforms.
• Build and enhance reusable automation frameworks for web, mobile, API, database, and integration testing.
• Identify suitable test scenarios for automation and continuously improve automation coverage and effectiveness.
• Develop, review, and maintain automated test scripts using tools such as Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Appium, Java, Python, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous quality validation.
• Collaborate with developers, product managers, business analysts, DevOps engineers, and QA teams throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Define and monitor quality metrics, automation coverage, test execution results, defect trends, and automation ROI.
• Lead functional, regression, integration, API, performance, and end-to-end automation testing activities.
• Investigate test failures, identify root causes, and work with engineering teams to resolve quality issues.
• Establish best practices for test data management, environment management, reporting, logging, and test execution.
• Evaluate and introduce new automation tools, frameworks, and technologies to improve testing efficiency.
• Ensure automation solutions are reliable, maintainable, scalable, and aligned with engineering standards.
• Conduct code reviews and provide technical guidance and mentorship to automation engineers and QA professionals.
• Plan and manage automation deliverables, timelines, resources, and dependencies across multiple projects.
• Support release planning and provide quality assessments and risk insights to project and engineering leadership.
• Promote shift-left testing, continuous testing, DevOps, and quality engineering practices across development teams.

Preferred candidate profile

• 5 to 10 years of experience in software testing, test automation, quality engineering, or QA, including experience leading automation initiatives or teams.
• Strong hands-on experience designing and developing automation frameworks for web, mobile, API, and/or backend applications.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript.
• Strong experience with automation tools such as Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Appium, TestNG, JUnit, Cucumber, or Robot Framework.
• Strong understanding of API testing, REST/SOAP services, database testing, integration testing, regression testing, and end-to-end testing.
• Experience integrating automated tests with CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, or similar tools.
• Strong knowledge of Git, version control, Agile/Scrum, DevOps, and software development lifecycle processes.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/Azure/GCP, or cloud-based testing environments is desirable.
• Strong understanding of automation framework patterns, test architecture, maintainability, scalability, and reusable test components.
• Experience defining test automation strategy, coverage metrics, quality KPIs, and automation ROI.
• Knowledge of performance and load testing tools such as JMeter, LoadRunner, or Gatling is an advantage.
• Experience troubleshooting automation failures and performing root-cause analysis.
• Strong analytical, debugging, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and technically guiding QA/automation engineers.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to work effectively with engineering, product, DevOps, and business teams.
• Ability to evaluate new testing technologies and drive continuous improvement in quality engineering and test automation.
• Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Relevant certifications such as ISTQB, Selenium, cloud, DevOps, or automation-testing certifications are an advantage.