Quality Engineer - Test Automation

Position Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Staff / Senior Staff Quality Engineer to provide technical leadership for quality engineering across complex, enterprise-scale applications. The role combines test strategy, advanced Playwright-based automation, API and database validation, exploratory testing, and release-quality ownership. The successful candidate will partner with Engineering, Product, and other stakeholders to identify risks early, improve testability, increase automation effectiveness, and provide evidence-based release recommendations. This is an individual-contributor leadership role requiring strong technical depth, sound judgment, and the ability to mentor engineers and influence quality practices across teams.

Key Responsibilities

       Own the quality strategy for assigned products and releases, translating business and technical requirements into risk-based test plans, coverage models, and acceptance criteria.

       Design, develop, review, and maintain scalable automated tests using Playwright and TestCraft (internal tool); contribute to framework architecture, coding standards, reusable components, and reliable execution.

       Build and maintain end-to-end, integration, regression, and data-validation coverage for complex enterprise workflows.

       Perform hands-on manual and exploratory testing where automation is not appropriate, with emphasis on high-risk scenarios, edge cases, usability, and production-like behavior.

       Use complex SQL queries, application logs, and database logs to validate data integrity, isolate defects, and support root-cause analysis.

       Manage test data, test environments, system test plans, regression plans, defect evidence, and clear test-result documentation.

       Partner with Product, Engineering, and other stakeholders throughout the SDLC to improve requirements, testability, defect prevention, and delivery predictability.

       Provide evidence-based release readiness assessments and clear test sign-offs against agreed quality standards and acceptance criteria.

       Identify, communicate, and track risks affecting release timelines, product quality, environment readiness, or testing efficiency; recommend practical mitigation actions.

       Champion compliance, quality engineering, Agile, and SDLC practices; continuously improve automation, defect management, and performance-testing approaches.

       Mentor engineers, lead technical reviews, share knowledge, and influence quality practices across multiple teams without direct authority.

Required Skills & Qualifications

       8 10+ years of hands-on software quality engineering experience, including ownership of end-to-end testing for complex enterprise applications.

       Advanced, recent hands-on experience creating and maintaining UI automation with Playwright; this is a mandatory requirement.

       Strong programming or scripting ability applicable to test automation, including clean-code practices, debugging, code reviews, and version control.

       Demonstrated experience designing or extending automation frameworks and improving test reliability, maintainability, and execution feedback.

       Strong experience with system, integration, regression, exploratory, and end-to-end testing of web-based applications and APIs.

       Proficiency in writing complex SQL queries for backend validation, reconciliation, and data-integrity checks.

       Ability to analyze application and database logs, troubleshoot failures, and collaborate with developers on root-cause analysis.

       In-depth knowledge of QA processes, risk-based test strategy, defect lifecycle, SDLC, and Agile delivery methodologies.

       Proven technical leadership, stakeholder communication, mentoring, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

       Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document plans, results, risks, and release recommendations clearly and concisely.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Qualifications

       Experience with API automation, source control, test reporting, and automated execution in build or deployment workflows.

       Experience testing cloud-based, distributed, multi-tenant, or data-intensive enterprise platforms.

       Working knowledge of performance-testing concepts and tools, including workload design, bottleneck analysis, and result interpretation.

       Experience improving quality metrics such as escaped defects, flaky-test rate, regression duration, automation coverage, or release confidence.

Screening Checklist

       Mandatory: 8 10+ years in software QA/QE with recent, hands-on Playwright automation experience.

       Mandatory: Evidence of building or significantly enhancing an automation framework not only executing existing scripts.

       Mandatory: Ownership of test strategy, regression coverage, risk reporting, and release-readiness recommendations for complex workflows.

       Preferred evidence: API automation, CI/CD integration, enterprise-platform testing, performance testing, and measurable improvements in quality or delivery outcomes.