Lead QA Engineer (Hands-on Automation).
Hybrid mode - 3 days onsite a week - Irvine, CA.
Mandatory Skills - BeagleTest, Hands-on scripting (Java/Python), Selenium/Playwright & API Automation, Test Automation Architecture & Framework Design, CI/CD, DevOps & Agile QA Practices
Duration - 12+ months, long-term,
Experience
8+ years of experience in Software Quality Assurance and Test Automation.
2+ years of experience leading QA teams or driving QA initiatives.
Proven experience working as a hands-on automation engineer while leading technical efforts.
Required Skills
Strong experience in automation requirement gathering and solution design
Demonstrated expertise in full-stack quality assurance and test engineering
Experience in architecting test automation solutions for enterprise applications (web, SOA, ETL, backend)
Strong leadership and supervisory skills with the ability to manage teams and drive cross-functional alignment
Proven experience in leading discussions with Development and Production teams, including defect triage and release decisions
Proficiency with open-source automation tools: Selenium, Playwright, Cucumber, REST Assured, Postman, SOAP UI
Expertise in automation frameworks: Keyword-driven, Data-driven, Hybrid, BDD, TDD
Programming skills: Java, Python, C#, Groovy
Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices: Jenkins, Docker, Maven, Gradle
Hands-on experience with cloud platforms and monitoring tools: AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Grafana, Kibana, Elasticsearch
Expertise in QA tools: Selenium WebDriver, Jira, TestNG, Appium, HP ALM, JBehave
Strong ability to: Manage sprint-based testing cycles, Drive automation maturity and scalability, Quickly learn new technologies and drive innovation, Deep understanding of Agile QA methodologies and best practices
Key Job Functions / Requirements
Lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-level test automation architecture and frameworks
Supervise, mentor, and manage a team of QA engineers, ensuring high performance, skill growth, and accountability
Own and drive end-to-end quality strategy, including functional, integration, E2E, performance, and automation testing
Lead technical discussions and decision-making with Development teams to ensure testability, quality standards, and defect prevention
Act as the primary QA point of contact for Production/Operations teams, driving: Production defect analysis and root cause identification, Feedback loop into QA and Development, Continuous improvement in production stability
Develop test tools, test beds, data mock-ups, and other test infrastructure to enable continuous testing and integration
Drive implementation of advanced automation practices in an Agile/Scrum environment (BDD/TDD, shift-left testing)
Research tool capabilities and integrate with other technologies by coding interfaces, custom functions, and reusable components
Work with multiple teams to drive continuous improvement initiatives and ensure successful adoption
Conduct automation code reviews to ensure quality, scalability, and adherence to best practices
Collaborate with Product and Development teams for requirement clarification, estimation, and test strategy design
Establish and maintain a Behavior/Test-Driven Development culture
Support refactoring of legacy code to improve testability and automation coverage
Provide oversight on test infrastructure, environments, and test data management
Own Release Automation & Deployment Automation across multiple environments
Lead release readiness discussions and ensure quality gates are met before production deployments
Collect and analyze test metrics, provide insights, and make recommendations to stakeholders
Drive usage of monitoring tools, log aggregation, dashboards, and analytics to ensure operational excellence
Provide technical guidance on automation, performance, scalability, security, and testing design
Lead stakeholder communications, providing clear updates on quality status, risks, and mitigation plans
Ensure strong collaboration across QA, Development, Product, and Production teams for seamless delivery
