QA Automation Lead

Job Title: QA Automation Lead

Location: Durham, NC (Hybrid)

Department: 12+ Months

Employment Type: W2 Only (No C2C / 1099)

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced QA Automation Lead to drive the automation strategy and execution across our software development lifecycle. The ideal candidate will lead a team of QA engineers, design robust automation frameworks, and ensure the delivery of high-quality software products through continuous testing and integration. This role requires strong technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and a passion for quality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable test automation frameworks for web, mobile, and API testing.
• Define and implement QA automation strategies aligned with business and technical goals.
• Collaborate with development, DevOps, and product teams to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Oversee test planning, scripting, execution, and reporting for functional, regression, performance, and security testing.
• Mentor and guide QA engineers in automation best practices, tools, and technologies.
• Ensure test coverage and traceability across user stories, requirements, and defects.
• Analyze test results, identify root causes, and drive continuous improvement in test processes.
• Maintain documentation for automation frameworks, test cases, and QA processes.
• Evaluate and recommend new tools and technologies to enhance automation capabilities.
• Report QA metrics, risks, and progress to stakeholders and leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in QA automation, with hands-on experience in a lead or senior role.
• Strong proficiency in automation tools such as Selenium, TestNG, JUnit, Postman, RestAssured, or similar.
• Experience with programming languages like Java, Python, or JavaScript.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI), version control (Git), and project tracking tools (JIRA).
• Experience with JavaScript development and front-end testing frameworks (e.g., Cypress, Playwright).
• Solid understanding of REST APIs and experience in API testing.
• Experience deploying and testing applications on cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with OpenAPI/Swagger specifications for API documentation and testing.
• Exposure to performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, Gatling).
• Knowledge of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• ISTQB or equivalent QA certification.