QA Automation Lead
Role Summary
We are seeking a **high-impact Automation Test Lead** to drive **end-to-end test automation strategy, delivery, and innovation** for complex enterprise applications. This is a **client-facing, onshore leadership role in Orlando**, requiring a **hands-on technical leader** who can **own automation outcomes**, influence stakeholders, and continuously improve quality engineering practices. The ideal candidate is a **thought leader** who challenges the status quo, establishes modern automation standards, and introduces **AI-enabled automation** to increase productivity and enhance deliverable quality.
Key Responsibilities
Own and drive the **automation vision, roadmap, and delivery strategy** across UI and API layers, aligned to business goals and release timelines
Act as a **thought leader**: identify bottlenecks, propose new ways of working, and introduce innovative quality engineering practices to improve speed, stability, and coverage
Define and enforce **automation standards** (framework design, coding guidelines, reusable components, reporting, and governance)
Lead development and maintenance of robust **UFT automation suites** for functional/regression coverage, including stability improvements, execution reliability, and maintainability
Design and implement modern **Playwright automation** (web) with scalable architecture patterns to improve execution speed and reliability
Ensure automation is designed for **reusability, traceability, and business-critical coverage**, including strong failure triage and quick turnaround on stabilization
Own API test strategy and implementation using **Postman** (including scripting/collections, automation enablement, and integration into pipelines)
Establish API quality gates (contract checks, response validation, negative testing, and regression packs) and integrate results into dashboards and stakeholder reporting
Drive adoption of **AI-assisted automation** to reduce manual effort, accelerate scripting, and improve maintainability-e.g., **GitHub Copilot-assisted scripting** and AI-enabled approaches for test generation/maintenance
Build a measurable innovation backlog and report outcomes (e.g., execution speed, maintenance reduction, coverage uplift)
Integrate automation suites into CI/CD using tools such as **Azure DevOps/Jenkins**, ensuring repeatable runs, stable pipelines, and actionable reporting
Define automation entry/exit criteria, enforce quality gates, and ensure release readiness signals are clear for leadership decisions
Serve as the **onshore automation lead** interfacing with client stakeholders; communicate strategy, risks, progress, and outcomes clearly and confidently
Lead in a **hybrid onshore-offshore model**: plan work, delegate effectively, remove blockers, and ensure delivery commitments are met with high quality
Provide governance: weekly status, risk/dependency management, escalations, and continuous improvements across the automation function
Required Skills & Experience
9+ years** in QA/Test Automation with **3+ years** in a lead role driving automation delivery and stakeholder communication
Strong hands-on expertise in: **UFT (Unified Functional Testing)** and automation framework practices, **Postman** for API testing and scripting/automation enablement, **Playwright** (preferred for modern web automation) with structured framework design
Experience integrating automation into **CI/CD** and version control (e.g., **Azure DevOps/Jenkins, Git)**
Strong defect triage, root-cause mindset, and ability to stabilize flaky suites and improve reliability
Excellent communication and client-facing skills; ability to influence without authority and drive outcomes
Nice-to-Have
AI/GenAI exposure in automation (e.g., Copilot-assisted scripting, AI-assisted test generation/maintenance, intelligent automation concepts)
Experience in large-scale enterprise environments with distributed teams and multiple releases running in parallel
Retail/POS/domain experience (if applicable to the engagement)