QA Engineer, Automation

About the Company

HealthCentral is a pioneering health experience company that operates at the intersection of media, community, and culture. Our mission is to transform clinical expertise into accessible human understanding by pairing trusted medical insights with lived experiences. We create compelling content, foster meaningful connections, and deliver engaging experiences that resonate with individuals navigating health challenges in the real world. Recognized as a Great Place To Work®, HealthCentral is committed to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and innovative environment where employees can make a tangible impact on healthcare engagement and patient empowerment.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead QA Automation Engineer to take ownership of our quality assurance processes across our web and mobile platforms, including our media websites and the Drops app. This is a hands-on leadership role designed for an experienced QA professional who can lead the automation efforts, enhance test infrastructure, and collaborate closely with engineering and product teams to ensure high-quality releases. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in automation frameworks such as Playwright, proficiency in CI/CD pipeline integration, and experience managing manual and automated testing strategies. You will play a critical role in establishing scalable QA practices, expanding test coverage, and mentoring our small but growing QA team to ensure our products meet the highest standards of quality and reliability.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional QA experience, including testing web applications
• 3+ years of experience developing and maintaining automated test suites for production environments
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with modern browser automation frameworks such as Playwright, Cypress, or Selenium (Playwright preferred)
• 1+ year of leadership experience in QA, including mentoring or managing QA testers and owning QA processes
• Proficiency in writing and maintaining automated tests using JavaScript or TypeScript
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines, preferably using GitHub Actions
• Familiarity with test case management tools like Testiny, TestRail, or Zephyr
• Experience with cross-browser and cross-device testing tools such as Sauce Labs or BrowserStack
• Strong understanding of regression, smoke, exploratory testing, and defect lifecycle management
• Excellent troubleshooting skills for failed tests and environment issues
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, product, and design teams
• Strong communication skills to articulate QA risks and coverage gaps clearly
• Self-motivated with the ability to operate independently and bring structure to a growing QA function

Responsibilities

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve automated testing pipelines for web and mobile applications, utilizing frameworks like Playwright
• Develop, update, and expand automated test coverage for critical user flows, regression areas, and high-risk functionalities
• Enhance test reliability by reducing flaky tests and optimizing automated test execution times
• Maintain and improve CI test workflows, primarily using GitHub Actions, to ensure seamless integration and deployment
• Establish standards and best practices for writing, reviewing, organizing, and maintaining automated tests
• Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure applications are designed to be testable and automation-friendly
• Investigate and troubleshoot failed test runs, identify root causes, and coordinate fixes with engineering teams
• Define and refine QA processes, including defect triage, release validation, and regression planning
• Create and implement practical QA guidelines for feature validation, release readiness, and production verification
• Manage manual QA efforts by supporting, mentoring, and coordinating activities of the existing manual tester
• Maintain organized, current, and comprehensive manual test cases aligned with product coverage goals using Testiny
• Plan for onboarding and mentoring additional QA team members as the team expands
• Work cross-functionally with product, design, and engineering teams to understand requirements, risks, and acceptance criteria
• Participate in sprint planning, feature reviews, bug triage, and release planning to ensure quality standards are met
• Support QA efforts for mobile experiences and cross-browser testing using tools like Sauce Labs or BrowserStack
• Define supported device, browser, and OS coverage, ensuring critical experiences are validated across environments

Benefits

• Competitive salary package aligned with experience and expertise
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401K retirement plan with company matching
• Generous paid time off including 21 days PTO, 6 Wellness Days, 2 Volunteer Days, and 2 Floating Holidays
• Flexible remote work culture allowing employees to work from approved locations
• Summer Fridays and extensive holiday schedule
• Supportive and inclusive company culture with opportunities for growth and development