Senior Automation Testing Engineer - QA

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Senior Software Test Automation Engineer, the responsibilities expand into strategic areas alongside technical expertise. The role includes designing, developing, and maintaining complex automation frameworks, scripts, and tools to ensure high software quality. Collaboration with cross-functional teams to define automation strategy is crucial, and mentoring junior engineers becomes part of the leadership expectation. Performance, security, and scalability testing are refined to align with organizational goals, and continuous integration/continuous deployment [CI/CD] processes are overseen. Proactively identifying areas for improvement and implementing best practices in testing methodologies are expected. Additionally, the role may require presenting insights and progress to stakeholders, ensuring alignment with business objectives. The senior position demands a blend of technical proficiency, strategic thinking, leadership skills, and a deep understanding of the industry's trends and emerging technologies.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Building, maintaining, and improving sophisticated automation frameworks that support various types of testing.

• Creating and running complex automated test scripts to ensure software quality across various platforms and devices.

• Defining and executing a strategic automation vision in collaboration with management and mentoring junior team members.

• Working closely with development, devops engineers, security engineers, product management, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and create effective testing strategies.

• Conducting advanced testing to ensure software meets critical performance, scalability, and security standards.

• Managing and optimizing continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines.

• Choosing, maintaining, and ensuring the best utilization of automation tools and frameworks.

• Ensuring that all testing aligns with organizational quality standards and compliance requirements.

• Creating and managing detailed documentation, including test plans, test cases, procedures, and results.

• Providing regular updates, insights, and detailed reports to stakeholders.

• Continuously optimizing and enhancing testing processes and methodologies.

• Reviewing code and test scripts of junior engineers, ensuring adherence to best practices.

• Keeping abreast of the latest industry trends, tools, and technologies, and applying innovative solutions as needed.

• If applicable, working with third-party vendors or tools, ensuring they meet organizational needs and standards.

• Ensuring that applications meet accessibility standards and provide an optimal user experience.

• Leading efforts in troubleshooting, diagnosing, and resolving complex software issues.

• Collaborating with business stakeholders to ensure that testing strategies align with broader business objectives.

• Identifying potential risks and working on mitigation strategies to minimize their impact on the project.

• Encouraging a quality-first approach within the team and organization.

• Managing and prioritizing multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Empathy and Customer Focus: Understand the importance of empathy and customer focus. Always put themselves in the shoes of the end-users, considering their needs, pain points, and expectations throughout the development process. Strive to deliver solutions that truly address customer requirements and enhance user satisfaction.

• Embrace Agile Principles: Fully understanding and internalizing Agile principles helps in adapting quickly to changes, ensuring continuous improvement, and fostering a collaborative environment.

• Invest in Continuous Learning: Regularly update skills and knowledge in test automation, programming languages, tools, and industry best practices to stay at the forefront of technology.

• Focus on Communication and Collaboration: Facilitate open communication with developers, devops engineers, UI/UX designers, security engineers, product owners, and other team members, ensuring that everyone is aligned and working towards common goals.

• Prioritize Work Effectively: Learning how to prioritize tasks and align them with sprint goals helps in managing time efficiently and delivering value consistently.

• Build and Maintain Robust Automation Frameworks: Focus on creating flexible and scalable automation frameworks that can adapt to changing requirements and facilitate quick updates to test scripts.

• Encourage a Quality-First Mindset: Cultivate a team culture where quality is everyone's responsibility, and testing is integrated throughout the development process, not just a final phase.

• Leverage the Right Tools and Technologies: Understand the tools that best fit your team's needs, from automation frameworks to CI/CD platforms, and leverage them effectively.

• Provide Mentorship and Support: Supporting and mentoring junior team members not only helps in their growth but fosters a positive and productive team environment.

• Adapt to Changes and Innovate: Being open to new ideas, adapting to changes, and innovating solutions is key to staying ahead in the fast-paced Agile environment.

• Focus on Continuous Integration and Delivery: Implementing and refining CI/CD processes enables more frequent releases and faster feedback loops, enhancing overall productivity.

• Emphasize User-Centric Testing: Aligning testing strategies with user needs and business goals ensures that testing efforts are directed towards delivering real value.

• Set Clear and Measurable Goals: Establishing clear, specific, and achievable goals helps in staying focused and measuring progress, providing motivation and direction.

• Engage in Reflective Practices: Regularly reflecting on what went well and what can be improved, and then acting on those reflections, fosters continuous growth and improvement.

• Encourage Collaboration Across Teams: Building relationships with other teams within the organization enhances understanding and alignment, leading to more coherent and efficient workflows.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.

• Years of Experience: 4 to 6 years of hands-on experience in software test automation, with a proven track record in a senior role, ideally within Agile environments.

Technical Qualifications

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, C++, or Golang, essential for creating and maintaining automation scripts.

• Deep knowledge of automation tools like Postman, Newman, Playwright, Selenium, Appium, TestNG, JMeter, K6 and frameworks like JUnit or Cucumber.

• Solid experience in Agile practices, Scrum or Kanban, with an ability to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced, iterative development environment.

• Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous delivery processes and tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI.

• Understanding of web application structure and technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

• Proficiency in SQL and relational databases, crucial for backend testing.

• Demonstrated leadership skills with experience in mentoring, coaching, and collaborating with cross - functional teams.

• Strong ability to analyze complex software systems, identify issues, and develop effective solutions.

• Comprehensive knowledge of QA methodologies, including performance, security, and usability testing.

• Certifications [Preferred but not mandatory]: Certifications like ISTQB, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or tool-specific certifications can validate specific skills and knowledge.

• Ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Understanding of user needs and business goals to align testing efforts with customer satisfaction.

• Willingness to adapt to changes, learn new tools and technologies, and innovate solutions as needed.