Test Lead

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior QA Engineer / QA Lead with 9-15 years of experience in Software Quality Assurance, encompassing both Manual Testing and Automation Testing using Selenium. The ideal candidate will be responsible for defining test strategies, designing and executing comprehensive test plans, building scalable automation frameworks, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality software products.

The candidate should possess strong expertise in Functional Testing, Regression Testing, API Testing, Test Automation Frameworks, Agile methodologies, and Test Management. Experience leading QA teams, mentoring junior testers, and collaborating with cross-functional teams is highly desirable.

Roles & Responsibilities

Test Planning & Strategy

• Analyze business and functional requirements to create comprehensive test strategies and test plans.
• Define testing scope, test objectives, test approach, and quality metrics.
• Participate in requirement reviews and provide quality assurance recommendations.
• Estimate testing efforts and provide project timelines.

Manual Testing

• Design, develop, and execute detailed test cases, test scenarios, and test scripts.
• Perform Functional, Integration, System, End-to-End, Regression, Smoke, Sanity, and UAT testing.
• Identify, document, track, and verify defects using defect management tools.
• Validate business workflows and ensure adherence to requirements.
• Conduct exploratory testing to identify critical issues.

Automation Testing

• Design, develop, and maintain automation frameworks using Selenium WebDriver.
• Create reusable automation scripts using Java/Python/C#.
• Automate regression and smoke test suites to improve testing efficiency.
• Integrate automation suites with CI/CD pipelines.
• Perform automation code reviews and ensure coding standards are followed.
• Analyze automation execution results and generate reports.

API & Database Testing

• Validate REST and SOAP APIs using tools such as Postman, Rest Assured, or similar.
• Verify backend data integrity through SQL queries and database validation.
• Ensure proper integration between frontend, backend, and third-party systems.

Agile & Collaboration

• Participate in Agile ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Backlog Grooming, and Retrospectives.
• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Developers, Business Analysts, and DevOps teams.
• Review requirements and identify testability concerns early in the SDLC.

Leadership & Mentoring

• Lead QA initiatives across multiple projects.
• Mentor junior QA engineers and automation testers.
• Establish QA best practices, standards, and testing processes.
• Drive continuous improvement in testing methodologies and automation coverage.

Reporting & Quality Metrics

• Prepare and present test execution reports, defect metrics, and quality dashboards.
• Monitor test coverage, defect leakage, and automation effectiveness.
• Provide regular status updates to stakeholders and management.

Mandatory Skills

Testing Expertise

• 9-15 years of experience in Software Testing and Quality Assurance.
• Strong experience in both Manual Testing and Automation Testing.
• Extensive knowledge of SDLC, STLC, and defect lifecycle management.
• Expertise in Functional, Regression, Integration, System, Smoke, Sanity, and UAT testing.

Selenium Automation

• Strong hands-on experience with Selenium WebDriver.
• Experience developing automation frameworks from scratch.
• Expertise in TestNG/JUnit/NUnit.
• Strong scripting/programming skills in Java, Python, or C#.
• Experience implementing Data-Driven, Keyword-Driven, Hybrid, and Page Object Model (POM) frameworks.

API Testing

• Hands-on experience in API testing using Postman, Rest Assured, SoapUI, or equivalent tools.
• Strong understanding of RESTful services, JSON, XML, and API validation techniques.

Database Testing

• Strong SQL knowledge with hands-on experience in database validation and backend testing.
• Experience working with Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, or similar databases.

Test Management & Defect Tracking

• Experience with JIRA, Azure DevOps, ALM/Quality Center, or similar tools.
• Ability to manage test artifacts, defect reports, and testing documentation.

CI/CD & Version Control

• Experience integrating automation suites with Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Bamboo, or Azure DevOps pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with Git, GitHub, Bitbucket, or SVN.

Agile Methodology

• Strong experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Understanding of DevOps and Continuous Testing practices.

Leadership

• Experience leading QA teams and coordinating testing activities across multiple projects.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with BDD frameworks such as Cucumber or SpecFlow.
• Experience with Playwright, Cypress, or Appium.
• Exposure to performance testing tools such as JMeter or LoadRunner.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience testing Microservices-based architectures.
• Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes environments.
• Knowledge of security testing concepts and OWASP guidelines.
• Experience in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance (BFSI), Healthcare, Retail, Telecom, or E-commerce domains.
• Exposure to AI-assisted testing tools and test automation platforms.
• ISTQB Certification or equivalent QA certifications.
• Experience with Test Automation Framework Architecture and Governance.

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field.
• Relevant certifications in Selenium, ISTQB, Agile, or Automation Testing will be an added advantage.

Key Competencies

• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.
• Leadership and team mentoring abilities.
• Attention to detail and quality mindset.
• Ability to work in fast-paced Agile environments.
• Strong ownership and accountability.