Lead QA Automation Engineer

Lead QA Automation EngineerPosition: Lead QA Automation EngineerLocation: Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920Job Type: 12 months contractWork Arrangement: On-site RoleInterview Process: 2 rounds of video interviewsKey Responsibilities:Quality Strategy & LeadershipDefine and implement enterprise-level Quality Engineering strategy across multiple applications and programsEstablish best practices for test automation, CI/CD integration, and shift-left quality engineeringDrive adoption of AI-augmented testing (Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Agentic Testing) across teamsAct as quality gatekeeper — ensuring zero-defect leakage into productionTechnical Leadership & ArchitectureDesign and oversee scalable, reusable automation frameworks (UI, API, E2E)Lead transition from legacy frameworks to next-gen architectures — Playwright, Serenity BDD, MCP-based systemsDefine test architecture standards, coding practices, and framework governanceEstablish robust test data strategies including synthetic and AI-generated datasetsAgile Delivery & Program OwnershipOwn QA delivery across multiple Agile teams or Agile Release Trains (ARTs)Ensure timely completion of functional, regression, and integration test cyclesProactively identify and manage risks, dependencies, and delivery bottlenecksProvide clear, data-driven quality metrics and release readiness updates to leadershipTeam Mentorship & CollaborationMentor and guide QA engineers in manual, automation, and AI-driven testing practicesConduct code reviews, test design reviews, and enforce engineering excellenceCollaborate with developers, product owners, architects, and business stakeholders for early quality engagementFoster a strong quality-first culture within the teamAdvanced Testing & Defect ManagementOversee E2E, API, system integration, and regression testing strategiesLead Sev-1/Sev-2 incident management, root cause analysis, and preventive quality measuresDrive continuous improvement through defect trend analysis and test coverage optimizationAI-Augmented EngineeringLead adoption of AI-powered test generation and optimization toolsImplement self-healing automation frameworks and intelligent test maintenanceEstablish processes for leveraging AI in test case design, debugging, and productivity enhancementRequired Skills & QualificationsCore Technical Skills8+ years of QA experience with proven leadership across large-scale or multi-team telecom programsDeep expertise in Selenium with Java and modern tools like PlaywrightStrong experience designing and maintaining enterprise automation frameworksExpertise in E2E, integration, and API testing (REST Assured, Postman)Extensive experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, GitHub Actions) for release gatingAdvanced knowledge of Test Data Management (TDM) including synthetic data strategiesHands-on experience with AI tools (Gemini, GitHub Copilot) in engineering workflowsAbility to define and track KPIs — defect density, leakage, test coverage, and execution healthDomain & Preferred SkillsTelecom domain experience (OSS/BSS, revenue workflow validation) strongly preferredDeep understanding of Agile/SAFe frameworks and Agile Release Trains (ART)Knowledge of service assurance, incident management, and network inventory systems (LFIM, CND)Familiarity with field service tools — Optix Dispatch, VzOT, Tech360Experience with TestNG, Cucumber, Serenity BDD test frameworksEducationBachelor's degree in computer science / engineering or equivalent practical experience.