Lead Software Test Automation Architect

Apply now: Lead Software Test Automation Architect, Hybrid (Houston / Coppell, TX). Start date is ASAP for this 6-month Contract-to-Hire position.

Job Title: Lead Software Test Automation Architect
Location-Type: Hybrid - Houston / Coppell, TX 2 days onsite
Start Date: ASAP
Duration: Contract-to-Hire, 6 months
Compensation Range: $55-66.00/hr
Benefits: Eligible for Health, Dental, Vision, and 401K
Visa Sponsorship: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Job Description:
The client is seeking a Lead Software Test Automation Architect to define and own an enterprise-grade test automation strategy across UI, API, data, and platform layers while evolving quality engineering capabilities to support Agentic AI and LLM-based systems.

Job Summary
Define and own the test automation architecture and multi-layer strategy (UI, API, contract, integration, and end-to-end), aligned to product risk and release cadence.
Design and implement testing approaches for non-deterministic AI outputs, including confidence-based assertions, semantic similarity checks, hallucination detection, and regression detection across model and prompt versions.
Build and scale high-throughput automation programs that are reliable, fast, and easy to extend, with a focus on reducing flaky tests and optimizing CI/CD pipelines.
Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines with quality gates including PR checks, nightly suites, and release readiness criteria.
Establish automation standards, patterns, and reference implementations covering framework structure, test data strategy, and engineering-friendly quality dashboards.
Partner with ML/AI, Product, and Engineering teams to define acceptance criteria and measurable quality gates for AI capabilities.
Serve as the quality engineering technical authority, leading design reviews, coaching engineers on automation best practices, and influencing delivery roadmaps.

Minimum Requirements:
8-12 years in Quality Engineering and Test Automation with architect-level ownership of frameworks and strategy.
Hands-on expertise with Playwright and TypeScript as primary automation tooling.
3-5 years of experience defining and owning test automation architecture at an enterprise or platform level.
Proven experience designing and building agentic AI testing capabilities, including working with or testing AI agents, evaluation harnesses, and benchmark datasets.
Strong programming skills in at least one modern language, such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, Python, or C#.
Experience integrating automation into CI/CD platforms such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or Azure DevOps.

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience testing LLM or Agentic AI features including semantic scoring, prompt regression strategies, and structured evaluation reports.
Familiarity with modern quality approaches including test pyramid, contract testing, consumer-driven contracts, risk-based testing, and shift-left practices.
Knowledge of security and performance testing integration.
Experience building reusable automation libraries shared across multiple teams or products.
Proficiency in Python as a secondary scripting or automation language.