Senior QA Automation Lead

Job Description ***Please note: This position is onsite and not remote. Candidates must be based in the Houston area, as relocation assistance is not provided. Only individuals authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship will be considered. *** Job Title: Senior QA Automation Lead Job Type: Contract (this role is a 6-month assignment) Job Salary: $71-$73/hour (DOE) Job Schedule: M-F, 40 hrs/week Job Location: Houston, TX 77002 About the Role We are seeking a Senior QA Automation Lead to lead enterprise-level test automation and quality engineering efforts for a large-scale technology environment. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will design and build automation frameworks from the ground up, guide QA teams, and drive modernization of testing practices through automation, CI/CD integration, and AI-supported solutions. You will collaborate across Product, Development, DevOps, and Architecture teams to ensure high-quality, scalable, and reliable software delivery. Must pass a background check, drug screening, and reference check as part of onboarding. Key Responsibilities Lead and mentor QA Automation Engineers and QA teams Design, develop, and implement scalable automation frameworks Define and drive enterprise automation strategy and roadmap Build and maintain UI, API, database, and end-to-end automated test suites Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Azure DevOps, etc.) Establish automation standards, governance, and quality metrics Participate in Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, backlog grooming, etc.) Perform manual testing as needed to support coverage Analyze test results, identify risks, and drive defect resolution Implement test data strategies and support test environment management Promote shift-left testing and continuous quality practices Provide reporting on automation coverage, defects, and quality trends Requirements Required Qualifications 8+ years of Software QA experience 5+ years leading QA Automation teams Proven experience building automation frameworks from scratch Strong experience with CI/CD integration and DevOps practices Hands-on experience in Agile/Scrum environments Experience managing enterprise or multi-project automation initiatives Strong collaboration and leadership skills Technical Skills Experience with one or more automation tools: Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or Tosca Appium (preferred) Programming experience in: Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, or C# Additional expertise: UI, API, and database testing Test data management Functional, regression, integration, and system testing Git-based development CI/CD tools (Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitLab, Bamboo) Automation architecture and quality governance Preferred Qualifications Experience with AI-driven or AI-supported testing solutions Experience with enterprise-scale applications Background in large, complex environments Experience establishing automated quality gates Smarter HR Solutions LLC