Automation Test Lead

We are seeking a high-impact Automation Test Lead to drive end-to-end test automation strategy, delivery, and innovation for complex enterprise applications. This is a client-facing, onshore leadership role in Orlando, requiring a hands-on technical leader who can own automation outcomes, influence stakeholders, and continuously improve quality engineering practices. The ideal candidate is a thought leader who challenges the status quo, establishes modern automation standards, and introduces AI-enabled automation to increase productivity and enhance deliverable quality Key Responsibilities: Automation Strategy & Thought Leadership: Own and drive the automation vision, roadmap, and delivery strategy across UI and API layers, aligned to business goals and release timelines Act as a thought leader: identify bottlenecks, propose new ways of working, and introduce innovative quality engineering practices to improve speed, stability, and coverage Define and enforce automation standards (framework design, coding guidelines, reusable components, reporting, and governance). Automation Engineering (UFT + Playwright): Lead development and maintenance of robust UFT automation suites for functional/regression coverage, including stability improvements, execution reliability, and maintainability. Design and implement modern Playwright automation (web) with scalable architecture patterns to improve execution speed and reliability. Ensure automation is designed for reusability, traceability, and business-critical coverage, including strong failure triage and quick turnaround on stabilization API Automation (Postman Scripting): Own API test strategy and implementation using Postman (including scripting/collections, automation enablement, and integration into pipelines). Establish API quality gates (contract checks, response validation, negative testing, and regression packs) and integrate results into dashboards and stakeholder reporting. AI / GenAI Enablement (Productivity + Quality): Introduce AI-assisted automation to reduce manual effort, accelerate scripting, and improve maintainability - e.g., GitHub Copilot-assisted scripting and AI-enabled approaches for test generation/maintenance Drive adoption of AI-enabled toolchains (e.g., Playwright + MCP-style integrations where applicable) to modernize automation and increase delivery throughput. Build a measurable innovation backlog and report outcomes (e.g., execution speed, maintenance reduction, coverage uplift). CI/CD Integration & Quality Gates: Integrate automation suites into CI/CD using tools such as Azure DevOps/Jenkins, ensuring repeatable runs, stable pipelines, and actionable reporting. Define automation entry/exit criteria, enforce "quality gates," and ensure release readiness signals are clear for leadership decisions Client Leadership & Onsite-Offshore Delivery: Serve as the onshore automation lead interfacing with client stakeholders; communicate strategy, risks, progress, and outcomes clearly and confidently. Lead in a hybrid onshore-offshore model: plan work, delegate effectively, remove blockers, and ensure delivery commitments are met with high quality. Provide governance: weekly status, risk/dependency management, escalations, and continuous improvements across the automation function Required Skills & Experience: 9+ years in QA/Test Automation with 3+ years in a lead role driving automation delivery and stakeholder communication UFT (Unified Functional Testing) and automation framework practices Postman for API testing and scripting/automation enablement Playwright (preferred for modern web automation) with structured framework design Experience integrating automation into CI/CD and version control (e.g., Azure DevOps/Jenkins, Git) Strong defect triage, root-cause mindset, and ability to stabilize flaky suites and improve reliability Excellent communication and client-facing skills; ability to influence without authority and drive outcomes. Preferred / Nice-to-Have: Experience in large-scale enterprise environments with distributed teams and multiple releases running in parallel. Retail/POS/domain experience (if applicable to the engagement) The pay range that the employer in good faith reasonably expects to pay for this position is $38.37/hour - $59.95/hour. Our benefits include medical, dental, vision and retirement benefits. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Tundra Technical Solutions is among North America's leading providers of Staffing and Consulting Services. Our success and our clients' success are built on a foundation of service excellence. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Unincorporated LA County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: client provided property, including hardware (both of which may include data) entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all portable client computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon completion of the assignment, and; maintain the confidentiality of client proprietary, confidential, or non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected client information technology systems and related data security obligations. #J-18808-Ljbffr