QA Team Lead

Lead and actively contribute to a QA team at Charles River Development (State Street's FinTech division), driving automation strategy, framework design, and AI-enabled testing practices across a cloud-based investment platform. Charles River Development (CRD) is the FinTech division of State Street. Together with State Street's Middle and Back-office services, Charles River's cloud-based Front Office technology forms the foundation of the State Street Alpha® Platform, the first front-to-back solution in the industry. Our vision is to be the world's leading investment platform, shaping the future of the industry and driving new levels of technology-led innovation, resiliency, efficiency and growth for investors and the people they serve. The CRD Engineering organization is innovating and transforming the platform by moving away from monolithic software to utilising next generation cloud-based technology that leverages Microsoft Azure, Kafka, Snowflake, and more. Job Summary We are looking for a hands-on QA Team Lead with strong automation expertise to lead and actively contribute to the QA team. This role requires a balanced mix of leadership and deep technical execution, with a primary focus on driving automation strategy, implementation, and scalability, along with manual testing where needed. The ideal candidate should be capable of coding, reviewing automation frameworks, and leveraging AI-enabled testing practices to improve efficiency and quality across the lifecycle. Key Responsibilities Lead and manage the QA team while remaining actively involved in automation design and development Own and drive automation strategy, including framework design, tool selection, and scalability Design, develop, review, and maintain robust automated test suites across UI and API layers Ensure high automation coverage with optimized and maintainable scripts Work closely with product owners and developers to understand user stories and translate them into automated and manual test scenarios Perform hands-on test execution (automation + manual) for complex and critical areas Champion AI enablement in QA, including AI-assisted test case generation, self-healing automation, intelligent test selection, and defect analysis Integrate automation suites with CI/CD pipelines to support continuous testing Establish best practices for coding standards, test design, and framework governance Track and improve QA metrics such as automation coverage, execution efficiency, and defect leakage Drive continuous improvements in frameworks, tools, and QA processes Required Skills & Qualifications B.S. degree (or foreign education equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or other technical course of study, or Business with an MIS background; M.S. degree strongly preferred 10+ years of QA experience with strong hands-on automation expertise Proven experience in building and scaling automation frameworks from scratch and enhancing existing ones Deep experience with modern automation tools/frameworks: Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress Strong expertise in API automation testing (Rest Assured, Postman, or equivalent) Demonstrated experience in automation integration with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, etc.) Strong understanding of software testing fundamentals (STLC, SDLC, test design techniques) Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments Nice to Have Experience with test management and defect tracking tools (JIRA, Xray, or similar) Proven ability to mentor teams on automation best practices and coding standards Excellent problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills Experience in financial services or similar domain What We Offer State Street is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every employee feels valued and empowered. We offer competitive and comprehensive benefits packages including generous medical care, insurance and savings plans, flexible work programs, and access to development programs and educational support. You will have paid volunteer days, a matching gift program, and access to employee networks that help you stay connected to what matters to you. #J-18808-Ljbffr Moofwd