QA Automation Lead (Manual and Automation)

QA Automation Lead (Manual and Automation)

Location: Westlake Village, CA

Job Type: Contract to Hire

Role Overview

The QA Automation Lead is responsible for owning the overall testing strategy, leading a team of QA engineers, and ensuring high-quality, timely releases using both manual and automated testing across web, API, and/or mobile applications. The role is hands-on in automation while also driving test planning, process improvement, and collaboration with Product and Engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own test strategy, test plans, and test coverage for releases (functional, regression, integration, UAT, performance where applicable).
• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of manual and automation QA engineers; review test cases and automation scripts.
• Design, implement, and maintain scalable automation frameworks and suites for UI, API, and regression testing (e.g., Selenium/Cypress/Appium + TestNG/JUnit/Cucumber).
• Identify areas for automation, prioritize scenarios, and ensure a healthy balance between manual and automated testing.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins/GitLab/Azure DevOps) and ensure fast, reliable feedback on each build.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, BAs, and Developers to review requirements, define acceptance criteria, estimate QA effort, and participate in Agile ceremonies.
• Oversee manual testing for new features, exploratory testing, complex edge cases, and areas not yet automated.
• Track, triage, and manage defects end to end; drive root-cause analysis and preventive actions to improve product quality.
• Define and report QA metrics (test coverage, defect trends, automation coverage, execution status) to stakeholders. Evaluate and adopt new QA tools and practices; standardize processes and documentation across the QA function.

Required Skills and Experience

• Total 10+ years of experience in software testing, with strong exposure to both manual and automation; at least 2–3 years in a lead or senior role.
• Hands-on experience with test automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Appium) and at least one programming language (Java/C#/Python/JavaScript).
• Strong understanding of SDLC, STLC, Agile/Scrum, and regression strategies, including risk-based testing.
• Experience integrating automated tests with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps) and using Git for version control.
• Proficiency with test management and defect tracking tools (JIRA, Azure DevOps, TestRail/Zephyr or similar).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, team leadership, and mentoring skills.