Lead Software Engineer
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
The Lead Software Engineer in Test will own test automation strategy, design automation frameworks, integrate testing into CI/CD, and mentor QA engineers to enhance quality across engineering processes., What You'll Be Doing: The Lead Quality Engineer is a hands-on technical leader owning test automation strategy. This person designs scalable automation frameworks, integrates testing into CI/CD pipelines, mentors, and directly influences the organization's ability to ship frequently, reliably, and with confidence. The role balances strategic test architecture with day-to-day leadership.
*Occasional off-hours availability may be required to support business needs.
Test Strategy & Architecture
- Own the end-to-end test automation strategy across unit, integration, acceptance, and non-functional testing layers
- Design and maintain scalable automation frameworks for APIs, web, and mobile platforms
- Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines for rapid feedback
- Leverage AI-powered tools to accelerate test creation, expand coverage, and reduce test maintenance burden
Engineering Quality Culture
- Champion a culture where quality is a shared responsibility across engineering
- Lead exploratory and usability testing practices throughout the delivery process
- Advocate for testable, loosely coupled architecture in design reviews and technical planning
- Analyze application logs, monitoring data, and production incident patterns to inform and expand test coverage strategy
- Reduce change failure rate and shorten lead time by improving test coverage and feedback speed
- Identify and eliminate testing bottlenecks that slow the delivery pipeline
- Report quality trends and risk to engineering leadership; serve as escalation point for QA matters
- Provide technical leadership through code reviews, framework design guidance, and best-practice documentation
- Foster a learning culture: run knowledge-sharing sessions, stay current on testing tools, and drive adoption of AI-assisted test generation to multiply the team's output, * Technical depth with strategic thinking - Can architect frameworks and also zoom out to align testing strategy with business delivery goals
- Quality ownership mindset - Views quality as a system-level outcome; advocates for building quality in rather than inspecting it out
- Coaching & influence - Elevates the testing capability of QA engineers through pairing, mentoring, and clear documentation
- Cross-functional collaboration - Works effectively across Development, DevOps, Product, and Security to embed quality throughout delivery
- Data-driven decision making - Uses metrics (coverage, defect trends, pipeline health) to prioritize improvements and communicate quality posture
- Continuous improvement orientation - Relentlessly improves processes, tools, and test suites; never satisfied with the status quo
- Communication - Translates technical quality concepts into business-relevant language for stakeholders at all levels
Requirements
Required Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
Preferred Education: Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
- Required Experience:
- 5+ years in QA/test engineering, with 3+ years in a lead or senior IC automation role.
- Hands-on experience designing and building automation frameworks (not just writing scripts).
- Strong proficiency in at least one programming language (Typescript, Javascript, Python, Java, C#)
- Expertise with modern test frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Jest, Selenium, Cypress, Appium, RestAssured).
- Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI).
- Demonstrated experience using AI-powered tools (e.g., LLM-based code assistants, AI test generators) to create, maintain, or expand automated test suites
- Experience using observability tools (logs, monitoring, APM) to identify production issues and inform test strategy
- Strong understanding of TDD and BDD practices.
- Proven ability to mentor engineers and influence testing culture across an organization.
- Preferred Experience:
- 7+ years in QA/test engineering, with 3+ years in a lead or senior IC automation role
- Load testing experience
- Microservices and distributed systems testing
- Security testing integration (shift-left security).
- Experience in regulated environments or with compliance requirements
Benefits & conditions
Golden Perks & Benefits:
- Comprehensive healthcare coverage - We cover 100% of premiums for medical, dental, and vision plans for employee-only plans.
- Annual bonus
- We match up to 3.5% of your 401k contributions, ensuring your retirement savings grow alongside your career.
- 6 paid sick and mental health days, an Employee Assistance Program, free weekly yoga and meditation classes, and additional mental health benefits, because we take a holistic approach to your well-being.
- Invest in your future with our Employee Stock Ownership Plan, where company contributions fund your retirement plan with company stock. Learn more.
- Reimbursements for a portion of personal cell phone and internet usage for eligible employees.
- Professional development opportunities with mentorship, continuous learning programs, and performance-based pay increases, empowering you to progress and excel in your career.
- Through our charity sponsorships, you can make a positive impact on communities worldwide. We've donated over $9 million to date.
- Potential for quarterly KPI bonuses.
The base salary range is $124,000-$155,000, plus bonus potential.