Lead/Principal QA Engineer

Job Description Job Description: Lead QA Engineer (Selenium, Playwright, Test Automation) Position Overview We are seeking an experienced Lead QA Engineer with strong expertise in Selenium, Playwright, and Test Case Development to join our fast-paced, high-performing product team. In this role, you will collaborate closely with developers, product managers, and business stakeholders to understand feature requirements and translate them into comprehensive test strategies for our cloud-based Human Resource (HR) and Payroll solutions. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure that the products we deploy are highly usable, stable, and meet the highest quality standards. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will own end-to-end feature release quality, drive automation excellence, and mentor junior QA engineers. Key Responsibilities Test Strategy & Execution - Collaborate with developers, product owners, and business teams to understand new feature requirements and system enhancements. - Design detailed test plans, scenarios, and test cases (manual & automated) aligned with project goals. - Lead end-to-end testing activities including functional, regression, integration, system, usability, performance, and exploratory testing. - Build and maintain high-quality automated test suites using - Selenium / Playwright - Protractor / JavaScript - Cucumber (BDD Framework) - Validate user flows, APIs, integrations, and cloud-based features to ensure optimal usability prior to deployment. Automation Ownership - Develop scalable and maintainable automation frameworks to support continuous delivery. - Identify gaps in existing automation and develop solutions to improve coverage and effectiveness. - Ensure automated tests run reliably in CI/CD pipelines and troubleshoot failures when required. Product Quality Advocacy - Act as a strong advocate for product quality and end-user experience. - Recommend improvements and push for required changes that add value to the customer experience. - Evaluate usability aspects of HR and payroll products and collaborate with teams to implement enhancements. Leadership & Team Collaboration - Lead feature releases with full ownership of QA deliverables, timelines, and defect resolution. - Coordinate tasks, distribute workload across the QA team, and ensure timely execution. - Mentor and guide junior QA engineers, sharing best practices in testing, automation, and troubleshooting. - Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions to uplift QA capability across the team. Problem-Solving & Continuous Improvement - Identify risks early and proactively work with stakeholders to mitigate them. - Investigate complex issues, analyze root causes, and implement long-term fixes. - Continuously refine testing methodologies to increase efficiency and accuracy. Required Skills & Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. - 7+ years of experience in Quality Assurance, with at least 3+ years as a Lead or Senior QA. - Strong hands-on expertise in - Selenium WebDriver - Playwright - Protractor - JavaScript / TypeScript - Cucumber / BDD - Proven experience writing clear, detailed, and reusable test cases and test scripts. - Solid understanding of automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile/Scrum methodologies. - Strong knowledge of HCM, HRMS, or Payroll products (mandatory). - Excellent analytical, communication, and documentation skills. Preferred Qualifications - Experience working with cloud-based applications (SaaS). - Familiarity with REST API automation and tools like Postman or RestAssured. - Experience with version control tools like Git. - Exposure to Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or equivalent CI/CD systems. Personal Attributes for Success - Highly curious, persistent, and detail-oriented. - Strong sense of ownership and accountability. - Persuasive communicator capable of influencing cross-functional teams. - Passion for delivering high-quality, user-centric products. - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, flexible environment where testing may extend beyond standard business hours. - Comfortable navigating ambiguity and solving challenging problems with limited information. Work Environment This role requires flexibility, commitment, and strong leadership qualities. If you are looking for a strictly 95 schedule, this role may not be the best fit. You must be comfortable working in a dynamic environment where deadlines, releases, and testing windows may require extended availability.