Lead C# SDET/QA Automation Engineer - Direct Hire

POSITION OVERVIEW

This role leads a group of SDET/QA automation engineers responsible for validating software quality across functional, integration, and performance layers. The leader in this position develops and oversees modern testing strategies, ensuring the team delivers reliable, high-performing applications prior to release. They guide test design, automation architecture, and execution, leveraging domain expertise to ensure solutions meet user needs. The position collaborates with engineering, product, and cross-functional teams to enforce high quality standards, introduce process improvements, and drive automated coverage across the testing lifecycle. This individual is hands-on, involved in coding, framework evolution, and coaching the team toward consistent automation practices aligned with engineering standards.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Leadership & Testing Strategy

• Advocate for automation-centric testing approaches that include positive, negative, and edge-case scenarios.
• Identify dependencies across teams and ensure coordinated testing for features spanning multiple squads.
• Facilitate post-incident reviews and convert learnings into improved test coverage or testing processes.
• Apply a deep understanding of the testing pyramid and ensure appropriate use of unit, service, and UI-level automation.
• Confirm all work meets agreed-upon readiness and completion criteria.
• Promote test-first methodologies such as BDD and TDD.

Innovation & Future-Focused QA Practices

• Explore and introduce AI-driven enhancements to test creation and automation efficiency.
• Develop strategies on how generative AI can reshape the QA function.
• Incorporate persona-based, workflow-driven, and customer-centric testing techniques.

Automation Engineering & Framework Ownership

• Enhance and refine automation frameworks to support scalability, shared configuration, and maintainability.
• Review automation code, provide feedback, and ensure adherence to robust coding standards.
• Contribute hands-on automation across all layers—API, UI, integration, performance, and backend systems.
• Integrate automated suites into CI/CD processes and monitor execution results.
• Lead end-to-end validation efforts spanning multiple system components.

Agile Delivery & Team Enablement

• Support Agile ceremonies and reinforce strong Scrum practices.
• Estimate work accurately and plan capacity based on sprint goals.
• Implement continuous-improvement initiatives stemming from retrospectives.

Business & Domain Expertise

• Build a strong understanding of the application domain and user workflows; incorporate this knowledge into testing approach.
• Encourage the team to adopt customer-focused testing, using personas and real-world use patterns.
• Identify gaps in team knowledge and recommend targeted training to strengthen expertise.
• Attain subject-matter proficiency sufficient to explain, demo, and train others on the system.

Framework & Tooling Development

• Understand how to architect and extend testing frameworks to support multiple technologies and platforms.
• Enhance reusable tools supporting REST/API, UI, performance, ETL/big-data testing, and custom test solutions.
• Introduce new technologies or AI-driven tools that advance productivity and quality.

Tier 3 Technical Support & Troubleshooting

• Understand how production systems are deployed, configured, and monitored.
• Prioritize escalated issues and delegate investigation across the team.
• Contribute to root-cause identification through deep technical debugging.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a technical discipline (Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics preferred).
• 10 years in software development, automation engineering, or technical QA leadership.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD, BDD/TDD practices, and automation languages such as C#, Python, or JavaScript.
• Familiarity with relational databases and test frameworks.
• Experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, Neoload).
• Experience with Playwright or comparable automation frameworks.
• Proven ability to mentor and lead teams in Agile environments with CI/CD pipelines.
• Background in financial services or similar regulated industries.
• Exposure to using generative AI in a development or QA workflow.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Client Focus: Demonstrates an understanding of customer needs and incorporates this perspective into testing and decision-making. Builds trust through consistent communication and delivery.

Collaboration: Works effectively across functions; values input from others; promotes a cooperative environment; willing to compromise to achieve shared goals.

Commitment to Quality: Sets high standards for accuracy and thoroughness; proactively checks work for completeness; encourages quality-driven behaviors within the team.

Initiative: Acts without waiting for direction; identifies inefficiencies and proposes improvements; takes ownership of opportunities to enhance process or product quality.

Results Orientation: Establishes ambitious but realistic objectives; mobilizes resources; adapts when challenges arise; maintains focus on outcomes.

Technical Mastery: Maintains strong expertise in QA automation and software development practices; stays current on emerging tools and methodologies; independently solves complex technical problems; prioritizes effectively.