Lead Software Engineer in Test

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We’re Looking For A(n): Lead Software Engineer in Test

Location: Hybrid (El Segundo, CA and/or Burbank/North Hollywood, CA)

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.

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

Qualifications (Note: We strongly encourage you to apply even if you don’t tick ALL of these boxes.):

• 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
• 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 (Java, Python, TypeScript, or C#).
  • Expertise with modern test frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Jest, Selenium, Cypress, Appium, RestAssured).
  • Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
  • 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

• 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.

The posted salary range in this job posting reflects data based on California's cost of labor analysis. This salary range is subject to change per state; please click here to find the pay differential in your state of residence if the role is remote. 

Salary is based on a wide range of factors that include relevant experience, knowledge, skills, other job-related qualifications, and geographical location.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

A Note to Recruiting Agencies: At Golden Pet Brands, we handle all hiring through our internal Talent Acquisition team. Occasionally, we might use staffing or recruiting agencies to support our internal team in finding the right candidates. Agencies are not authorized to contact our hiring teams directly to present candidates. Our internal Talent Acquisition team is responsible for all candidate presentations to our hiring managers. Golden Pet Brands will need written approval and a signed agreement before submitting any candidate info for a specific job opening. Without this, we won’t pay any fees for placements. Thank you for your understanding.

Candidate Safety: The safety of our candidates is our highest priority. When looking for a job, please be aware of cyber criminals, fake domains, and fraudulent job offers. Golden Pet Brands recruiters will only contact applicants from our official company e-mail domain, (NAME@GOLDENHIPPO.COM or NAME@GOLDENPETBRANDS.COM) or through our internal Applicant Tracking System, Greenhouse. In addition, Golden Pet Brands recruiters will never send you checks, or ask you to disclose personal financial details. If you receive any suspicious communications regarding an open position or a job offer, please contact Golden Pet Brands directly at safety@goldenhippo.com to verify its validity.

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