QA Automation Engineer

Position Overview

We're seeking an experienced QA Automation engineering to establish and lead our quality assurance function. This is a critical role responsible for building comprehensive test automation frameworks, defining quality processes, and ensuring the reliability and security of our AI-native financial platform.

You'll be the first dedicated QA responsible for creating our testing strategy from the ground up, building a high-performing QA team, and establishing quality standards across frontend, backend, API, and AI/ML components. This role requires both deep technical expertise in test automation and leadership skills to build and scale a world-class QA organization.

Why This Role is Exciting

Build from Scratch - Define QA strategy, frameworks, and processes from day one

AI/ML Testing - Test cutting-edge LLM applications and agentic workflows

Full Stack Ownership - Cover frontend (React), backend (Python/FastAPI), APIs, and databases

Leadership Impact - Build and lead a QA team; shape quality culture

Ensure quality for mission-critical financial operations

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Key Responsibilities

Test Automation Strategy & Framework (35%)

Design and implement comprehensive test automation framework

Build API test automation (REST, GraphQL)

Implement frontend E2E testing (Playwright, Cypress)

Create backend/integration test suites

Establish CI/CD integration for automated testing

Define test data management strategy

Implement performance and load testing frameworks

Quality Leadership & Team Building (25%)

Build and lead QA team (2-5 engineers initially, scaling to 8-10)

Define QA processes, standards, and best practices

Establish quality metrics and KPIs

Conduct 1-on-1s and performance reviews

Mentor QA engineers on automation and testing practices

Drive quality culture across engineering

AI/ML & LLM Testing (20%)

Develop testing strategies for LLM-powered features

Test agentic workflows and AI decision-making

Validate model outputs and prompt engineering

Test AI accuracy, consistency, and edge cases

Implement monitoring for AI behavior in production

Ensure responsible AI practices (bias, fairness)

Security & Compliance Testing (10%)

Implement security testing (SAST, DAST)

Test authentication, authorization, and RBAC

Validate data encryption and privacy controls

Ensure SOC 2, GDPR compliance requirements

Conduct penetration testing coordination

Test multi-tenant isolation and security

Release & Deployment Quality (5%)

Define release testing procedures

Implement smoke and regression test suites

Validate staging and production deployments

Coordinate with DevOps on deployment gates

Post-deployment validation and monitoring

Collaboration & Communication (5%)

Partner with Product on acceptance criteria

Work with Engineering on testability

Report quality metrics to leadership

Identify and escalate critical issues

Document testing processes and runbooks

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Technical Stack

Test Automation Tools

API Testing: Postman, REST Assured, PyTest

E2E Testing: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium

Backend Testing: PyTest, unittest, integration tests

Load Testing: JMeter, Locust, k6

Performance: Lighthouse, WebPageTest

Programming & Frameworks

Languages: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript

Backend: FastAPI, PostgreSQL, REST APIs

Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript

Test Frameworks: PyTest, Jest, Mocha

CI/CD & DevOps

CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI

Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes

Cloud: AWS (EC2, ECS, EKS, Lambda)

Monitoring: Datadog, CloudWatch, Prometheus

Security & Quality Tools

SAST: SonarQube, Snyk, CodeQL

DAST: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite

Test Management: TestRail, Zephyr, Jira

Version Control: Git, GitHub

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Required Qualifications

Technical Expertise

Automation & Testing

10+ years of QA/test automation experience with 3+ years in leadership

Expert-level test automation skills (API, UI, backend)

Strong programming in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript

Proven experience building test automation frameworks from scratch

Deep knowledge of testing methodologies (functional, integration, E2E, performance)

CI/CD integration expertise with automated test pipelines

API testing expertise (REST, GraphQL, WebSockets)

Technical Skills

Backend testing: Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy

Frontend testing: React, TypeScript, Playwright/Cypress

Performance testing: Load testing, stress testing, scalability validation

Security testing: SAST, DAST, vulnerability scanning

Database testing: SQL, data validation, database performance

Cloud platforms: AWS (preferred), GCP, or Azure

AI/ML Testing (Preferred)

Experience testing LLM applications or AI/ML systems

Knowledge of prompt engineering and model validation

Understanding of AI testing challenges (non-determinism, bias)

Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, or similar frameworks

Leadership & Management

Proven track record of building QA teams (3+ people)

Experience establishing QA processes and standards from scratch

Strong mentorship and coaching skills

Excellent communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Experience with cross-functional collaboration (Product, Engineering, DevOps)

Startup experience preferred - ability to work in fast-paced environment

Domain Knowledge

SaaS platform testing experience (multi-tenant architecture)

FinTech or financial services domain knowledge (preferred)

Compliance testing experience (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA)

Agile/Scrum methodology experience

Nice to Have

ISTQB Advanced or similar certifications

AWS Certified Developer or Solutions Architect

Experience with chaos engineering and resilience testing

Knowledge of observability tools (Datadog, New Relic)

Open-source contributions to testing frameworks

Technical writing or conference speaking experience

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Success Metrics

First 90 Days

Assess current testing landscape and create comprehensive QA strategy

Implement API test automation framework with 50+ test cases

Set up E2E testing framework (Playwright/Cypress) with critical path coverage

Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipeline

Hire 1-2 QA engineers

Establish test data management approach

Define quality metrics and KPIs

First 6 Months

Achieve 70%+ API test coverage

Achieve 60%+ E2E test coverage for critical user flows

Build QA team to 3-4 engineers

Implement performance testing framework

Establish security testing practices (SAST/DAST)

Reduce production defects by 40%

Implement AI/ML testing strategy for LLM features

Achieve <10 minute test execution time in CI/CD

First Year

Scale QA team to 5-8 engineers

Achieve 80%+ overall test coverage

Reduce production defect escape rate to <5%

Implement continuous testing with <15 minute feedback loops

Establish quality gates for all releases

Achieve 99.5%+ test pass rate

Build comprehensive test documentation and runbooks

Establish SOC 2 compliant testing processes