Lead QA Automation

About the Role
We're looking for a Lead QA Automation Engineer to own the automation strategy across a multi-surface product portfolio. You'll improve existing frameworks where they exist and build from the ground up where they don't.
You'll make the architectural calls, set the quality bar, and work directly with engineering and product. You'll join an established QA team and report to QA Manager.
This is a senior IC role with a path to people leadership — if you perform, you'll have engineers reporting to you within 12–18 months.
What You'll Own
Architecture and technical strategy
Own the automation framework across the portfolio: structure, conventions, CI integration, scalability
Make tooling and architectural decisions — you set the direction, you're accountable for outcomes
Build new automation foundations on greenfield surfaces; raise the bar on existing ones
Conduct code reviews that set the standard, not just check the box
Quality bar
Define what gets tested, to what depth, and with what trade-offs — across multiple product surfaces simultaneously
Design coverage from requirements: decomposition, edge cases, environments, failure modes — not just automating cases handed to you
When release readiness isn't there, you say so — clearly, with evidence, to whoever needs to hear it
Cross-functional accountability
Close requirement gaps before development begins
Represent QA in sprint planning, architecture reviews, and cross-team syncs
Negotiate scope and timelines with product and engineering when quality risk isn't accounted for
Team and process
Raise the craft of the QA engineers around you through structured code reviews and direct feedback
Evaluate and improve QA and SDLC processes — if something is slow or unclear, fix it
Participate in hiring as the team grows — screening candidates, conducting technical interviews, helping shape the bar
What You Bring
Strong test automation experience with Playwright and TypeScript
You've built automation infrastructure from scratch and improved inherited systems — you're comfortable with both
You design test coverage rigorously — decomposition, edge cases, environment and data scenarios, failure modes — and can explain why a plan is shaped the way it is
You've made architectural decisions and can defend the reasoning with evidence others can follow
You've made the case to hold a release when quality wasn't there — backed by data, not just conviction
You communicate quality risk directly, without softening it for the room
Your estimates are accurate; when they're not, you say so early and adjust
You've raised the quality of the engineers around you — through reviews, feedback, or direct mentorship
You'll Thrive Here If You…
Treat ownership as the default, not a perk
Hold a high bar through rigor and evidence, not just force of will
Make decisions with incomplete information and adjust when you're wrong
Give your manager information they didn't know to ask for
Are open to leading a team within 12–18 months if the path emerges