Automation Quality Assurance Lead - API Testing

Position : Automation QA Lead Location : Chandigarh Work Mode : Work From Office (Onsite) Employment Type : Full-Time About the Role : We are looking for a highly skilled Automation QA Lead with 7 - 10 years of experience in test automation, software development, and quality engineering. This is a hands-on coding role, not a traditional testing or manual QA position. The ideal candidate should be a strong programmer who can design and develop automation frameworks, write production-quality code, build API and UI automation, and lead the overall automation strategy. Candidates with primarily manual testing experience will not be considered. Key Responsibilities : - Lead and own the end-to-end automation testing strategy across UI, API, integration, and backend systems. - Design, develop, and maintain scalable and reusable test automation frameworks. - Write clean, maintainable, and production-quality code for automated testing. - Develop UI automation using Playwright, Selenium, and Cypress. - Build API automation using Karate Framework, REST Assured, and Postman. - Develop automation solutions using Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python. - Test and validate REST APIs, microservices, authentication, and authorization mechanisms. - Work extensively with OAuth and JWT authentication. - Develop database validation and automation scripts using SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. - Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines. - Work with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and Azure DevOps. - Containerize automation environments using Docker. - Analyze failures, identify root causes, and work closely with developers to resolve issues. - Establish automation standards, coding practices, reporting, and quality gates. - Mentor and guide QA Automation Engineers and promote strong engineering practices. - Collaborate with Developers, Product Managers, Architects, and other stakeholders. - Evaluate and implement AI-assisted testing tools to improve test coverage, efficiency, and automation productivity. - Continuously improve test automation architecture, execution speed, reliability, and maintainability. Must-Have Skills: - 7 - 10 years of experience in QA Automation / Software Quality Engineering / Test Automation. - Strong programming/coding experience in at least one or more of Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, or Python. - Hands-on experience with: 1. Playwright 2. Selenium 3. Cypress 4. Karate Framework 5. REST Assured 6. Postman - Strong experience in REST API testing and automation. - Good understanding of OAuth and JWT authentication. - Strong SQL and database testing experience. - Hands-on experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. - Experience with Git and modern source-control practices. - Strong experience with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Azure DevOps. - Experience with Docker. - Exposure to AI-assisted testing tools. - Strong understanding of automation framework design, CI/CD, debugging, and test engineering practices. Important - Coding Experience is Mandatory : We are specifically looking for an Automation QA Engineer who can code, not someone whose experience is limited to executing test cases. The candidate must be able to: 1. Write automation code independently. 2. Design and enhance automation frameworks. 3. Develop reusable automation components. 4. Debug code and automation failures. 5. Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines. 6. Perform API, UI, and database automation. 7. Understand application architecture and work closely with developers. - Manual QA/Testers without strong hands-on automation and coding experience will not be considered. Good to Have : - Experience with Kubernetes. - Performance testing experience using JMeter or Gatling. - Experience in Digital Payments. - Experience with Banking Platforms. - Experience with Lending Platforms. - Experience testing microservices and distributed systems. - Experience designing automation for cloud-native applications. Bonus : - Experience with Compliance & Regulatory Testing. - Experience in Banking, FinTech, Lending, Payments, or Financial Services. - Understanding of security testing and authentication standards. - Experience working in highly regulated environments. Ideal Candidate : We are looking for a hands-on Automation QA Lead who thinks and works like a software engineer - someone who can code, design automation frameworks, automate UI/API/database testing, integrate tests into CI/CD, troubleshoot complex issues, and provide technical leadership. This is NOT a Manual QA role. Strong coding + automation experience is mandatory. Key Skills : - Must Have: Playwright, Selenium, Cypress, Karate, REST Assured, Postman, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Git, REST APIs, OAuth, JWT, SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Docker, AI-Assisted Testing - Good to Have: Kubernetes, JMeter, Gatling, Digital Payments, Banking Platforms, Lending Platforms - Bonus: Compliance & Regulatory Testing Location : Chandigarh | Work From Office