QA Automation Lead

Job Title: QA Automation Lead
Location: Remote Canada (Candidate must reside in Canada)
Type: Long-term Contract

Client Domain: Product development company HRMS (Human Resource Management System) applications focused on SaaS-based HRMS solutions for public sector organizations

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced QA Automation & Manual Lead to drive our end-to-end quality assurance strategy. This role will be automation-heavy (80%) with some manual testing responsibilities (20%) to cover critical validation scenarios. You will play a key role in designing frameworks guiding the team and ensuring flawless product delivery across multiple projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and own QA processes across automation and manual testing initiatives.
• Selenium (Advanced):
  • Build scale and maintain automation frameworks using Selenium WebDriver.
  • Create reusable modular and maintainable test scripts.
  • Implement cross-browser and cross-platform testing strategies.
  • Integrate Selenium tests into CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing.
• Java (Core Expertise):
  • Develop robust automation frameworks and utilities using Java.
  • Apply OOP principles data-driven and keyword-driven testing frameworks.
  • Optimize and debug test scripts for performance and stability.
• JIRA (Project & Defect Management):
  • Manage test planning execution and defect lifecycle within JIRA.
  • Create dashboards and reports for stakeholders to track QA progress.
  • Ensure traceability between requirements test cases and defects.
• Perform manual testing for edge cases usability and exploratory testing.
• Write and execute SQL queries to validate backend processes and data integrity.
• Collaborate with developers business analysts and stakeholders to ensure test coverage aligns with requirements.
• Mentor QA engineers and set best practices for automation test documentation and defect reporting.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 7 years of experience in QA with a strong focus on automation (80%) and manual testing (20%).
• Proven expertise with Selenium WebDriver for automation at scale.
• Strong Java programming skills (test automation frameworks utilities debugging).
• Proficiency with JIRA for test case management defect tracking and reporting.
• Solid knowledge of relational databases with ability to write and analyze SQL queries.
• Demonstrated experience leading QA teams and projects.
• Strong analytical problem-solving and communication skills.
• Must currently reside in Canada and able to work remotely.

Nice to Have

• Experience with TestNG/JUnit Maven/Gradle and CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins GitHub Actions etc.).
• Familiarity with API testing (Postman RestAssured) and service-level automation.
• Exposure to Agile/Scrum environments.
• Knowledge of performance or security testing tools.