Lead QA Engineer

Role: QA Lead -Automation Test Lead Consultant

Location: Cincinnati OH - Onsite

Long Term- W2

Job Description:

We are looking for a seasoned Automation Test Lead Consultant with a strong background in the Retail domain to drive our automation testing strategy and Shift-Left practices across complex integrated applications. This role demands a hands-on technical expert and a strategic leader who can align testing with fast-paced retail transformation initiatives.

Establish scalable and maintainable test automation frameworks for UI and API validation across systems like Point-of-Sale (POS) Order Management Customer Service and Loyalty.

Experience testing in Retail Point-of-Sale (POS) environments or similar retail systems.

We are looking for a seasoned Automation Test Lead Consultant with a strong background in the Retail domain to drive our automation testing strategy and Shift-Left practices across complex integrated applications. This role demands a hands-on technical expert and a strategic leader who can align testing with fast-paced retail transformation initiatives.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead the automation strategy and implementation roadmap for web mobile and API-based retail applications.
* Promote Shift-Left Testing by embedding QA early in the development lifecycle.
* Establish scalable and maintainable test automation frameworks for UI and API validation across systems like Point-of-Sale (POS) Order Management Customer Service and Loyalty.
* Guide and mentor automation engineers across multiple agile teams.
* Work closely with product owners developers and environment teams to ensure automation aligns with CI/CD and business goals.
* Ensure timely feedback loops through automated validation of key retail flows like item scans price overrides payment methods customer enrollment and order creation.
* Provide regular reporting on automation coverage quality metrics and efficiency gains.
Technical Skills Required:
* Expert-level automation experience in:
Selenium for UI validation
Playwright for modern and responsive web interfaces
Karate Framework for REST and SOAP API validation
* Experience testing in Retail Point-of-Sale (POS) environments or similar retail systems.
* Strong coding/scripting skills in Java JavaScript or Python.
* Solid grasp of Git Jenkins CI/CD pipelines and integration with test management tools (e.g. QMetry JIRA Zephyr).
* Strong understanding of BDD/TDD data-driven testing and mocking service layers.
Leadership & Domain Expertise:
* Proven experience leading automation teams in a retail or omnichannel environment.
* Familiar with store systems eCommerce inventory loyalty and customer service desk functionalities.
* Ability to translate business workflows into test scenarios and drive end-to-end automation coverage.
* Strong stakeholder communication coaching and cross-functional leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
* Retail transformation or modernization experience (e.g. migration from legacy to in-house systems).
* Experience with cloud-hosted microservices and integration testing across retail platforms.
* ISTQB Certified Agile Tester or similar certifications.

Required Skills:

QA AutomationQA EngineeringPOSAPIUI