Lead Software Engineer in Test

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Were Looking For A(n): Lead Software Engineer in Test

Location: Remote or Hybrid (El Segundo CA and/or Burbank/North Hollywood CA)

What Youll Be Doing:The Lead Quality Engineer is a hands-on technical leader owning test automation strategy. This person designs scalable automation frameworks integrates testing into CI/CD pipelines mentors and directly influences the organizations ability to ship frequently reliably and with confidence. The role balances strategic test architecture with day-to-day leadership.

*Occasional off-hours availability may be required to support business needs.

Test Strategy & Architecture

• Own the end-to-end test automation strategy across unit integration acceptance and non-functional testing layers
• Design and maintain scalable automation frameworks for APIs web and mobile platforms
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines for rapid feedback
• Leverage AI-powered tools to accelerate test creation expand coverage and reduce test maintenance burden

Engineering Quality Culture

• Champion a culture where quality is a shared responsibility across engineering
• Lead exploratory and usability testing practices throughout the delivery process
• Advocate for testable loosely coupled architecture in design reviews and technical planning
• Analyze application logs monitoring data and production incident patterns to inform and expand test coverage strategy
• Reduce change failure rate and shorten lead time by improving test coverage and feedback speed
• Identify and eliminate testing bottlenecks that slow the delivery pipeline
• Report quality trends and risk to engineering leadership; serve as escalation point for QA matters
• Provide technical leadership through code reviews framework design guidance and best-practice documentation
• Foster a learning culture: run knowledge-sharing sessions stay current on testing tools and drive adoption of AI-assisted test generation to multiply the teams output

Qualifications (Note: We strongly encourage you to apply even if you dont tick ALL of these boxes.):

• Technical depth with strategic thinking Can architect frameworks and also zoom out to align testing strategy with business delivery goals
• Quality ownership mindset Views quality as a system-level outcome; advocates for building quality in rather than inspecting it out
• Coaching & influence Elevates the testing capability of QA engineers through pairing mentoring and clear documentation
• Cross-functional collaboration Works effectively across Development DevOps Product and Security to embed quality throughout delivery
• Data-driven decision making Uses metrics (coverage defect trends pipeline health) to prioritize improvements and communicate quality posture
• Continuous improvement orientation Relentlessly improves processes tools and test suites; never satisfied with the status quo
• Communication Translates technical quality concepts into business-relevant language for stakeholders at all levels

Required Education: Bachelors degree in Computer Science Software Engineering or related field (or equivalent practical experience)

Preferred Education: Masters degree in Computer Science Software Engineering or related field (or equivalent practical experience)

• Required Experience:

  • 5 years in QA/test engineering with 3 years in a lead or senior IC automation role.
  • Hands-on experience designing and building automation frameworks (not just writing scripts).
  • Strong proficiency in at least one programming language (Typescript Javascript Python Java C#)
  • Expertise with modern test frameworks (e.g. Playwright Jest Selenium Cypress Appium RestAssured).
  • Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions Jenkins GitLab CI).
  • Demonstrated experience using AI-powered tools (e.g. LLM-based code assistants AI test generators) to create maintain or expand automated test suites
  • Experience using observability tools (logs monitoring APM) to identify production issues and inform test strategy
  • Strong understanding of TDD and BDD practices.
  • Proven ability to mentor engineers and influence testing culture across an organization.

• Preferred Experience:

  • 7 years in QA/test engineering with 3 years in a lead or senior IC automation role
  • Load testing experience
  • Microservices and distributed systems testing
  • Security testing integration (shift-left security).
  • Experience in regulated environments or with compliance requirements

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage We cover100% of premiumsfor medical dental and vision plans for employee-only plans.
• Annual bonus
• We match up to3.5% of your 401k contributions ensuring your retirement savings grow alongside your career.
• 6 paid sick and mental health daysan Employee Assistance Program free weekly yoga and meditation classes and additional mental health benefits because we take a holistic approach to your well-being.
• Invest in your future with ourEmployee Stock Ownership Plan where company contributions fund your retirement plan with company stock.Learn more.
• Reimbursements for a portion of personal cell phone and internet usagefor eligible employees.
• Professional developmentopportunitieswith mentorship continuous learning programs and performance-based pay increases empowering you to progress and excel in your career.
• Through our charity sponsorships you can make a positive impact on communities worldwide. Weve donated over$9 millionto date.
• Potential for quarterly KPI bonuses.

The base salary range is $124000-$155000 plus bonus potential.

The posted salary range in this job posting reflects data based on Californias cost of labor analysis. This salary range is subject to change per state; please clickhere to find the pay differential in your state of residence if the role is remote.

Salary is based on a wide range of factors that include relevant experience knowledge skills other job-related qualifications and geographical location.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

A Note to Recruiting Agencies: At Golden Pet Brands we handle all hiring through our internal Talent Acquisition team. Occasionally we might use staffing or recruiting agencies to support our internal team in finding the right candidates. Agencies are not authorized to contact our hiring teams directly to present candidates. Our internal Talent Acquisition team is responsible for all candidate presentations to our hiring managers. Golden Pet Brands will need written approval and a signed agreement before submitting any candidate info for a specific job opening. Without this we wont pay any fees for placements. Thank you for your understanding.

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