QA Lead & Test Automation Engineer

Location: Johannesburg (Full-time On-site)
Contract Type: Initial 6-Month Contract (with the possibility of extension to 8 months or longer)
Start Date: Immediate

Are you an experienced QA Lead & Test Automation Engineer with a passion for quality engineering, test automation, and delivering enterprise-grade software solutions?

Our client is seeking a QA Lead & Test Automation Engineer to own the quality assurance approach and test automation strategy across a complex enterprise platform. This role is responsible for defining testing standards, designing and maintaining automated testing frameworks, and ensuring comprehensive quality coverage across unit, integration, API, regression, and end-to-end testing.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership for Quality Assurance, working closely with Developers, Solution Architects, Business Analysts, DevOps Engineers, and QA teams to embed quality throughout the Software Development Lifecycle and ensure every release meets functional, technical, and non-functional quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Strategy & Governance

• Own the project's Quality Assurance approach and testing strategy.
• Define testing standards, methodologies, and best practices.
• Ensure quality activities are embedded throughout the Software Development Lifecycle.
• Promote a shift-left testing approach by engaging early during requirements and design.

Test Automation

• Design, develop, and maintain the project's automated testing framework.
• Implement automated testing across:
  • Unit Testing
  • API Testing
  • Integration Testing
  • UI Testing
  • End-to-End Workflow Testing
  • Regression Testing
  • Smoke Testing
• Ensure automated tests are maintainable, scalable, and reusable.
• Continuously improve automation coverage and execution times.

Functional & Integration Testing

• Validate complex business workflows and system integrations.
• Review business requirements and technical specifications to ensure adequate test coverage.
• Verify system behaviour across multiple environments and integration points.
• Support business rule validation and document processing testing where required.

Quality Leadership

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to the Quality Assurance Engineer.
• Coordinate testing activities across multiple workstreams.
• Drive defect triage sessions with development teams.
• Support release planning and production readiness activities.
• Foster a quality-first culture across the project team.

Release Management & Quality Gates

• Define and execute quality gates before releases.
• Assess release readiness based on testing outcomes and quality metrics.
• Monitor regression risks and production readiness.
• Ensure critical defects are resolved or appropriately mitigated before deployment.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• Equivalent industry experience will be considered in lieu of a formal qualification.
• ISTQB Certified Tester (Foundation, Advanced, or Test Automation Engineer) will be advantageous.

Experience & Technical Skills

• Minimum 8 years' experience in Software Quality Assurance, with at least 2 years in a senior or technical leadership capacity.
• Strong experience with API, integration, database, and end-to-end workflow testing.
• Strong experience in both manual and automated testing.
• Experience designing and maintaining automation frameworks.
• Experience testing complex enterprise applications and integration-heavy solutions.
• Experience working within Agile delivery teams.
• Experience within financial services or other regulated industries will be advantageous.
• Experience with business rule validation and document processing will be advantageous.

Delivery Outputs

• Comprehensive automated test framework.
• Automated test suites for all functional areas.
• API integration test suites.
• Business rule validation test cases.
• Performance and load testing reports.
• Test data management scripts.
• Test coverage reports and quality metrics.
• Defect reports and root cause analysis.
• Quality gate sign-off reports.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to understand complex business processes and technical architectures.
• Strong stakeholder communication skills.
• Proactive approach to identifying quality risks.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to work independently while providing technical leadership.

What's on Offer

• Initial 6-month contract with the possibility of extension to 8 months or longer, depending on the project phase and business requirements.
• Opportunity to lead Quality Assurance and Test Automation for a complex enterprise platform.
• Work with modern automation frameworks, Agile delivery teams, and enterprise technologies.
• Play a key role in ensuring high-quality software delivery across multiple workstreams.
• Immediate start available, with preference given to candidates who can start immediately.

If you are an experienced QA Lead & Test Automation Engineer with a passion for quality engineering, automation, and enterprise software delivery, we'd love to hear from you.