QA Automation Lead [gn] Data Intelligence

The QA Automation Team is the ultimate guardian of our platform's reliability, scalability, and deployment velocity. In a complex, data-heavy ecosystem, manual testing is a bottleneck; continuous, intelligent, and bulletproof automation is the only way forward. We are looking for a QA Automation Lead who will architect, scale, and own our automated testing strategy end-to-end. You are not a passive test-case writer or a mere script executor; you are a highly technical, proactive engineer who thrives on breaking complex distributed systems, designing robust testing frameworks, and enforcing a culture of absolute quality. You will lead a dedicated team of automation engineers, embed quality gates directly into our CI/CD pipelines, and use data-driven metrics to eliminate regressions before they ever reach production. Core Responsibilities: • End-to-End Testing Infrastructure: Design, scale, and maintain robust automation frameworks capable of testing the complex SaaS and distributed data architectures of the Actian Data Intelligence Platform. • Pipeline Integration: Embed automated test suites seamlessly into the CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions/Jenkins) to achieve true continuous integration and rapid feedback loops. • Advanced Testing Topologies: Move beyond basic UI testing. Drive deep integration, API, performance, resilience, and data-integrity automation across the entire product stack. • Technical Anchor: Act as the ultimate technical authority for the QA automation squad, establishing clean code standards for test scripts, conducting rigorous code reviews, and minimizing framework technical debt. • Upskilling & Accountability: Coach junior automation engineers and guide functional QA testers in transitioning toward automated practices, ensuring everyone owns their automation targets. • Resource Optimization: Allocate engineering capacity effectively across feature testing, framework enhancement, and technical debt reduction. • Release Gatekeeper: Own the final quality sign-off for platform releases. Have the technical authority and conviction to halt deployments if quality thresholds are not met. • Cross-Functional Bridge: Collaborate closely with Product Management, Core Engineering, and DevOps to understand new features early, mapping out automation strategies before the code is written. • Defect Triage Collaboration: Partner with the Sustaining Engineering team to analyze production leaks, quickly writing automated tests to reproduce bugs and guarantee they never regress. • Flakiness Eradication: Treat flaky tests as a critical system anomaly. Track, isolate, and eliminate them to maintain absolute trust in the automation suite. • Actionable ROI: Track and report on key QA operational metrics (Test Coverage, Automation Pass Rates, Execution Time, and Defect Leakage Rate) to optimize delivery speed. • AI-Driven Testing: Pioneer the usage of modern AI tools to accelerate test case generation, optimize test suites, and intelligently predict defect hot-spots. Qualifications & Profile: • Technical Background: Strong background as a Senior SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) or QA Automation Lead, with proven experience testing complex enterprise SaaS, distributed systems, big data engines, or data platforms. • Automation Mastery: Deep expertise in coding languages (Java, Python, or Go) and modern testing frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or custom-built frameworks). Exceptional SQL skills and API testing expertise are mandatory. • Extreme Ownership: Exceptional proactive behavior. You do not wait for code to be delivered to think about testing. You anticipate regressions, challenge architectural assumptions, and aggressively push for built-in quality. • CI/CD & Infrastructure Savvy: Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), and version control workflows (GitHub). You understand how infrastructure impacts application stability. • AI & Innovation Adaptability: Savvy on using AI assistants and generative AI tools to write smarter test suites, mock data, and analyze test failures efficiently. • Communication: Exceptional verbal and written English communication skills. Ability to stand your ground on quality metrics while maintaining collaborative alignment with engineering leadership. What We Offer: • The chance to be part of an innovative, fast-growing company making a significant impact in the data management space. • Collaboration with a passionate and diverse team. • Competitive salary and benefits package. • Flexible work arrangements (remote or hybrid). • Opportunities for professional growth and development. Why Join Us? At Actian, we are passionate about innovation and teamwork. This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, loves creating an efficient and welcoming workspace, and enjoys working closely with a talented team.   Interested? We'd love to hear from you! Let's