Senior Quality Assurance Engineer

Senior Level - K1X Next Platform We are seeking a Senior Quality Engineer to join our Next Platform team — K1X's latest and most advanced application. In this role, you will be a technical leader responsible for defining and implementing automation strategies, building scalable testing frameworks, and establishing quality standards. You will develop deep expertise in the Next Platform and its underlying tax domain, becoming a subject matter expert (SME) who guides both manual and automated testing strategies. This individual will architect comprehensive automated testing solutions while also performing critical manual testing for complex scenarios and new features, serving as the quality authority for the application. This team member must be a proven technical leader with deep expertise in test automation and quality engineering. You are an excellent communicator who can bridge technical and business stakeholders, translating quality metrics and risks into actionable insights. You are detail-oriented with exceptional troubleshooting abilities, capable of diagnosing complex system issues across multiple layers of the application stack. You demonstrate self-direction and can drive initiatives from concept through implementation with minimal oversight. Responsiblities Domain Expertise & Application Knowledge • Develop comprehensive understanding of the Next Platform application, its architecture, and business workflows • Master K-1 partnership and S-corporation tax forms, tax processing rules, and related financial documents • Understand and articulate complex tax domain concepts to guide testing strategy and prioritization • Serve as the quality authority for application functionality, user workflows, and business requirements • Collaborate with Product Management to ensure requirements are testable and complete • Identify gaps in requirements and advocate for clarity before development begins Manual & Exploratory Testing • Perform sophisticated manual testing for complex scenarios, new features, and critical business workflows • Design and execute exploratory testing sessions to uncover edge cases and usability issues • Conduct deep-dive testing of integrations with external tax systems and data sources • Validate document processing accuracy, including PDF generation and tax form calculations • Test complex user journeys end-to-end to ensure seamless experience Automation & Tooling Strategy • Design, architect, and implement comprehensive test automation frameworks using Playwright as the primary E2E and API testing framework • Leverage Claude Code (AI-assisted development) to accelerate test case generation, maintain test suites, and improve overall automation output • Lead the integration of Playwright-based automated tests into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring seamless deployment validation • Establish Playwright and Claude Code best practices, coding standards, and reusable patterns for the QA team • Drive the adoption of shift-left testing practices across development teams, using Claude Code to generate and validate tests early in the SDLC • Build reusable Playwright test libraries, page object models, and utilities to accelerate automation development • Evaluate and integrate additional testing tools and technologies as needed to complement the Playwright + Claude Code foundation Test Planning and Strategy • Define and implement QA strategies aligned with Next Platform goals and timelines • Conduct risk-based regression analysis and establish testing priorities for releases • Develop comprehensive test plans and strategies for functional, regression, integration, API, and security testing • Leverage AI tools and techniques for requirements analysis, test case generation, and quality validation • Establish quality metrics and KPIs to measure testing effectiveness Technical Leadership • Lead testing efforts for complex features and system integrations • Provide technical guidance on test architecture, design patterns, and best practices • Drive continuous improvement in QA processes, tools, and methodologies • Champion quality throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) • Influence engineering decisions with a quality-first perspective Test Execution and Defect Management • Design and execute sophisticated test scenarios for end-to-end (E2E), API, and integration testing • Balance automation and manual testing based on feature complexity, risk, and return on investment • Identify, document, and track defects using Jira, ensuring timely resolution and thorough root cause analysis • Collaborate with development teams to reproduce complex issues and validate fixes • Work with Production Support to improve bug response times and establish proactive monitoring strategies • Apply application knowledge to assess defect severity and business impact accurately Mentorship and Collaboration • Mentor and guide QA team members in automation development, manual testing techniques, and domain kn