AVP, Quality Engineering Lead (Ramachandrapuram)

- Own and drive end-to-end QE strategy for API releases: functional, integration, regression, and contract testing. - Lead and contribute hands-on to Java-based API automation using Cucumber/Gherkin (feature design, step definitions, hooks, tags, data-driven execution) and perform manual testing when required (exploratory, validation of new/complex features, triage/verification of defects, and ad-hoc release readiness checks). - Build/maintain API automation frameworks (commonly RestAssured/HTTP client , JSON schema validation, serialization/deserialization, auth handling). - Implement Allure reporting (test categorization, trends, flaky test analysis, actionable dashboards). - Manage test planning, execution, requirements traceability, and defects using ALM/Octane (test sets, runs, metrics). - Integrate automated suites into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins), establish quality gates for smoke/regression. - Drive shift-left practices: define testable acceptance criteria, add automation during sprint. - Mentor QA engineers; perform code reviews; establish automation standards and best practices. - Communicate release readiness, quality metrics, and risks clearly to stakeholders. Required Skills/Knowledge: - Bachelors degree in computer science/engineering or equivalent experience. - 5+ years in QA/Testing with 2+ years leading QA or owning quality for a team/product. - Solid test automation experience in Java with Cucumber (BDD) and API testing. - Solid hands-on API automation experience (e.g., RestAssured , request/response validation, headers/auth, retries, idempotency checks). - Strong experience with Allure (reports, categories, attachments, trends). - Strong experience with ALM/Octane for test case management and defect lifecycle. - Good understanding of test design techniques, STLC, Agile/Scrum. - Experience with Git, Maven/Gradle, and CI/CD integration. - Strong ownership, execution focus, and ability to unblock cross-team dependencies. - Clear communication of quality status, risks, and go/no-go readiness. - Coaching/mentoring mindset; sets standards and raises the bar for automation. Desired Skills/Knowledge: .