QA Automation Lead

Who is Shift? At Shift, we’re business specialists dedicated to helping Australian SMEs take control of their cashflow, streamline trade terms and choose the right financial products. We believe Australian businesses are the driving force behind our economy and are core to our communities. That’s why our business expertise, focus on relationships, and market-leading technology is at the core of everything we do. We’ve helped solve the credit and payment pain points for more than 30,000 businesses, providing over $6 billion in aggregate funding. Our unique approach to product innovation combined with our collaborative culture means you can build your career in a supportive environment. You’ll be joining a diverse team of over 300 people who are always looking to deliver better outcomes for Australian businesses. About the role: We're seeking a hands-on QA Automation Lead to join our team and champion quality throughout our product. In this individual contributor role, you'll set the standard for how quality is integrated into our delivery process from the outset. You'll collaborate closely with Product Managers, Software Engineers, and other QA Automation Leads to ensure our products meet both customer needs and business standards. Rather than being brought in at the end to identify issues, you'll be embedded early in the development process. What you'll do: Drive Shift Left practices by getting involved early in story and feature design, shaping test approaches before code is written rather than waiting to be asked. Own and maintain end-to-end test automation, including migrating our test suite from Cypress to Playwright. Design and execute test strategies that address both functional and non-functional requirements across the UI, API, and backend. Conduct manual exploratory testing alongside automated coverage when appropriate. Identify, triage, and manage defects, collaborating with engineers to resolve them in line with agreed quality standards. Support incident response, including impact assessment, root cause analysis, and clear communication to stakeholders while issues are ongoing. Serve as a quality advocate across cross-functional teams, communicating risk and impact in terms understandable to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. What you'll bring: Extensive hands-on experience with test automation frameworks, ideally Playwright or Cypress. A proven track record of driving Shift Left testing practices, not just participating in them. Comfort working as an individual contributor with deep technical ownership rather than in a people leadership role. Strong communication skills, able to clearly explain technical issues and their impact to a variety of stakeholders. Experience in incident and defect management, including root cause analysis and stakeholder communication under pressure. A genuine curiosity about how things work and a focus on finding permanent solutions rather than quick fixes. The ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, adapting your approach as priorities change. Key benefits: Collaborative teams – a flat structure means everyone can learn from colleagues and senior leaders around the business. Be involved – come together with all of your colleagues every 100 days to share the product and technology roadmap and business strategy. Flexible working environment – we’re headquartered in North Sydney with state-based workplaces and offer a flexible work policy. Family support – industry leading 26 weeks paid parental leave. Purpose built spaces within our office – designed for collaboration, brainstorming, socialising, and focused work. Range of benefits supporting your physical, psychological and financial wellbeing. From a day off on your birthday to excellent end of trip facilities. #LI-Hybrid