QA Automation Lead

QA Automation Lead Latin America | 100% Remote About CodeRoad CodeRoad provides end-to-end software development services, helping businesses scale with ideal infrastructure solutions. From staff augmentation to dedicated IT teams and general software engineering, our nearshore technology services empower businesses to thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape. About the Role As a QA Automation Lead , you will serve as the technical backbone for our quality engineering organization, designing scalable automation frameworks while actively steering our testing strategy forward. You will anchor the shift from legacy manual processes toward a mature, automated quality ecosystem across web, mobile, and API layers. Recognizing that sustainable automation takes time to build, you will comfortably balance hands-on functional testing today with the strategic architectural vision needed for tomorrow. This role is critical to transforming our delivery pipeline, accelerating release cycles, and reducing production risks in high-velocity environments. You will evaluate current tooling, recommend next-generation automation frameworks, and lead cross-functional engineering PODs through the execution of our quality roadmap. Your technical leadership will directly shape how we build, scale, and maintain resilient software solutions for US-based enterprise clients. Key Responsibilities Steer Automation Strategy: Evaluate legacy testing processes, select modern automation tools, and architect scalable testing frameworks (web, API, mobile) from the ground up. Execute Pragmatic Testing: Balance building new automation assets with hands-on manual and exploratory testing to maintain high quality coverage during the transition phase. Orchestrate Pipeline Integration: Embed automated test suites into CI/CD workflows to enable continuous validation, early defect detection, and fast feedback loops. Drive Tooling & Standards: Establish organization-wide QA standards, test data management practices, and framework maintenance guidelines to ensure long-term stability. Lead Quality Transformations: Guide engineering PODs through process shifts, leading risk assessments, defect triage, and root-cause analysis alongside development leads. Mentor & Elevate Engineers: Upskill manual QA team members, driving adoption of automation best practices through regular code reviews and technical mentoring. Requirements Experience: 6+ years of dedicated experience in software quality engineering, with at least 2+ years in a technical lead or transformation-focused role. Hands-on Automation Mastery: Proven track record building resilient, maintainable test automation frameworks using Playwright , Cypress , Selenium , or WebdriverIO . Pragmatic Mindset: Strong willingness to execute manual and functional testing as needed while designing and building out the long-term automation suite. API & Backend Testing: Deep expertise validating RESTful/gRPC APIs using both automated scripts and manual tools like Postman , Swagger , or Charles Proxy . Database & Tooling Proficiency: Advanced command of SQL for backend data validation alongside test management tools ( Jira , TestRail , Zephyr ). Soft Skills: High ownership mindset, proactive strategic leadership, and the ability to influence cross-functional technical stakeholders. Communication: Advanced English proficiency (written and verbal) for seamless collaboration with executive leadership and US-based clients. Nice to Have CI/CD Orchestration: Hands-on experience configuring automated test runs within GitHub Actions , Jenkins , or GitLab CI . Performance & Load Testing: Familiarity with performance and load testing frameworks like k6 , JMeter , or Gatling . Mobile Automation: Experience setting up mobile test automation suites using Appium or Detox . Containerization: Basic experience with Docker for spinning up containerized test environments. What You’ll Love 100% Remote (USA Contractor model) Competitive USD compensation Holidays off & Paid Time Off Health insurance assistance program Growth opportunities with high-growth US-based companies and modern tech stacks