Lead Automation Tester

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Automation Tester to own end-to-end quality assurance across our banking and financial technology platforms. Reporting into engineering leadership, this role directs the test automation function across API, middleware, and front-end channels, ensuring the consistent delivery of secure, scalable, and high-quality solutions in a demanding financial services environment.

The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise in test automation with proven leadership capability and a sound understanding of banking systems, regulatory obligations, and integration-heavy architectures. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will set quality strategy and standards while remaining close to the frameworks, pipelines, and code that deliver them.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of enterprise-wide test automation frameworks.
• Define and drive the quality assurance strategy across front-end, API, middleware, and backend systems.
• Develop and execute automated test scripts for web, mobile, and API-based applications.
• Partner with Business Analysts, Developers, DevOps Engineers, Product Owners, and other stakeholders to define testing requirements and quality standards.
• Oversee functional, regression, integration, system, and end-to-end testing activities.
• Ensure all testing aligns with banking compliance, security, and audit requirements.
• Manage defect tracking, root cause analysis, and reporting across the software development lifecycle.
• Mentor and guide junior and intermediate QA engineers and automation testers.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support CI/CD pipeline integration and automated deployment validation.
• Provide test metrics, reporting, and risk assessments to leadership and project stakeholders.

Technical Requirements

Essential Skills & Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in software testing, including at least 2 years in a lead or senior automation role.
• Demonstrable experience within banking, financial services, fintech, or payments environments.
• API testing using tools such as Postman, Rest Assured, SoapUI, and Swagger / OpenAPI.
• Front-end automation using Selenium WebDriver, Cypress, Playwright, or Robot Framework.
• Proficiency in one or more programming and scripting languages: Java, JavaScript / TypeScript, or Python.
• Hands-on experience with test frameworks including TestNG, JUnit, and Cucumber / BDD.
• Working knowledge of CI/CD tooling such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or Azure DevOps.
• Familiarity with version control systems, particularly Git.
• Experience with SQL and database validation testing.
• A strong understanding of microservices and distributed systems architecture.

Banking & Financial Domain Experience

The ideal candidate will bring exposure to:

• Digital banking platforms
• Payment gateways and transaction processing
• Core banking integrations
• Regulatory and compliance testing
• Security and authentication testing
• Financial reporting systems
• High-volume transactional environments

Knowledge of FICA, PCI-DSS, POPIA, and AML / KYC processes will be a distinct advantage.

Qualifications

• A relevant degree or diploma in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
• ISTQB certification (advantageous).
• Additional automation or cloud certifications (beneficial).

Preferred Attributes

• Experience leading distributed or hybrid QA teams.
• Exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure.
• Experience with performance and security testing tools.
• A working understanding of DevSecOps practices.

Leadership & Personal Attributes

• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Clear communication and high-quality documentation skills.
• The ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.
• A detail-oriented, quality-first mindset.

Measures of Success

Performance In This Role Will Be Assessed Against

• Increased automation coverage across platforms.
• Reduced manual regression testing effort.
• Improved release quality and stability.
• Faster deployment cycles with minimal production defects.
• Effective leadership and mentorship within the QA function.