Software QA Technical Lead

Contract to Hire - Hybrid (onsite location is Central Phoenix), Phoenix, AZ candidates only We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Technical Lead to drive our automation strategy and enhance our testing capabilities. What You’ll Do

• Own the quality platform : Set strategy, architecture, and standards for automation—Java today, with pragmatic evolution to modern UI / API automation where it improves reliability.
• Embed quality early : Drive PR-level tests, contract / API checks, and CI / CD quality gates for rapid, trusted developer feedback.
• Apply AI where it counts : Use AI / LLM-assisted test generation, self-healing locators, flake triage, and test-impact analysis to reduce toil and raise signal.
• Simplify the SDLC : With DevOps, streamline pipelines, test data management, environment provisioning, and release guardrails for faster flow.
• Solve hard problems with architects : Tackle cross-cutting issues (auth, data, performance, flakiness) and retire tech debt with durable solutions.
• Build the right tests : Expand reliable web / UI, API, and integration coverage; harden environments and test data.
• Coach and elevate : Mentor QA engineers, review automation code, and set standards for readability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Measure what matters : Stand up live dashboards (coverage, pass / fail, flakiness, MTTR) to inform decisions and continuously raise the bar.
• Own root cause : Lead deep-dive debugging across test and prod, driving prevention—not just fixes. Your Toolbox (What We Use & Value)
• Languages / Frameworks : Java, JUnit, Maven; BDD with Cucumber / Gherkin.
• Automation : Selenium WebDriver (today); informed experience with Playwright (Java / TypeScript) a plus.
• CI / CD & SCM : Jenkins, GitHub Actions; GitHub for collaboration.
• Observability & Metrics : Grafana (quality and performance dashboards).
• Backend / Platform context : Spring Boot / Spring Security; Oracle DB; FileNet / content systems.
• Scripting : PowerShell or similar for utilities.
• Quality practices : Testing pyramid, risk-based design, code reviews, and environment parity. Where We’re Headed (And Where You’ll Lead)
• GitHub-native CI / CD : Standardize on GitHub pipelines for frequent, automated deployments—define branch strategy, environment promotions, and reusable workflows that make shipping safe by default.
• Reliable testing for high velocity : Build a strategy that scales with cadence—PR checks, contract / API tests, fast UI smoke suites, test-impact analysis, deterministic data & ephemeral envs, parallelization, and rigorous flake control.
• AI-assisted, data-driven quality : Apply LLM-assisted test generation / self-healing and enforce quality gates backed by live dashboards (coverage, flakiness, MTTR, DORA) to boost signal and confidence.
• Framework evolution (tool-agnostic) : Evaluate and pilot modern UI / API automation options against clear criteria (reliability, speed, parity, maintainability, ROI) and recommend phased adoption that protects delivery. What You Bring
• 10+ years in QA / automation with 5+ years leading / architecting frameworks.
• Proven success embedding automated quality gates into CI / CD for high-velocity releases.
• Track record mentoring engineers and raising the bar on code quality and test design.
• Comfort collaborating with architects and senior engineers on systemic quality problems. Nice-To-Have
• Experience introducing AI tooling (e.g., Copilot, test-gen, self-healing) into real teams.
• Performance, security, or contract-testing exposure. Work Setup & Logistics
• Hybrid : Mostly remote; design / whiteboard sessions in Phoenix as needed.
• Equipment : Personal laptop required; Windows workstation provided for remote access.
• Eligibility : Must be AZ-local and able to work for any U.S. employer (no sponsorship).