QA Team Lead (Automation), Toronto time zone

We are looking for a skilled Lead QA Engineer who can actively contribute to creation of a new solution for one of the biggest world platforms that works with Data and Product Identification. It is a global organization that has been developing standards for effective communication in product and logistics for more than 40 years. The company is an authorized Microsoft partner with offices in over 100 countries, serving more than 2 million businesses worldwide.
The company’s product portfolio includes a wide range of solutions that support identification, standardization, data management, and secure cloud-based information exchange

It is a hands-on technical leadership role guiding quality engineering practice across our engineering projects and data exchange services. You will report to the QA Manager and drive the test automation strategy as well as champion quality at every iteration within a hybrid Agile environment.
This role combines manual exploratory testing and robust automated coverage on Playwright (TypeScript) and Selenium (Java). You will work closely with Developers, DevOps, Architects, Product Owners, and Business Analysts to ensure every release meets quality gates before progressing through the Secure SDLC.

Required skills:
• 7+ years in software quality assurance, including 2+ years in a Lead role;
• Hands-on, production experience with Playwright (TypeScript or JavaScript) for end-to-end UI/API automation;
• Hands-on experience with Selenium WebDriver (Java), including Page Object Model design patterns;
• Proficiency with Java (test automation) and TypeScript/JavaScript;
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar);
• Solid REST API testing skills (contract validation, status codes, schema assertions) using REST Assured, Postman, or Playwright;
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor QA engineers, including test-script code review;
• Experience in Agile/Scrum teams and ceremonies;
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to present quality metrics and risk to varied stakeholders;

Responsibilities:
Test Automation Leadership
• Design, build, and maintain the automated test suite using Playwright (TypeScript/JavaScript) for UI/API and Selenium (Java) for legacy and integration coverage;
• Define and enforce automation standards, coding conventions, and best practices across the QA team;
• Integrate automated suites into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines with quality gates on every pull request and deployment stage;
• Use the approved QA toolchain — LambdaTest for cross-browser/device execution, KaneAI for AI-assisted test authoring, and the GS1 AI Workbench (Claude) — to accelerate test design, coverage analysis, and defect triage;
Team Leadership & Mentorship
• Lead, coach, and mentor QA Engineers across automation and exploratory testing;
• Run regular test-script code reviews with constructive feedback to uphold automation quality;
• Partner with the QA Manager on team performance, workload planning, and development; act as a quality escalation point in sprint ceremonies and defect triage;
Quality Strategy & Process
• Own the end-to-end test strategy for assigned domains — functional, regression, integration, performance, and accessibility;
• Define and track QA KPIs (defect escape rate, automation coverage, cycle time, MTTD);
• Maintain and improve Quality Gate criteria within the Secure SDLC, including HITL review checkpoints for AI-assisted test generation; drive shift-left testing via BDD/TDD;
Collaboration, Tooling & Reporting
• Work with Architects to understand system boundaries, event-driven flows, and API contracts in the platform architecture as well as ensure acceptance criteria are testable and traceable;
• Manage the QA toolchain in Azure DevOps (test plans, suites, defect tracking);
• Produce clear quality reports and dashboards for the QA Manager and VP; support GAW telemetry and SquaredUp dashboards with QA metrics.

Will be a plus:
• Experience with AI-assisted QA tooling (KaneAI, LambdaTest) and LLMs such as Claude for test ideation, coverage analysis, and defect summarisation — or willingness to adopt them;
• Familiarity with Domain-Driven Design and bounded context boundaries;
• ISTQB certification.

We offer:
• Flexible working arrangements;
• Paid vacations and sick leaves;
• Partial compensation for any sports activity;
• Medical insurance;
• English courses paid by the company;
• Challenging, and fast-growing product;
• Autonomous team structure with a lot of freedom and ownership;
• Opportunities to speak with clients and the development team only in English and free English classes.