Lead Automation Developer - Vice President

Citi; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 171,000 - 242,000; Full time

Job summary

Citi in Mississauga seeks a Lead Automation Developer to architect, refactor, and maintain scalable automation frameworks for UI and decoupled microservices in a fast Agile setting.

Lead hands-on automation engineering, implement shift-left testing, and integrate AI-powered utilities to enable self-healing scripts and predictive analytics within CI/CD pipelines.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of relevant software development experience.
• Proficiency in Java, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript with strong OOP fundamentals.
• Extensive experience with Selenium WebDriver and automation frameworks.
• Hands-on with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Tekton).
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes in CI/CD contexts.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale reusable Selenium-based automation frameworks for UI and API layers.
• Write production-grade automation code and utilities.
• Collaborate in early sprint planning to define automation requirements.
• Implement BDD/TDD approaches translating Gherkin to steps.
• Develop automated validation for REST APIs and microservices.
• Integrate AI tools to improve test scripts and coverage.
• Analyze failures and work with teams to resolve defects.

Skills

Java

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

OOP

Data structures & algorithms

Technical communication

Problem solving

AI-assisted coding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

IntelliJ IDEA

Selenium WebDriver

Jenkins

GitLab CI

GitHub Actions

Tekton

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Automation Developer for a fully hands‑on, programmatic engineering role dedicated to architecting, refactoring, and maintaining scalable, distributed test automation frameworks for complex, multi-tier User Interfaces (UI) and decoupled server‑side microservices. This engineering‑centric position requires treating test suites as first‑class software products, applying rigorous object‑oriented design patterns (such as Page Object Model, Singleton, and Factory patterns) and SOLID design principles to eliminate manual verification bottlenecks and minimize technical debt.

Operating within a high‑velocity Agile Scrum environment, you will collaborate closely as full‑stack automation application developers and with product owners to implement shift‑left testing methodologies, designing testability directly into the system architecture from the earliest stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

A core focus of this role is the integration of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) utilities to enable self‑healing element locators, accelerate programmatic script generation, and perform predictive analytics on test execution telemetry. Ultimately, you will bridge the gap between development and operations by engineering highly parallelized, deterministic automation pipelines that facilitate continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) with zero‑downtime delivery.

Responsibilities

• Framework Architecture & Design: Architect, implement, and scale robust, object‑oriented automation frameworks for UI and Server‑side components, prioritizing highly reusable Selenium‑based architectures (e.g., Page Object Model, Page Factory, and BDD‑Cucumber).
• Hands‑On Programmatic Engineering: Write clean, maintainable, and production‑grade code to develop complex test automation artifacts, including custom libraries, utility functions, and dynamic test scenarios.
• Shift‑Left Collaboration: Collaborate with cross‑functional engineering teams during early‑stage sprint planning and grooming to identify automation requirements, define technical acceptance criteria, and establish robust testability hooks within the application code.
• Methodology Implementation: Implement and advocate for Behavior Driven Development (BDD) and Test Driven Development (TDD) methodologies, translating Gherkin feature files into executable step definitions.
• Server‑Side Validation: Develop and execute automated validation suites for server‑side components, including RESTful APIs, microservices, and database layers using SQL and NoSQL queries.
• AI Tool Integration: Explore, evaluate, and integrate cutting‑edge AI tools and machine learning utilities to enable self‑healing test scripts, automate visual regression, and optimize test coverage.
• Defect & Execution Analysis: Analyze automated execution failures, debug complex script or environment issues, and work closely with development teams to resolve defects rapidly.

Recommended Qualifications

• 8‑12 years of relevant experience in software development.
• Programming Languages: Advanced, hands‑on programming proficiency in core languages including Java, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript, with a deep understanding of object‑oriented programming (OOP) principles, data structures, and algorithms.
• Development Tools & IDEs: Extensive experience utilizing modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), specifically IntelliJ IDEA, for writing, debugging, and refactoring clean, high‑quality automation code.
• AI‑Assisted Development: Hands‑on experience leveraging AI coding assistants, specifically GitHub Copilot, to accelerate script generation, refactor legacy code, and optimize test automation workflows.
• Professional Experience: Proven professional experience in a hands‑on software development or automation engineering role, with deep expertise in Selenium WebDriver and associated frameworks.
• CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Hands‑on experience configuring, maintaining, and optimizing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Tekton) to trigger automated test suites.
• Containerization & Orchestration: Experience orchestrating automated regression runs within containerized environments using Docker and Kubernetes via pipeline‑as‑code configurations.
• Version Control: Strong familiarity with version control systems (Git), branching strategies, and pull request workflows within an enterprise environment.
• Core Competencies: Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and technical communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex architectural concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical hands‑on software development experience.
• Master's degree preferred

This job description provides a high‑level review of the types of work performed. Other job‑related duties may be assigned as required.

Job Family Group

Technology

Job Family

Applications Development

Time Type

Full time

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range

$120,800.00 - $170,800.00

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

Other Relevant Skills

For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter.

Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi. Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision‑making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

This job opening is for an existing job vacancy.

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