Quality Assurance Automation Lead

Comptech Associates; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Comptech Associates seeks a Lead QA Engineer at the Associate Director Level in Toronto, Canada. This position combines hands-on technical excellence with leadership, overseeing a team of QA engineers and driving quality initiatives across the organization.

The ideal candidate will have 8+ years of software testing experience, leadership skills, and expertise in Python programming and testing methodologies. You will be responsible for quality strategies and lead hands-on testing activities.

Join us to mentor while ensuring exceptional outcomes within a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on software testing experience.
• 3+ years in a QA leadership or team lead role.
• Proven experience leading and mentoring QA teams of 3+ engineers.
• Expert-level programming skills in Python with 5+ years automation development experience.
• Advanced experience with test automation frameworks and tools.
• Deep understanding of testing methodologies, AI Testing, SDLC, and Agile practices.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Experience in developing QA strategies and implementing process improvements.
• Proficiency with version control (Git) and CI/CD tools (Github Actions, Jenkins).
• Expertise in API testing and performance testing tools (locust).

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of QA engineers.
• Define and implement QA strategies, standards, and best practices.
• Design, develop, and oversee automated test frameworks.
• Conduct hands-on testing for critical features and scenarios.
• Establish and monitor quality metrics and provide reports to stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in testing processes.
• Facilitate collaboration between QA, development, and product teams.

Skills

Software testing experience

QA leadership

Python programming skills

Test automation frameworks

Testing methodologies

Leadership and management

API testing

Stakeholder management

Tools

Python

Git

CI/CD tools (Github Actions, Jenkins)

Performance testing tools (locust)

Job description

Job Title: Lead QA Engineer (Associate Director Level)

Duration: 6months (CTH)

No. of Positions: 1

Job Description - Lead QA Engineer

What is the opportunity?

We're seeking an experienced QA Lead who can balance hands‑on technical excellence with team leadership. This role combines active testing and automation work with leading and mentoring a team of QA engineers. You'll drive quality initiatives, establish testing strategies, and ensure your team delivers exceptional results while remaining engaged in critical testing activities. This role is a 90% hands‑on role.

What will you do?

• Lead and mentor a team of QA engineers, providing technical guidance and career development support
• Define and implement QA strategies, standards, and best practices across the organization
• Design, develop, and oversee automated test frameworks using industry‑standard tools (Behave – Python - Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or similar)
• Allocate resources and prioritize testing efforts based on project needs and risk assessment
• Conduct hands‑on testing for critical features, complex scenarios, and architectural decisions
• Establish and monitor quality metrics, providing regular reports to stakeholders
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in testing processes and methodologies
• Facilitate collaboration between QA, development, and product teams
• Lead root cause analysis for critical defects and production issues
• Review and approve test plans, test cases, and automation scripts created by team members
• Manage test environments, test data strategies, and testing infrastructure
• Champion quality culture and advocate for testing best practices across the organization
• Coordinate release testing efforts and provide go/no‑go recommendations
• In this role, you will communicate and interact frequently with RBC partners and/or employees located across Canada and/or worldwide

What do you need to succeed?

Must‑have:

• 8+ years of hands‑on software testing experience
• 3+ years in a QA leadership or team lead role
• Proven experience leading and mentoring QA teams of 3+ engineers
• Expert‑level programming skills in Python with 5+ years automation development experience
• Advanced experience with test automation frameworks and tools
• Deep understanding of testing methodologies, AI Testing, SDLC, and Agile practices
• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Experience in developing QA strategies and implementing process improvements
• Proficiency with version control (Git), CI/CD tools (Github Actions, Jenkins)
• Expertise in API testing and performance testing tools (locust)
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to make technical decisions and provide architectural guidance
• Experience with resource planning, capacity management, and project estimation