Software Test Automation Lead

Cognizant Life Sciences Manufacturing; Limerick; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant Life Sciences Manufacturing seeks a Software Test Automation Lead (MES) to drive testing and validation for MES implementations, upgrades, and integrations in a regulated manufacturing setting. You will own the testing strategy, act as the release gate, and lead CSV activities to ensure quality before production.

You will build test documentation, coordinate with process owners and validation teams, and weave automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to raise release quality and speed.

Qualifications

• Led QA/testing for complex enterprise software in Agile/DevOps.
• Defined and executed full-spectrum testing: functional, regression, integration, performance, automation, UAT.
• Embedded test automation in CI/CD pipelines and release cycles.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the testing strategy across MES projects from planning through execution.
• Serve as release quality gate ensuring regulatory, functional, and performance criteria are met before production.
• Guide CSV activities ensuring testing aligns with GxP, GAMP 5, and lifecycle expectations.
• Build and maintain test plans, cases, scripts for functional, regression, integration, performance, automation, and UAT.

Skills

QA leadership

Testing strategy

CI/CD automation

GxP knowledge

Stakeholder mgmt

Tools

Azure DevOps

Cucumber

Behave

Tosca

Robot

Xray

Zephyr

qTest

Job description

About the Role

Software Test Automation Lead (MES) About the Role Lead the testing and validation function for MES implementations, upgrades, and integration programs in a regulated manufacturing environment, driving both team performance and technical testing strategy.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the overall testing strategy across MES implementation, upgrade, and integration projects, ensuring end-to-end coverage from planning through execution.
• Serve as the release quality gate for MES changes, confirming that regulatory, functional, and performance criteria are satisfied before anything reaches production.
• Guide Computer System Validation (CSV) activities, ensuring all testing aligns with GxP, GAMP 5, and regulated software lifecycle expectations.
• Build and maintain the full suite of test documentation - plans, cases, and scripts - spanning functional, regression, integration, performance, automation, and UAT testing.
• Work with manufacturing process owners, business stakeholders, and validation teams to make sure test scenarios genuinely reflect how operations run on the floor.
• Own defect management end-to-end: triage, prioritisation, root cause analysis, and resolution tracking, using Azure DevOps, Jira, or equivalent platforms.
• Partner with development and DevOps teams to weave automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, raising release quality, repeatability, and delivery speed.
• Select, roll out, and refine test automation frameworks and standards fit for a regulated MES environment.
• Keep test environments properly configured and aligned with production-like conditions.
• Report testing metrics, quality status, and risk assessments in a form that gives stakeholders and senior leadership genuine visibility into project health.
• Build and lead a team of test and validation engineers, embedding a culture of quality ownership and continuous improvement.

Required Skills

• What We're Looking For A track record leading QA/testing functions on complex enterprise software programs within Agile/DevOps delivery models.
• Demonstrated ability to define and run a full-spectrum testing strategy - functional, regression, integration, performance, automation, and UAT - while leading a QA team.
• Practical experience embedding test automation frameworks into CI/CD pipelines.
• Direct experience with Azure DevOps, plus test tools such as Cucumber, Behave, Tosca, or Robot and test management frameworks such as Xray, Zephyr, qTest, or similar.
• Solid MES testing background - Emerson Syncade (DeltaV MES) preferred - covering electronic batch records, workflow configuration, and system integrations in a regulated setting.
• Working knowledge of GxP, CSV, and GAMP 5, along with experience testing MES integrations with systems like SAP and LIMS, gained in a pharma or life sciences environment.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable with a hybrid schedule: three days on-site in Limerick, two days remote.