QA Automation Engineer

PHIZENIX; Hyderabad; Hybrid; INR 2,500,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

PHIZENIX is seeking an experienced QA Automation lead to establish and scale a comprehensive testing program for an AI-native financial platform. You will build the testing strategy from scratch, craft a high-performing QA team, and own QA across frontend, backend, API, and AI/ML components.

You will drive test automation, CI/CD integration, and security/compliance testing while shaping quality culture and ensuring reliability in mission-critical fintech operations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in QA/test automation with leadership experience.
• Expert in API/UI/backend testing across web/mobile stacks.
• Strong programming in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement end-to-end test automation strategy and framework.
• Lead QA team (2–10 engineers) and establish quality processes.
• Develop AI/ML testing strategies for LLM features and agentic workflows.
• Coordinate CI/CD integration and data management for tests.
• Ensure security, privacy, and compliance testing standards.

Skills

Automation

QA Leadership

Python

JavaScript

E2E Testing

Tools

Playwright

Cypress

Selenium

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

Docker

Job description

Position Overview

We're seeking an experienced QA Automation engineering to establish and lead our quality assurance function. This is a critical role responsible for building comprehensive test automation frameworks, defining quality processes, and ensuring the reliability and security of our AI-native financial platform. You'll be the first dedicated QA responsible for creating our testing strategy from the ground up, building a high-performing QA team, and establishing quality standards across frontend, backend, API, and AI/ML components. This role requires both deep technical expertise in test automation and leadership skills to build and scale a world-class QA organization.

Why This Role is Exciting

Build from Scratch - Define QA strategy, frameworks, and processes from day one

AI/ML Testing - Test cutting-edge LLM applications and agentic workflows

Full Stack Ownership - Cover frontend (React), backend (Python/FastAPI), APIs, and databases

Leadership Impact - Build and lead a QA team; shape quality culture

Ensure quality for mission-critical financial operations

Key Responsibilities

Test Automation Strategy & Framework (35%) Design and implement comprehensive test automation framework Build API test automation (REST, GraphQL) Implement frontend E2E testing (Playwright, Cypress) Create backend/integration test suites Establish CI/CD integration for automated testing Define test data management strategy Implement performance and load testing frameworks

Quality Leadership & Team Building (25%) Build and lead QA team (2-5 engineers initially, scaling to 8-10) Define QA processes, standards, and best practices Establish quality metrics and KPIs Conduct 1-on-1s and performance reviews Mentor QA engineers on automation and testing practices Drive quality culture across engineering

AI/ML & LLM Testing (20%) Develop testing strategies for LLM-powered features Test agentic workflows and AI decision-making Validate model outputs and prompt engineering Test AI accuracy, consistency, and edge cases Implement monitoring for AI behavior in production Ensure responsible AI practices (bias, fairness)

Security & Compliance Testing (10%) Implement security testing (SAST, DAST) Test authentication, authorization, and RBAC Validate data encryption and privacy controls Ensure SOC 2, GDPR compliance requirements Conduct penetration testing coordination Test multi-tenant isolation and security

Release & Deployment Quality (5%) Define release testing procedures Implement smoke and regression test suites Validate staging and production deployments Coordinate with DevOps on deployment gates Post-deployment validation and monitoring

Collaboration & Communication (5%) Partner with Product on acceptance criteria Work with Engineering on testability Report quality metrics to leadership Identify and escape critical issues Document testing processes and runbooks

Technical Stack

Test Automation Tools API Testing: Postman, REST Assured, PyTest E2E Testing: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium Backend Testing: PyTest, unittest, integration tests Load Testing: JMeter, Locust, k6 Performance: Lighthouse, WebPageTest Programming & Frameworks Languages: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript Backend: FastAPI, PostgreSQL, REST APIs Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript Test Frameworks: PyTest, Jest, Mocha CI/CD & DevOps CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes Cloud: AWS (EC2, ECS, EKS, Lambda) Monitoring: Datadog, CloudWatch, Prometheus Security & Quality Tools SAST: SonarQube, Snyk, CodeQL DAST: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite Test Management: TestRail, Zephyr, Jira Version Control: Git, GitHub

Required Qualifications

Technical Expertise Automation & Testing 10+ years of QA/test automation experience with 3+ years in leadership Expert-level test automation skills (API, UI, backend) Strong programming in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript Proven experience building test automation frameworks from scratch Deep knowledge of testing methodologies (functional, integration, E2E, performance) CI/CD integration expertise with automated test pipelines API testing expertise (REST, GraphQL, WebSockets) Technical Skills Backend testing: Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, SQLAlchemy Frontend testing: React, TypeScript, Playwright/Cypress Performance testing: Load testing, stress testing, scalability validation Security testing: SAST, DAST, vulnerability scanning Database testing: SQL, data validation, database performance Cloud platforms: AWS (preferred), GCP, or Azure AI/ML Testing (Preferred) Experience testing LLM applications or AI/ML systems Knowledge of prompt engineering and model validation Understanding of AI testing challenges (non-determinism, bias) Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, or similar frameworks Leadership & Management Proven track record of building QA teams (3+ people) Experience establishing QA processes and standards from scratch Strong mentorship and coaching skills Excellent communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders Experience with cross-functional collaboration (Product, Engineering, DevOps) Startup experience preferred - ability to work in fast-paced environment Domain Knowledge SaaS platform testing experience (multi-tenant architecture) FinTech or financial services domain knowledge (preferred) Compliance testing experience (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA) Agile/Scrum methodology experience Nice to Have ISTQB Advanced or similar certifications AWS Certified Developer or Solutions Architect Experience with chaos engineering and resilience testing Knowledge of observability tools (Datadog, New Relic) Open-source contributions to testing frameworks Technical writing or conference speaking experience

Success Metrics

First 90 Days Assess current testing landscape and create comprehensive QA strategy Implement API test automation framework with 50+ test cases Set up E2E testing framework (Playwright/Cypress) with critical path coverage Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipeline Hire 1-2 QA engineers Establish test data management approach Define quality metrics and KPIs

First 6 Months Achieve 70%+ API test coverage Achieve 60%+ E2E test coverage for critical user flows Build QA team to 3-4 engineers Implement performance testing framework Establish security testing practices (SAST/DAST) Reduce production defects by 40% Implement AI/ML testing strategy for LLM features Achieve <10 minute test execution time in CI/CD

First Year Scale QA team to 5-8 engineers Achieve 80%+ overall test coverage Reduce production defect escape rate to <5% Implement continuous testing with <15 minute feedback loops Establish quality gates for all releases Achieve 99.5%+ test pass rate Build comprehensive test documentation and runbooks Establish SOC 2 compliant testing processes