QA Lead

Heaptrace; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Heaptrace is seeking a sharp, ownership-driven Lead QA to run a team of 4-5 QA engineers while staying hands-on as an individual contributor. This player-coach role requires owning test strategy, mentoring the team, and driving AI-first QA across the function.

You will design and execute comprehensive test strategies, perform API testing, and build automation frameworks while ensuring release quality and risk management.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Software Testing / Quality Assurance.
• 2+ years leading or mentoring a QA team, formal title not required.
• Balance hands-on IC delivery with people leadership.
• Strong SDLC, STLC, and Agile knowledge.
• Hands-on with automation tools (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium).
• API testing and backend validation.
• Ability to write SQL queries.
• Experience with bug tracking and test management tools.
• Familiarity with CI/CD tools and Git.
• Strong analytical thinking and stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 4-5 QA engineers, providing direction.
• Plan workload and align with sprint and release commitments.
• Review test plans, cases, and automation code; uphold quality standards.
• Conduct 1:1s, performance reviews, and support QA hiring.
• Act as QA contact for developers, PMs, and delivery stakeholders.
• Own end-to-end quality for at least one module as hands-on tester.
• Design, develop, and execute test strategies (Functional, API, UI, Regression, E2E).
• Perform API testing with Postman/Playwright; build automation frameworks.
• Identify edge cases and potential production risks proactively.
• Own defect triage, RCA, and CI/CD integration of tests.
• Drive QA process improvement and report metrics to leadership.
• Apply AI-first QA approaches for smarter coverage and feedback.

Skills

QA leadership

Hands-on testing

API testing

Automation tooling

SDLC/STLC/Agile

SQL queries

CI/CD

Bug tracking

Git

Stakeholder communication

Tools

Playwright

Cypress

Selenium

Postman

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for a sharp, ownership-driven Lead QA who can run a team of 4-5 QA engineers while remaining hands-on as an individual contributor. This is a player-coach role: you will personally own test strategy and execution for critical modules, while also leading, mentoring, and unblocking a small QA team, and driving AI-first ways of working across the function. You deeply understand systems, identify risks early, and hold your team to the same bar of quality and curiosity that you hold yourself to.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 4-5 QA engineers, providing technical direction and career guidance
• Plan and distribute work across the team; balance workload against sprint and release commitments
• Review team members' test plans, test cases, and automation code; hold the line on quality standards
• Run 1:1s, contribute to performance reviews, and support hiring/interviewing for QA roles
• Act as the QA point of contact for developers, product managers, and delivery stakeholders
• Escalate and unblock issues for the team without slipping into micromanagement

Individual Contribution

• Own end-to-end quality for at least one critical module or product as a hands-on tester
• Design, develop, and execute comprehensive test strategies (Functional, API, UI, Regression, E2E)
• Perform hands-on API testing using tools like Postman / Playwright / similar
• Build and maintain automation frameworks (UI/API) that the rest of the team builds on
• Identify edge cases, hidden risks, and potential production issues proactively

Process & Quality Ownership

• Own the defect triage process and root cause analysis across the team's scope
• Contribute to and oversee CI/CD pipeline integration of automated test suites
• Drive continuous improvement in QA processes, test coverage, and release quality org-wide
• Report on team quality metrics, release readiness, and risk to leadership

AI-First Quality Engineering

• Leverage AI tools to accelerate test case creation, test data generation, and defect analysis — for yourself and the team
• Use AI-assisted automation for smarter test coverage and faster feedback cycles
• Explore and implement AI-driven testing approaches (self-healing locators, visual validation, anomaly detection)
• Utilize AI for root cause analysis, log analysis, and predictive risk identification
• Continuously evaluate and roll out new AI tools across the team to improve QA efficiency
• Own the team's adoption of AI-driven QA workflows and agentic testing strategies

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Software Testing / Quality Assurance
• 2+ years leading, mentoring, or informally guiding a QA team (formal title not required)
• Proven ability to balance hands-on IC delivery with people leadership
• Strong understanding of SDLC, STLC, and Agile methodologies
• Hands-on experience with automation tools (e.g., Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, etc.)
• Solid experience in API testing and backend validation
• Good understanding of databases and ability to write SQL queries
• Experience with bug tracking and test management tools
• Familiarity with CI/CD tools and version control (Git)
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and stakeholder communication skills

What We Value (Beyond Skills)

• High ownership mindset — accountable for the team's quality output, not just your own
• Servant leadership — ability to unblock and grow the team without micromanaging
• Strong logical thinking and ability to break down complex problems
• Curiosity to understand systems deeply, not just at surface level
• Heaptrace
• Ability to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions
• Openness to adopt AI-first ways of working and continuously evolve
• Clear and professional communication with both the team and leadership

Good to Have

• Experience with performance testing tools (JMeter, k6, etc.)
• Knowledge of security testing basics (OWASP concepts)
• Exposure to cloud environments (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with visual testing or accessibility testing
• Hands-on experience with AI tools or frameworks in testing
• Prior experience hiring or interviewing QA candidates

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to lead a team while staying hands-on in an AI-first engineering environment
• Ownership-driven culture with real influence on quality decisions and team growth
• Continuous learning with exposure to modern QA and AI-driven practices