Lead QA Engineer - Automation & Quality Strategy

Ambry Genetics; California (MO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Ambry Genetics is seeking a Lead QA Engineer to own the quality engineering strategy for a portfolio of clinical software, including a HIPAA-compliant order platform and ETL tooling. You will set test architecture and automation standards, oversee nightly regression and CI/CD testing, and guide release readiness with evidence-based decisions.

The role requires expert Java/Python, browser automation with Playwright/Selenium, API testing, and cloud-based delivery (AWS/Azure).

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software QA with 7+ years automation and 3+ years in lead/ownership.
• Owning test architecture and automation standards across multiple applications/teams.
• Expert Java and/or Python with production-grade test code mindset.
• Hands-on with Playwright or Selenium WebDriver and JUnit 5/TestNG.
• API automation with REST Assured or Postman; contract validation experience.
• CI/CD automation experience (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, Bamboo).
• Advanced SQL and relational DB skills; data management for regulated data.
• Performance and load testing experience (JMeter, k6, Gatling).
• Cloud-native delivery (AWS/Azure) and Docker-based parallel test execution.
• Observability tools (Datadog, CloudWatch) and log analysis for defect investigation.
• HIPAA/SOX/HL7/FHIR knowledge; testing in regulated environments.
• Mentoring Senior and mid-level engineers; code reviews and onboarding.
• Strong verbal/written communication; ability to justify quality risks to leadership.
• Ability to chart technical direction and multi-quarter initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end QA strategy across the application portfolio: test architecture, tooling, coverage targets.
• Define automation framework architecture across suites and repositories; ensure robust selectors.
• Own CI/CD test orchestration, nightly regressions, health checks, artifact/version gating.
• Lead release readiness and go/no-go decisions with evidence-based dashboards.
• Drive shift-left in Agile teams; embed quality gates in delivery pipeline.
• Own compliance posture for HIPAA and SOX coverage; PHI handling and audit trails.
• Publish quality metrics: coverage, flake rate, escape rate, MTTR; drive improvements.
• Mentor QA/SDET, conduct code reviews, framework onboarding, and career development.
• Escalate complex failures; drive root-cause resolution across teams.
• Set non-functional testing standards (performance, load, resilience) and AI-assisted QA workflows.
• Collaborate with engineering, DevOps, and product leadership on architecture and release decisions.
• Stay hands-on: design and maintain automation for high-risk areas; validate night deployments.

Skills

QA leadership

Test architecture

Java/Python

Playwright/Selenium

API testing

CI/CD automation

SQL

Performance testing

Cloud (AWS/Azure)

Docker

Observability tooling

Healthcare compliance

Mentorship

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in CS

Tools

JUnit 5 / TestNG

Maven / Gradle

REST Assured / Postman

GitHub Actions / Jenkins

MySQL

JMeter / k6 / Gatling

Docker

Playwright / Selenium WebDriver

Job description

Ambry Genetics is seeking a Lead QA Engineer to own the quality engineering strategy for a portfolio of clinical software, including a HIPAA-compliant order platform and ETL tooling. You will set test architecture and automation standards, oversee nightly regression and CI/CD testing, and guide release readiness with evidence-based decisions.

The role requires expert Java/Python, browser automation with Playwright/Selenium, API testing, and cloud-based delivery (AWS/Azure).