Senior QA Automation Engineer

Empower Pharmacy; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Empower Pharmacy seeks a Senior QA Automation Engineer to advance its enterprise test automation across complex systems supporting 503A/503B operations, including manufacturing, order management, and compliance-critical apps. Lead automation architecture, framework design, CI/CD integration, and risk-based testing.

The role requires senior technical leadership, proficiency in UI/API testing, and experience with regulated environments, quality assurance, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field.
• 6+ years QA automation in professional software environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve scalable test automation frameworks.
• Lead automation strategy and framework architecture.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Investigate and resolve automation failures and production incidents.

Skills

Automation frameworks

UI testing

API testing

CI/CD

Risk analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Selenium

Cypress

Playwright

Jenkins

Azure DevOps

GitLab CI

Job description

Empower Pharmacy is a visionary healthcare company dedicated to making quality, affordable medication accessible to millions of patients nationwide. As the nation’s most advanced 503A compounding pharmacy and FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility, we’re redefining what’s possible in personalized medicine and pharmaceutical manufacturing. We’re proud to be recognized as one of Houston’s fastest-growing private companies and ranked #116 in Healthcare & Medical on the Inc. 5000 List for 2025.

Our strength is built on four core values: People, Quality, Service, and Innovation. Guided by these principles, we’ve created a uniquely integrated healthcare platform powered by advanced technology, operational excellence, and a relentless commitment to patient care. From manufacturing and quality control to distribution and customer experience, our teams work together to raise industry standards, expand access to critical medications, and improve outcomes for patients and providers across the country.

At Empower, joining our team means more than starting a new role. It means becoming part of a mission-driven organization that’s transforming healthcare at scale. We invest deeply in our people, encourage bold thinking, and create opportunities for growth, leadership, and innovation at every level. Your ideas matter here, your development is supported, and the work you do has a direct impact on the lives of millions.

If you thrive in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment where innovation, collaboration, and ambition come together, Empower Pharmacy is the place for you. Let’s transform healthcare together.

Position Summary:

The Senior QA Automation Engineer serves as a senior technical authority responsible for advancing Empower's enterprise test automation strategy across complex software systems supporting rapidly scaling 503A/503B operations, including manufacturing, order management, and compliance-critical applications. This role establishes scalable automation approaches, technical standards, and quality engineering practices that improve software reliability, release confidence, and organizational speed.

The position provides advanced technical leadership across the full automation lifecycle, including automation architecture, test strategy, framework design, CI/CD integration, risk-based testing, defect prevention, and continuous improvement. The Senior QA Automation Engineer exercises substantial independent judgment in identifying systemic quality risks, evaluating complex technical tradeoffs, and recommending solutions that influence multiple applications and cross-functional teams.

Operating in a highly regulated environment, this role serves as a key technical partner to Engineering, Product, QA, Validation, and business stakeholders to ensure automated testing practices are scalable, reliable, traceable, and aligned with applicable computer system validation and data integrity requirements. The position also provides technical guidance and mentorship to QA engineers and analysts, strengthens organizational automation capabilities, and identifies emerging technologies and AI-enabled opportunities that improve testing effectiveness while maintaining accountable engineering judgment.

Responsibilities:

Test Automation Architecture and Technical Leadership

• Automation Strategy: Lead the development and evolution of scalable test automation strategies across multiple applications and technology environments. Establish automation priorities based on business risk, technical complexity, release frequency, and organizational impact.
• Framework Architecture: Design and evolve reusable automation frameworks, standards, and patterns supporting UI, API, integration, regression, and other automated testing needs. Evaluate technical tradeoffs and establish approaches that improve maintainability, scalability, reliability, and long-term engineering efficiency.
• Technical Standards: Define and promote automation engineering standards, coding practices, test design principles, and documentation requirements that improve consistency and quality across teams. Review complex automation solutions and provide technical recommendations to strengthen overall testing practices.
• CI/CD Enablement: Partner with Engineering and DevOps teams to embed automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and release processes. Identify opportunities to improve test execution speed, environment reliability, test data management, and quality feedback loops across the software delivery lifecycle.

Quality & Problem Solving

• Risk-Based Test Strategy: Lead the assessment of complex system changes and determine appropriate automation and testing strategies based on business criticality, technical risk, regulatory requirements, integration dependencies, and potential customer or operational impact.
• Complex Problem Resolution: Investigate complex automation failures, systemic defects, production incidents, and recurring quality issues. Apply advanced technical analysis to identify root causes, evaluate solution alternatives, and recommend sustainable corrective actions.
• Quality Engineering: Influence a proactive quality engineering approach by identifying quality risks early in the development lifecycle and partnering with technical teams to improve testability, defect prevention, and release readiness.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead initiatives that improve automation coverage, test reliability, framework maintainability, and engineering efficiency. Identify systemic opportunities to reduce manual testing, eliminate recurring defects, and strengthen the organization's overall quality maturity.

Cross-Functional & Enterprise Influence

• Strategic Partnership: Serve as a senior technical advisor to Engineering, Product, QA, Validation, and business stakeholders on automation capabilities, testing risks, quality tradeoffs, and release readiness.
• Technical Influence: Lead cross-functional discussions involving complex testing challenges and competing priorities. Influence technical decisions and quality strategies through expertise, data, risk analysis, and practical recommendations.
• Mentorship and Capability Building: Provide advanced technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to QA engineers, analysts, and other technical team members. Share expertise, establish reusable practices, and strengthen organizational capability in automation engineering.
• Technology Evaluation: Evaluate emerging testing technologies, AI-enabled capabilities, and automation tools to determine their potential value and appropriate use within Empower's technology environment.

Regulated Quality & Compliance

• Compliance Strategy: Provide technical leadership for automation practices supporting regulated applications and ensure testing approaches maintain appropriate traceability, documentation, data integrity, and validation discipline.
• Validation Partnership: Partner with Validation and Quality teams to translate regulatory and computer system validation requirements into practical, scalable automated testing approaches.
• Risk Escalation: Independently identify and elevate significant technical and quality risks that could affect regulated operations, software reliability, business continuity, or compliance.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Advanced expertise designing and evolving scalable test automation frameworks for UI, API, integration, and regression testing using technologies such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or similar platforms.
• Advanced understanding of API testing, SQL, test data management, service integrations, and complex software architectures.
• Strong expertise integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and software delivery workflows using tools such as Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitLab CI, Git, or comparable technologies.
• Advanced ability to evaluate technical risk, diagnose complex automation and software failures, identify systemic patterns, and develop sustainable solutions.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, SDLC practices, Agile delivery, quality engineering principles, and strategies for improving software testability and defect prevention.
• Ability to influence technical decisions and communicate complex quality risks, technical tradeoffs, and recommendations to audiences with varying levels of technical expertise.
• Advanced ability to establish and improve automation standards, frameworks, and practices that support multiple applications, teams, or technology environments.
• Working knowledge of computer system validation, 21 CFR Part 11, data integrity, traceability, and documentation requirements applicable to regulated software environments.
• Ability to evaluate and responsibly apply AI-enabled tools to improve test design, automation development, defect analysis, and engineering productivity while maintaining human review and accountable technical judgment.
• A plus: Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals.
• A plus: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900).
• Customer Focus: Builds trust through customer-centric solutions.
• Strategic AI: Guides responsible AI adoption and adaptation.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Drives efficiency with continuous improvement.
• Collaborates: Partners effectively to achieve shared goals.
• Resourcefulness: Secures and deploys resources efficiently.
• Manages Complexity: Simplifies and solves complex challenges.
• Ensures Accountability: Delivers on commitments with integrity.
• Situational Adaptability: Adjusts approach to shifting conditions.
• Communicates Effectively: Tailors messages to diverse audiences.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and practical experience required.
• 6+ years of experience in QA automation, building and maintaining automated test scripts and frameworks in a professional software environment, including demonstrated experience designing automation frameworks, standards, or reusable patterns — not solely writing individual test cases required.
• Proven ability to design test strategies, troubleshoot automation failures, document test evidence, and deliver reliable testing outcomes across cross-functional stakeholder groups required.
• ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) required.
• Experience testing within regulated, quality-controlled, or highly documented software environments (e.g., pharma, healthcare, life sciences) where computer system validation (CSV), 21 CFR Part 11, and traceability are important preferred.
• Experience with performance or load testing tools (e.g., JMeter, k6) and exposure to cloud platforms (AWS or Azure) preferred.
• ISTQB Advanced Level – Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE), or equivalent test automation certification preferred.
• A plus: Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals.
• A plus: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900).
• Customer Focus: Builds trust through customer-centric solutions.
• Strategic AI: Guides responsible AI adoption and adaptation.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Drives efficiency with continuous improvement.
• Collaborates: Partners effectively to achieve shared goals.
• Resourcefulness: Secures and deploys resources efficiently.
• Manages Complexity: Simplifies and solves complex challenges.
• Ensures Accountability: Delivers on commitments with integrity.
• Situational Adaptability: Adjusts approach to shifting conditions.
• Communicates Effectively: Tailors messages to diverse audiences.

Values:

• People: Empowering people defines who we are.
• Quality: Excellence in every product, every time.
• Service: Serving others is our highest purpose.
• Innovation: Advancing care through technology and discovery.

Employee Benefits, Health, and Wellness:

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to remain in a stationary position for a significant amount of the workday and frequently use their hands and fingers to handle or feel in order to access, input, and retrieve information from the computer and other office productivity devices. Employees are regularly required to move about the office and around the corporate campus. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.