VP of QA

Ztek Consulting; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

North Rock is seeking a hands-on Lead SDET with strong experience in both UI and Backend test automation to lead and build a unified QA automation framework for its in-house trading platform. The ideal candidate should have a solid foundation in manual testing, advanced automation across UI and Backend, and the ability to lead a growing QA team while remaining technically hands-on.

The platform includes order management, execution, and data analysis, with a React/TypeScript frontend and a

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on QA automation experience.
• Strong experience in both UI and Backend automation.
• Experience with Java, REST APIs, WebSockets, and Kafka.
• Strong SQL and database testing experience.
• Experience with React applications and complex UI workflows.
• Experience with distributed systems and event-driven architecture.
• Performance and load testing experience.
• CI/CD experience with Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions.
• Experience with Linux, Docker, AWS, and infrastructure automation.
• Strong understanding of test frameworks, integration testing, and automation best practices.
• Previous manual testing experience is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop UI and Backend QA automation.
• Design, build, and maintain a unified automation framework covering UI, API, Kafka, database, integration, and performance testing.
• Build Backend automation using Python, Java, REST APIs, WebSockets, and Kafka.
• Lead end-to-end testing across UI, services, messaging, and databases.
• Establish QA processes, test strategies, and automation standards.
• Own performance, load, integration, regression, and reliability testing.
• Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines.
• Work closely with Development teams to support weekly releases.
• Lead and mentor QA resources as the team grows.
• Collaborate with business analysts, traders, and engineering teams to ensure quality delivery.

Skills

UI Automation

Backend Automation

Manual Testing

Test Frameworks

Tools

Java

REST APIs

WebSockets

Kafka

SQL

React

Docker

AWS

Job description

• Responsibilities: Lead QA Automation for UI and Back-End.
• Experience: Strong manual testing background transitioning into automation.
• Domain Knowledge: Capital Management and Trading experience.
• Technical Skills: Combination of UI Automation, Back-End Automation
• Team Size: 2–3+ resources, with plans to grow.
• Hands-on: Yes. Must be actively involved in testing and automation to understand project status and deliverables.
• Release Cycle: Weekly Dev releases; QA must align with the development team.

Role Overview

North Rock is looking for a hands-on Lead SDET with strong experience in both UI and Backend test automation to lead and build a unified QA automation framework for its in-house trading platform.

The ideal candidate should have a strong foundation in manual testing, advanced automation experience across UI and Backend, and the ability to lead a growing QA team while remaining technically hands-on.

The platform covers order management, execution, and data analysis, with a React/TypeScript frontend and a distributed, event-driven backend.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop UI and Backend QA automation.
• Design, build, and maintain a unified automation framework covering UI, API, Kafka, database, integration, and performance testing.
• Build Backend automation using Python, Java, REST APIs, WebSockets, and Kafka.
• Lead end-to-end testing across UI, services, messaging, and databases.
• Establish QA processes, test strategies, and automation standards.
• Own performance, load, integration, regression, and reliability testing.
• Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines.
• Work closely with Development teams to support weekly releases.
• Lead and mentor QA resources as the team grows.
• Collaborate with business analysts, traders, and engineering teams to ensure quality delivery.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on QA automation experience.
• Strong experience in both UI and Backend automation.
• Experience with Java, REST APIs, WebSockets, and Kafka.
• Strong SQL and database testing experience.
• Experience with React applications and complex UI workflows.
• Experience with distributed systems and event-driven architecture.
• Performance and load testing experience.
• CI/CD experience with Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions.
• Experience with Linux, Docker, AWS, and infrastructure automation.
• Strong understanding of test frameworks, integration testing, and automation best practices.
• Previous manual testing experience is highly desirable.

Nice to Have

• Capital Markets, Trading, or Buy-Side experience.
• OMS/EMS, FIX protocol, market data, order execution, and risk management knowledge.
• Experience with Electron, OpenFin, or similar desktop environments.
• Kubernetes, Terraform, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry.
• Experience leading and mentoring QA teams.

Key Requirement:

Looking for a technical QA Lead who can handle both UI and Backend automation, lead the overall QA automation strategy, and actively contribute to the weekly release cycle