Role:Test Automation Lead

Duration: 12 Months Contract

Location: Johannesburg-(Hybrid)

Job Purpose

The Test Automation Lead is responsible for defining, implementing, and governing the automation testing strategy across programmes and delivery teams. This role ensures high-quality, scalable, and efficient testing practices by driving automation adoption, establishing frameworks, and leading test teams within an agile, DevOps-enabled environment.

The role plays a key part in ensuring quality engineering excellence, reduced time-to-market, and improved customer experience across digital and core banking platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Automation Strategy & Leadership

• Define and implement the test automation strategy aligned to business and IT objectives
• Establish automation frameworks, standards, and best practices across delivery teams
• Drive shift-left testing and continuous testing practices within Agile/DevOps pipelines
• Provide thought leadership on modern testing approaches (AI-driven testing, performance engineering, etc.)

Delivery & Execution

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of automated test scripts
• Ensure coverage across:
• Functional testing
• API testing
• Regression testing
• Integration testing
• Oversee execution of automated test suites in CI/CD pipelines
• Monitor and report on quality metrics, defect leakage, and automation ROI

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and mentor Test Automation Engineers and QA teams
• Provide technical guidance and coaching on tools, frameworks, and best practices
• Drive capability development and upskilling initiatives
• Foster a culture of quality ownership within cross-functional squads

Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with:
• Product Owners
• Developers
• Architects
• DevOps teams
• Engage senior stakeholders on:
• Testing strategy
• Risk mitigation
• Quality assurance governance

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to QA standards and governance frameworks
• Support audit readiness and regulatory compliance
• Implement risk-based testing approaches

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field
• Relevant certifications (advantageous):
• ISTQB (Advanced Level preferred)
• Agile / Scrum certifications

Experience

• 8–10+ years in software testing
• 3–5+ years in Test Automation leadership role
• Proven experience in:
• Large-scale enterprise environments
• Financial services (highly advantageous)
• Agile and DevOps environments

Technical Skills

✅ Automation Tools & Frameworks

• Selenium / Cypress / Playwright
• RestAssured / Postman / API automation tools
• TestNG / JUnit / Cucumber (BDD frameworks)

✅ Programming / Scripting

• Java / Python / JavaScript

✅ DevOps & CI/CD

• Jenkins / Azure DevOps / GitLab CI
• Version control (Git)
• Integration of tests into pipelines

✅ Other Technologies

• API and microservices testing
• Performance tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner – advantageous)
• Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure – advantageous)

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership and people management
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving
• Excellent stakeholder engagement
• Attention to quality and detail
• Ability to influence delivery teams without direct authority
• Strong communication (technical & business)