Senior Software Test Automation Engineer

Role:
Senior Software Test Automation Engineer

Location:

Kochi, Kerala (On-Site)

Role Overview

- Lead an automation-first quality engineering strategy for SaaS and AI-native platforms.
- Define and enforce automation coverage targets (80%+ regression), eliminating manual dependency.
- Drive end-to-end UI, API, and backend automation embedded into engineering workflows.
- Own CI/CD quality gates and release readiness, ensuring predictable, high-confidence deployments.
- Systematically eliminate repetitive manual testing cycles through scalable automation frameworks.
- Enable faster innovation and safer releases through measurable quality, performance, and reliability controls.

Key Responsibilities

Automation Framework & Quality Strategy

- Design and build automated QA testing frameworks from scratch, covering UI, API, backend, and AI validation layers.
- Define automation coverage targets (unit, integration, regression) and continuously improve coverage.
- Validate unit and integration test coverage in collaboration with engineering teams.
- Drive regression automation, especially after guardrail, security, and model updates.
- Ensure test frameworks are scalable, maintainable, and CI/CD ready.

CI/CD, Quality Gates & Release Control

- Integrate automated QA test suites into CI/CD pipelines.
- Own automated quality gates, including:

Regression, API, and integration test pass/fail thresholds

Performance and latency benchmarks

- Control release readiness based on automated test outcomes.
- Provide fast, reliable feedback on every commit and deployment.

UI, API & Backend Automation

- Develop UI automation using Playwright.
- Implement BDD-based automation using Cucumber where appropriate
- Build fully automated API test suites, including:

Contract and integration testing

API rate-limiting behavior validation

- Perform backend and data validations using SQL.
- Validate timeout handling, incomplete input scenarios, and failure paths.

AI / LLM Quality Engineering & Validation

- Own automated validation of AI/LLM behavior in collaboration with AI and Python engineering teams.
- Validate AI model accuracy and response quality for large-scale models (e.g., 70B parameter models running on NVIDIA platforms).
- Design and execute automation for AI guardrails, including:

Scope control testing (off-topic, restricted advice, HR-sensitive, and competitor-related queries)

Prompt injection and SQL injection prevention testing

- Validate graceful degradation during LLM, vector DB, or backend failures.
- Ensure user-friendly error messaging for AI and system failures.

Multilingual & Compliance-Focused Testing

- Perform automated multilingual testing, with a focus on Arabic language accuracy and RTL behavior
- Validate linguistic correctness, intent preservation, and response consistency across languages
- Execute AI bias and fairness testing across:

Gender, age, ethnicity, education, and EEOC-related dimensions.

- Ensure compliance with internal AI ethics, governance, and regulatory guidelines.

Performance, Scalability & Reliability Testing

- Conduct performance benchmarking across application and AI layers
- Measure and validate:

Response time benchmarks (P95 / P99 latency)

Concurrent user load and stress behavior

Endurance and soak testing under sustained loads

- Validate API throttling, retry mechanisms, and rate-limit enforcement
- Ensure system stability and predictable degradation under peak loads

Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

- Define and track automation-driven success metrics, including:

Unit, integration, and regression automation coverage

CI pipeline pass rates and failure trends

Escaped defects to production

Time from commit to release

- Use metrics to continuously refine automation strategy and platform quality.

Required Skills & Experience

- 10+ years of experience in Software Quality Engineering / SDET roles.
- Proven expertise in designing automated QA frameworks from scratch.
- Strong hands-on experience with Playwright for UI automation.
- Experience implementing BDD frameworks such as Cucumber.
- Strong programming skills in JavaScript / Type Script;
Python experience for AI test automation.

- Experience with automated API, contract, and integration testing.
- Solid SQL knowledge for backend and data validation.
- Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated quality gates.
- Hands-on experience with performance and reliability testing.
- Good understanding of AI security, bias, fairness, and ethical testing principles.

Tools & Technologies

- Automation:
Playwright, Cucumber
- Programming:
JavaScript / Type Script, Python
- AI Platforms: LLMs (70B scale), NVIDIA-based inference stacks
- API & Backend Testing:
Automated frameworks, SQL
- CI/CD:
Jenkins, Git Lab Actions, Git Lab CI
- Defect Tracking:
Jira

Nice to Have

- Experience testing AI-native or LLM-powered SaaS platforms
- Exposure to multi-tenant SaaS systems

- Experience with HRMS, ATS, ERP, or compliance-driven platforms
- Familiarity with AI governance, guardrails, and responsible AI frameworks
- Prior…