Contract Lead Quality Test Automation Engineer - Hybrid Onsite in Boston​/Ability

Contract to Hire Lead Quality Test Automation Engineer - Hybrid Onsite in Boston

Location:

Boston, United States

Sector:
Financial Services

Open to W2 and CTC contractors.

• Strong engineering/QE foundation with hands‑on automation experience, not just tool‑based testing.
• Java development or Java‑based automation experience;
  Gherkin/BDD syntax is important.
• Trading technology domain exposure, ideally OMS, pre‑trade, post‑trade, or broader asset management experience.
• CI/CD experience, preferably Jenkins, plus cloud exposure; AWS is ideal, but any cloud is acceptable.
• Automation framework experience, Playwright for UI testing.
• Leadership experience guiding QE engineers, solving failures, improving frameworks, and mentoring team members.
• AI‑assisted development/testing exposure, such as Claude, Git Hub Copilot, or building/testing agents.
• Ability to be 70% hands‑on and 30% leadership/direction.

We are seeking a Lead Quality Engineer to join our Trading Platform Engineering team within Investment Implementation & Trading (IIT) Technology. In this role you will support business‑critical applications in an asset management environment. This position focuses on ensuring high‑quality software delivery through testing and automation, working closely with technology team members and business partners to deliver resilient systems and continuously improve how we build and test software.

This is a hands‑on Lead Quality Engineer role supporting mission‑critical Trading Technology platform. The manager needs someone who is highly trusted, technically strong, and capable of “running the show”. Ownership is critical for this role.

• Define and drive the overall quality engineering strategy across applications and initiatives.
• Own and evolve test and automation strategies, ensuring alignment with architecture and business goals.
• Lead end‑to‑end test design, execution, and automation across multiple work streams.
• Drive the development and adoption of scalable automation frameworks and best practices.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to QE engineers, guide design and execution.
• Collaborate with business, product, and engineering teams to translate complex requirements into effective test strategies.
• Establish and enforce quality gates and release standards across the SDLC.
• Proactively identify, track, and mitigate delivery risks and quality issues, providing regular updates to stakeholders.
• Lead efforts to diagnose and resolve performance, scalability, and stability issues in complex systems.
• Champion QE best practices, innovation, and continuous improvement, including adoption of AI‑driven testing solutions.
• Lead proof‑of‑concepts (POCs) for new tools, frameworks, and automation approaches.
• Drive and optimize CI/CD integration, enabling continuous testing and faster, reliable releases.
• Collaborate effectively across onshore and offshore teams, ensuring alignment and delivery consistency.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field.
• 8+ years of QE/testing experience.
• Proven experience leading QE efforts or managing QE teams.
• Deep expertise across multiple testing types, including functional, performance, and end‑to‑end.
• Strong hands‑on automation experience with working knowledge of BDD frameworks.
• Strong understanding of software engineering practices, design principles and coding standards.
• Hands‑on experience in building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and leadership skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across levels.
• Experience leveraging AI‑assisted development and testing tools (e.g., Git Hub Copilot, Claude Code).

• Working knowledge of Order Management systems and trading workflows.
• Experience managing or coordinating work across onshore and offshore teams.
• Proficiency in Java (or any other programming language).

• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills.
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to drive outcomes end‑to‑end.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced, team‑oriented environment.
• Strategic thinking…