Lead QA Engineer

Overview  Location – Toronto, ON (3 days from client office in Ethoca office)

Job Description:

We need a  Strong QA Lead  with  Java background, Kafka, API, Rest Assured, Selenium . This is a pivotal role responsible for quality engineering, automation, and testing of large-scale, distributed, event-driven systems.
This position focuses heavily on Kafka-based architectures, data pipelines, and hybrid environments spanning Open Stack (on-prem) and Azure cloud platforms. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in automation-first testing, event-driven validation, and end-to-end system quality across microservices and data platforms.
Responsibilities   Lead the design, development, and maintenance of automation frameworks for complex distributed systems
Provide technical leadership for testing strategy across Kafka-based event-driven architectures
Drive testing across:
Kafka-based event-driven systems (producers/consumers, message validation, data consistency)
Data pipelines and simulator-based testing (e.g., NiFi)
API and microservices validation
UI automation testing (Selenium)
Develop and execute end-to-end testing strategies across Open Stack (on-prem) and Azure environments
Minimise manual testing by identifying high-value automation opportunities
Ensure full end-to-end quality coverage across releases, including asynchronous workflows
Collaborate with engineers, architects, product owners, and cross-functional teams
Participate in code reviews and enforce engineering quality standards
Manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced Agile environment
Participate in on-call rotations and support production issues with root cause analysis
All About You / Qualifications   Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
Proven years of experience in Software Testing / Quality Engineering
Strong expertise in test automation frameworks and strategy
Hands-on experience with Kafka or event-driven systems testing
Experience testing distributed systems and asynchronous workflows
Strong programming skills in Java

Experience with APIs (REST/SOAP) and SQL/data validation

Experience with simulator tools such as Ni Fi

Experience with UI test automation using Selenium
Familiarity with Agile methodologies
Strong problem-solving, analytical thinking, and communication skills
Technical Skills   Kafka and event-driven system testing (required)
Automation testing frameworks
CI/CD tools (Jenkins)
API testing and data validation
Code reviews, branching strategies
Monitoring tools such as Dynatrace and Splunk
Nice to Have   

Experience with high-throughput, low-latency systems (payments, fintech)
Performance and scalability testing experience
Security and resiliency testing practices
Advanced Kafka patterns and streaming systems

Experience with distributed system failure testing and recovery

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