Lead QA Engineer

Remote (United States)

Job Details

Location: United States

Workplace: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 2-4 years in Quality Assurance, Test Automation, or Software Testing

Core Areas: QA Automation, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, API Testing, End-to-End Testing, Regression & Performance Testing, CI/CD Integration, Release Validation

Compensation: $80,000–$130,000; equity offered

About the Role

The Lead QA Engineer will establish and manage quality assurance processes for a platform supporting AI-driven workflows. As the first dedicated QA hire, this position will build the foundation for automated testing, release validation, and reliability metrics across web applications, APIs, and backend systems. Responsibilities include designing test strategies, developing automated test suites, identifying defects, and improving product stability, scalability, and usability.

This hands-on role involves working with a TypeScript and Python technology stack, maintaining test automation frameworks, and integrating quality checks into CI/CD pipelines. The position also requires close collaboration with software engineers, product managers, and designers to validate new features, troubleshoot issues, and standardize QA practices.

What You'll Do

Test Planning & Execution

• Develop, document, and execute comprehensive test plans for new features across web applications, APIs, and backend systems.
• Design, implement, and maintain automated unit, integration, and end-to-end test suites for applications built with TypeScript and Python.
• Perform regression and performance testing to evaluate application stability and readiness before major releases.
• Identify, reproduce, document, and track software defects, working directly with engineers to investigate issues and verify fixes.

Automation & Tooling

• Take ownership of the test automation framework, maintaining and extending automated testing capabilities using Cypress, Playwright, or comparable tools.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to identify defects and prevent regressions earlier in the development lifecycle.
• Use Postman, k6, or similar tools to validate API functionality, performance, and load behavior.
• Improve application observability through logs, alerts, and dashboards to support early detection of reliability and quality issues.

Collaboration & QA Processes

• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to understand user workflows, assess testing requirements, and identify high-risk areas.
• Collaborate with developers to troubleshoot defects, analyze root causes, and confirm successful resolution of reported issues.
• Establish, document, and standardize QA workflows, testing procedures, and quality practices to support future team growth.
• Participate in code reviews, release planning, and sprint retrospectives to improve software quality throughout the development lifecycle.
• Help establish consistent release validation practices and reliability metrics across the product.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 2–4 years of professional experience in Quality Assurance, Test Automation, or Software Testing.
• Practical experience testing web applications and REST or GraphQL APIs, including end-to-end testing.
• Experience working with software development lifecycles, version control, and continuous integration and deployment processes.

Required Skills

• Proficiency in Python, including the ability to develop and maintain automated tests.
• Strong familiarity with JavaScript/TypeScript testing tools such as Cypress, Playwright, or Jest.
• Knowledge of Python testing frameworks, including PyTest and unittest.
• Ability to design, maintain, and execute automated tests that support application functionality and reliability.
• Solid understanding of Git and CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, Render, or comparable platforms.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with close attention to software quality, maintainability, and technical detail.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to collaborate with engineering, product, and other cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience testing AI/ML systems, data pipelines, or machine learning model outputs.
• Familiarity with backend technologies and infrastructure, including Temporal, PostgreSQL, Redis, Docker, and FastAPI.
• Experience with performance testing or security testing.
• Previous experience in a startup environment, including the ability to work with ambiguity and support rapid software delivery.