Quality Assurance Manager - Automation Testing

What You Will Do (Key Responsibilities) : - End-to-End QA Strategy : Take complete ownership of the QA roadmap across manual, automation, regression, exploratory, API, performance, and release testing for both complex web platforms and mobile applications.- Automation Leadership : Spearhead automation initiatives from the ground up. You will design, scale, and maintain robust automation frameworks utilizing Python, Selenium, and BDD (Behavior-Driven Development) to improve execution efficiency and long-term codebase maintainability.- Team Mentorship & Capacity Planning : Manage, mentor, and scale a high-performing QA team. A core part of your role will be enabling manual QA engineers to upskill, transition, and actively contribute to automation efforts through structured coaching.- Release Management & Gatekeeping : Act as the ultimate quality gatekeeper. You will drive release validation, minimize production defect leakage, and conduct rigorous Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for any production incidents.- Process & Pipeline Integration : Partner closely with Engineering and Product leadership to drive quality directly into the software development lifecycle (SDLC). You will ensure seamless integration of automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and Git.- Metrics & Reporting : Define, track, and report on key quality metrics, including defect trends, automation coverage, and overall release readiness to executive stakeholders.The Tech Stack & Ideal Candidate Profile : - Experience : 8 - 12 years of overall Software Quality Assurance experience, strictly within fast-paced Product companies or B2B SaaS environments.- Leadership : 4+ years of proven experience directly managing, hiring, and mentoring QA teams, handling capacity planning, and managing performance.- Hands-on Automation : Deep, hands-on coding expertise in building test automation frameworks from scratch using Python and Selenium (incorporating BDD frameworks like Pytest or Behave).- API & Mobile Testing : Strong command over API testing methodologies (Postman/REST Assured) and Mobile automation (Appium).- Process Rigor : Advanced proficiency in Agile/Scrum methodologies, JIRA customization, issue tracking, and version control (Git).- Bonus/Differentiators : Direct exposure to performance testing (JMeter), and a solid foundational understanding of high-security compliance frameworks (ISO-27001, SOC-2) or penetration testing.Why Join? : This role offers the autonomy to shape the automation culture of a flagship product trusted by the biggest names in Hollywood and global entertainment. You will have the freedom to evaluate AI-enabled testing approaches and lead high-velocity daily releases from a state-of-the-art Bangalore hub. (ref:hirist.tech)