QA / Test Automation Lead

Role: QA / Test Automation Lead Category: Information Technology Location: Johannesburg Salary: Market-related Our client is seeking an experienced and visionary QA / Test Automation Lead to design, build, and govern their enterprise test automation capability.

In this pivotal role, you will drive quality engineering across a complex, multi-technology landscape-spanning Pega case management, PHP web applications, Azure-hosted microservices, and AS400/5250 legacy terminal systems.

Key Responsibilities

• K Define and own the enterprise test automation strategy, architecture, and quality gates across Pega, PHP, microservices, and legacy AS400 systems.
• Lead the evaluation, selection, and roadmap of enterprise automation tooling (e.g., Katalon, ACCELQ, Playwright). Establish definition-of-done criteria, test coverage goals, and total cost of ownership (TCO) reporting.
• Lead a dedicated team of automation engineers in building functional, regression, API, and end-to-end test suites.
• Oversee the automation of Pega case-type workflows (credit underwriting, origination) and AS400/5250 core-banking transactions.
• Integrate automated test suites directly into Azure DevOps / Jenkins CI/CD pipelines for microservices and web applications.
• Manage test environments, data strategies, and POPIA-compliant data masking/anonymization.
• Establish and track key automation metrics, including ROI, execution time reduction, and defect escape rates.
• Champion "shift-left" testing practices across development and business analysis teams.
• Mentor and upskill QA staff on automation frameworks and scripting best practices.
• Report quality risks and release readiness directly to the CIO and executive steering committees.

Requirements

• 8+ years in Software QA, with 3+ years in a Lead or Architect role.
• Platform Expertise: Hands-on experience with at least one major enterprise tool (Katalon, ACCELQ, Tricentis Tosca, UFT One); multi-platform experience is strongly preferred.
• Legacy Systems (Critical): Proven hands-on experience automating legacy AS400/5250 terminal-based systems.
• Pega & Web Systems: Proven experience testing Pega BPM/case management workflows and PHP web applications.
• API & CI/CD: Hands-on API testing experience (REST/SOAP) and integration with CI/CD tools (Azure DevOps/Jenkins). Compliance & Data: Knowledge of financial services regulatory requirements (POPIA, FSP obligations) regarding test data handling.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.
• Certifications: ISTQB Foundation required (Advanced / Test Automation Engineer preferred). Vendor certifications (ACCELQ, Tosca, UFT) are a plus.