Lead Software Test Automation Engineer (Senior SDET) | Chicago, IL | 2nd Round F2F

We are seeking an experienced Lead Software Test Automation Engineer (Senior SDET) to design, develop, and enhance automation frameworks while leading testing initiatives across enterprise applications. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in Java-based automation, API testing, BDD frameworks, CI/CD, and mentoring QA teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Extend and maintain automation frameworks using Java/JavaScript.

Analyze business requirements and develop comprehensive test strategies and test plans.

Develop and maintain automated test cases using existing automation frameworks.

Build automation solutions supporting Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD).

Design, develop, and maintain API test automation frameworks.

Create automated functional scripts using Java, Karate, JMeter, and related tools.

Perform exploratory and manual testing where appropriate.

Lead and mentor onshore/offshore QA engineers.

Collaborate with Product Owners and development teams to resolve issues and validate functionality.

Promote testing best practices, standards, and quality processes.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor''s degree.

9+ years of experience in test automation framework design and development.

Strong experience with Java (5+ years).

Hands-on experience with Cucumber, JBehave, or other BDD frameworks (3–5 years).

Strong experience testing REST APIs.

Experience developing test scripts, test cases, and test data.

Strong SQL skills.

Experience with end-to-end system integration and third-party integrations.

Experience with TDD, CI/CD, code reviews, Jenkins, Git, and DevOps practices.

Strong understanding of Agile methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

Python experience.

AWS Cloud experience.

Performance testing using JMeter.

Experience with Apigee or other API gateways.

Experience working with Microservices architecture.

Load and performance testing experience.

Excellent documentation and communication skills.

Required Soft Skills

Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Ability to adapt quickly in complex environments.

Proactive, flexible, and creative problem solver.

Strong leadership and mentoring abilities.