QA Architect, AI-Led Test Automation

Position: QA Architect, AI-Led Test Automation
Location: Atlanta, GA (Hybrid)
Duration: Long Term Contract

The role

You own the quality engineering lifecycle for a global industrial manufacturing client, embedded in their Atlanta office, and you make AI a working part of it rather than a pilot. You lead an offshore automation pod of four to six engineers and are the client's single point of accountability for test strategy, coverage, and release confidence.

This is a hands-on architect role. You design the framework, write code when it matters, and set the standards the pod follows.

Lifecycle and architecture

• Design the end-to-end QA lifecycle: requirement intake, test design, automation, execution, defect flow, and reporting.
• Build and maintain an open-source automation framework (Playwright or Selenium) with code in Git, clear tagging, and release-aligned branching.
• Make the framework system-aware so a change in one system drives the right regression scope across Salesforce, integration, and ERP.

AI across the lifecycle

• Use AI to review user stories for testability, missing acceptance criteria, and cross-system risk before development starts.
• Generate and curate test cases and scripts with AI, with human review as a standing gate.
• Operate self-healing locators, change-impact based regression selection, and AI-assisted flaky-test triage. Own the thresholds and the audit trail behind each.
• Set the guardrails: what AI decides, what it proposes, and what a human must approve.

Client and governance

• Be the quality voice in planning, release readiness, and go/no-go calls.
• Publish the metrics that matter: coverage against change, defect escape rate, cycletime, automation stability.
• Work with the client's existing toolchain (Tosca, Azure DevOps, Copado) rather thanagainst it. Protect the Tosca investment and show where open source and AI extend it.

Required

• 10+ years in software quality engineering, with 3+ years as a QA architect or automation lead on enterprise programs.
• Deep hands-on automation in Playwright or Selenium, in Java, TypeScript, or Python, with production frameworks you designed yourself.
• Working knowledge of Tricentis Tosca. The client is committed to Tosca, so you must be able to assess the existing suite, keep it productive, and integrate it with the open-source and AI layers rather than replace it.
• Proven test automation across complex enterprise landscapes: ERP (SAP preferred), CRM (Salesforce preferred), and the integrations between them.
• CI/CD fluency in Azure DevOps, including pipelines, test plans, and work item traceability.
• Practical use of AI in the delivery workflow: GitHub Copilot or equivalent, plus AI-assisted test generation, self-healing, or impact analysis.
• Experience leading distributed onshore and offshore teams.
• Credibility with senior client stakeholders. You can defend a test strategy in a room of directors and CIOs.

Preferred

• Tosca certification (AS1/AS2 or Tosca Automation Specialist Level 2 and above), or experience running a Tosca practice at scale.
• Copado or Salesforce release management experience.
• Performance, API, and data validation testing depth.
• Background in manufacturing, field service, or supply chain systems.
• Experience standing up a QA practice or centre of excellence from scratch.