About the Role:We are looking for a sharp, ownership-driven QA Manager who can run a team of 4-5 QA engineers while remaining hands-on as an individual contributor.This is a player-coach role: you will personally own test strategy and execution for critical modules, while also leading, mentoring, and unblocking a small QA team, and driving AI-first ways of working across the function.You deeply understand systems, identify risks early, and hold your team to the same bar of quality and curiosity that you hold yourself to.Responsibilities:1. Team Leadership:- Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 4-5 QA engineers, providing technical direction and career guidance.- Plan and distribute work across the team; balance workload against sprint and release commitments.- Review team members' test plans, test cases, and automation code; hold the line on quality standards.- Run 1:1s, contribute to performance reviews, and support hiring/interviewing for QA roles.- Act as the QA point of contact for developers, product managers, and delivery stakeholders.- Escalate and unblock issues for the team without slipping into micromanagement.2. Individual Contribution:- Own end-to-end quality for at least one critical module or product as a hands-on tester.- Design, develop, and execute comprehensive test strategies (Functional, API, UI, Regression, E2E).- Perform hands-on API testing using tools like Postman / Playwright / similar.- Build and maintain automation frameworks (UI/API) that the rest of the team builds on.- Identify edge cases, hidden risks, and potential production issues proactively.3.



Process & Quality Ownership:- Own the defect triage process and root cause analysis across the team's scope.- Contribute to and oversee CI/CD pipeline integration of automated test suites.- Drive continuous improvement in QA processes, test coverage, and release quality org-wide.- Report on team quality metrics, release readiness, and risk to leadership.4. AI-First Quality Engineering:- Leverage AI tools to accelerate test case creation, test data generation, and defect analysis - for yourself and the team.- Use AI-assisted automation for smarter test coverage and faster feedback cycles.- Explore and implement AI-driven testing approaches (self-healing locators, visual validation, anomaly detection).- Utilize AI for root cause analysis, log analysis, and predictive risk identification.- Continuously evaluate and roll out recent AI tools across the team to improve QA efficiency.- Own the team's adoption of AI-driven QA workflows and agentic testing strategies.Qualifications:1. Required Skills & Qualifications:- 6+ years of experience in Software Testing / Quality Assurance.- 2+ years leading, mentoring,



or informally guiding a QA team (formal title not required).- Proven ability to balance hands-on IC delivery with people leadership.- Strong understanding of SDLC, STLC, and Agile methodologies.- Hands-on experience with automation tools (e.g., Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, etc.).- Solid experience in API testing and backend validation.- Good understanding of databases and ability to write SQL queries.- Experience with bug tracking and test management tools.- Familiarity with CI/CD tools and version control (Git).- Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and stakeholder communication skills.2. What We Value (Beyond Skills) :- High ownership mindset - accountable for the team's quality output, not just your own.- Servant leadership - ability to unblock and grow the team without micromanaging.- Strong logical thinking and ability to break down complex problems.- Curiosity to understand systems deeply, not just at surface level.- Ability to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions.- Openness to adopt AI-first ways of working and continuously evolve.- Clear and professional communication with both the team and leadership.3. Good to Have :- Experience with performance testing tools (JMeter, k6, etc.).- Knowledge of security testing basics (OWASP concepts).- Exposure to cloud environments (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes).- Experience with visual testing or accessibility testing.- Hands-on experience with AI tools or frameworks in testing.- Prior experience hiring or interviewing QA candidates. (ref:hirist.tech)

📌 Quality Assurance Manager - Automation Testing (Pune)
🏢 HeapTrace Technology
📍 Pune