Lead enterprise QA strategy and governance across programs; manage SIT/UAT/regression/performance testing; architect scalable test automation frameworks; integrate tests into CI/CD; lead performance engineering; oversee stakeholder engagement, QA team development, and quality metrics to ensure delivery excellence.
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Manager – Quality Engineering & Test Automation to lead enterprise-wide quality assurance initiatives across multiple programs, products, and client engagements. The role demands strong expertise in QA governance, test automation, quality engineering, UAT management, performance testing, and AI-driven testing practices.
The ideal candidate will be responsible for defining quality strategy, managing high-performing QA teams, driving automation transformation, ensuring delivery excellence, and serving as a trusted advisor to clients and senior leadership. This individual will play a key role in establishing modern quality engineering practices leveraging Automation, CI/CD, Performance Engineering, GenAI, and Shift-Left Testing approaches.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Strategy & Governance
- Define and implement enterprise-level QA strategies, standards, frameworks, and best practices.
- Establish quality governance models, KPIs, metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms.
- Drive adoption of Quality Engineering and Shift-Left testing practices across programs.
- Review and approve test strategies, test plans, estimation models, and release quality assessments.
- Monitor defect leakage trends and lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with organizational quality policies and audit requirements.
Test Management & Delivery Leadership
- Lead end-to-end testing activities across multiple projects and programs.
- Manage SIT, UAT, Regression, Performance, and Production Validation testing.
- Drive test planning, execution, risk management, and defect governance.
- Monitor project health, quality risks, schedules, and mitigation plans.
- Support release planning, go-live readiness reviews, and production deployments.
- Ensure adherence to entry and exit criteria across testing phases.
- Manage project quality, schedule, budget, and resource utilization.
Test Automation & Engineering Excellence
- Define automation roadmap and enterprise automation strategy.
- Architect and implement scalable automation frameworks from scratch.
- Lead automation initiatives using:
- Playwright
- Selenium
- Cypress
- ReadyAPI
- TestComplete
- Robotic Process Automation tools
- Establish automation standards, reusable frameworks, and coding best practices.
- Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or equivalent platforms.
- Drive automated API, UI, integration, regression, and end-to-end testing.
- Implement scheduling, parallel execution, and execution optimization strategies.
Performance Engineering
- Lead performance engineering initiatives across applications and platforms.
- Define performance testing strategies and success criteria.
- Drive performance testing execution using:
- LoadRunner
- JMeter
- BlazeMeter or equivalent tools
- Analyze bottlenecks and recommend performance optimization solutions.
- Perform capacity planning and scalability assessments.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Governance
- Define UAT strategy, timelines, governance model, and success criteria.
- Manage UAT planning, environment readiness, and test data preparation.
- Coordinate business users and stakeholders during UAT execution.
- Facilitate defect triage and escalation management.
- Track UAT progress, risks, defect trends, and quality metrics.
- Drive continuous improvement of UAT processes and stakeholder engagement models.
Stakeholder & Client Management
- Serve as the primary quality leader for clients, business stakeholders, and leadership teams.
- Present executive-level quality dashboards, risk assessments, and delivery updates.
- Partner with Product Owners, Business Teams, Architects, and Engineering Leaders.
- Drive customer satisfaction through proactive quality management.
- Provide strategic recommendations for quality improvement and operational efficiencies.
Team Leadership & Capability Development
- Lead and mentor QA Leads, Automation Architects, Test Engineers, and Performance Engineers.
- Drive workforce planning, capacity forecasting, and resource allocation.
- Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and career development discussions.
- Build competency development plans and technical learning pathways.
- Conduct internal training and enablement programs for automation, performance testing, and AI-led testing practices.
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Quality Engineering & Test Data Management
- Ensure complete requirement traceability and test coverage.
- Drive defect prevention and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
- Define test data management strategies using synthetic data generation and automation tools.
- Support database, ETL, migration, and data validation testing initiatives.
- Establish quality gates throughout the SDLC and DevOps lifecycle.
Mandatory Skills
Test Automation
- Selenium (Java/Python)
- Playwright
- Cypress
- API Automation Testing
- Framework Development from Scratch
- Test Automation Architecture
CI/CD & DevOps
- Jenkins
- Azure DevOps
- Git
- CI/CD Pipeline Integration
- Automated Quality Gates
Quality Engineering
- Agile Testing
- Quality Governance
- Test Strategy Development
- Risk-Based Testing
- Defect Management & RCA
- Test Metrics & Reporting
Tools
- JIRA
- Azure DevOps
- Postman
- ReadyAPI
- Test Management Platforms
Leadership & Consulting Skills
- Stakeholder Management
- Client Engagement
- Team Leadership
- Delivery Governance
- Executive Communication
- Resource & Capacity Planning
Nice to Have
- AI & GenAI Testing and AI-Assisted Automation
- Knowledge of ETL, Data Migration, and Database Testing.
- Exposure to Synthetic Test Data generation tools.
- Knowledge of Cloud Testing and Observability platforms.
- Experience establishing Testing COEs or Quality Transformation programs.
- Hands-on experience with Agentic AI testing tools.
- ISTQB Advanced, CTAL, Performance Testing, Automation Testing, or equivalent certifications.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
- ISTQB Advanced/Test Manager Certification preferred.
- Agentic AI/GenAI Certifications.
- Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, Jira, and Quality Management tools.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Test Automation Coverage %
- On-Time Test Delivery
- Release Quality Metrics
- Team Utilization & Productivity
- Audit and Compliance Adherence
EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. We partner with clients using a data and AI-led approach to reinvent business models, drive better business outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, analytics, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform operations for the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services, media and retail, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have more than 54,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.
EXL Pune, Mahārāshtra, IND Office
Pune, India
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