Lead Quality Engineer

What's the Opportunity? 

Lead QA Engineer will own and build Zafin AIOS's QA practice from the ground up — not just execute within an existing framework. This is a foundational hire: you'll define the standards, processes, and best practices the QA function runs on, while also getting hands-on with complex backend, integration, and data-validation testing. You'll work closely with developers, business analysts, and data engineers to validate end-to-end system functionality and data accuracy, and you'll be expected to mentor other QA engineers as the team grows. We're looking for someone forward-looking — comfortable with modern, AI-native approaches to testing, including Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST), who can bring that thinking into a banking environment that's historically been manual-testing-heavy. 

What Will You Do? 

• Define and establish QA standards, processes, and best practices for the team/org — build the practice, not just staff it.
• Design and own the overall test strategy for backend applications, integration points, and file-based data exchanges, including functional, regression, and integration testing.
• Validate backend data processing, file-based workflows, and inter-system integrations.
• Lead API testing and validation efforts (Postman and beyond), with exposure to performance testing.
• Apply and champion Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST) approaches where applicable, bringing forward-looking, AI-aware testing methodology into the practice.
• Lead or mentor other QA engineers, including as the sole/first QA hire building out the function.
• Drive test planning, test case design, execution, and defect triage at a program level.
• Partner with developers and analysts to resolve defects, clarify requirements, and influence upstream quality decisions.
• Track and report on quality metrics and practice maturity to leadership, not just individual defect status. 

What Do You Need to Succeed? 

Must Haves 

• 3–4 years of software testing experience operating at a senior/lead level (owning strategy, not just executing test cases).
• 2+ years of experience explicitly defining QA standards, processes, or best practices for a team or organization — not just following an existing playbook.
• 2+ years leading or mentoring other QA engineers (formally or informally), including experience managing or coaching a team of 2+ QA engineers.
• At least 1–2 years of hands-on experience with Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST), or demonstrable equivalent experience with simulation-based/deterministic testing approaches in complex distributed systems.
• 3+ years of hands-on API testing and validation experience (Postman or equivalent).
• Experience standing up a QA function in at least one greenfield or early-stage environment (ideally as the first or sole QA hire on a team/product).
• Demonstrated forward-looking perspective on AI in testing — ideally 1+ years of direct experience incorporating AI-assisted or AI-native testing tooling into a QA practice.
• Working familiarity with Agile/Scrum, with 3+ years operating in sprint-based delivery models.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience — flexible given the seniority bar above). 

Nice to Have 

• Knowledge of Kafka message validation and consumer/producer testing.
• Familiarity with ETL concepts, data pipelines, or batch processing systems.
• Experience building or scaling automation frameworks (Selenium, TestNG, Cypress) rather than just using them.
• Experience using JMeter or similar tools for API performance testing.
• Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and version control tools (Git).
• Exposure to Cloud — Azure and Kubernetes. 

Additional Job Details 

• Vacancy Status: Open Position to be filled
• Expected Salary range: $140K to $80K (depends on the candidate's experience and competence)
• Mode of Work: Hybrid
• Use of AI: Zafin may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or other forms of automated technology to screen and/or assess applicants for this position. Zafin will not utilize AI for conducting interviews and/or making hiring decisions.