Job Title: Python Automation Lead ( experience 8 10 yrs)
Role Overview
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of automation solutions for desktop and web applications using Python.
- Manage a 20+ member automation team while ensuring high-quality, scalable test automation and effective stakeholder collaboration.
Key Responsibilities – Automation & Framework
- Design, develop, and maintain scalable, reusable test automation frameworks for desktop, web, API, and mobile testing using Python.
- Own framework architecture (structure, libraries, utilities, configuration) and drive continuous improvements in stability, reusability, reporting, and CI/CD integration.
- Define and enforce coding standards, best practices, and code reviews for automation assets.
- Monitor, refactor, and update existing automation suites and framework components as applications evolve.
Desktop, Web & API Automation
- Develop and maintain desktop automation scripts using Pywinauto (Pywin Auto) for Windows applications.
- Design and implement browser automation suites using Python Selenium and Python Playwright for cross-browser testing.
- Create and execute automated scripts for functional, regression, and smoke testing.
- Build and maintain API automation (REST/JSON) using Python (e.g., requests, Pytest), including validations, error handling, and integration into the framework.
Mobile & Cross-Platform Exposure
- Support mobile app automation (e.g., Appium or similar) for Android/iOS as needed.
- Contribute to end-to-end test scenarios spanning desktop, web, API, and mobile layers.
Team Management & Leadership
- Lead and manage a team of 20+ automation engineers, including task allocation, priority setting, and performance oversight.
- Coach, mentor, and upskill team members on Python, frameworks, tools, and automation best practices.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture with clear goals and accountability.
Stakeholder & Project Management
- Act as primary automation point of contact for project managers, architects, dev leads, and test managers.
- Manage stakeholder expectations, communicate risks and dependencies, and handle escalations proactively.
- Participate in or lead project planning, estimation, and tracking for automation workstreams.
- Define and manage the automation scope for each release, ensuring alignment with overall project objectives and timelines.
Scope, Cost & Reporting
- Own and manage automation scope, including impact assessment for change requests and new features.
- Provide effort estimates, contribute to budgeting for automation activities, and track actuals against plan.
- Optimize team utilization and contribute to cost-effective automation strategies (reuse, prioritization, tooling).
- Prepare and publish regular status reports, dashboards, and metrics (coverage, execution, defect trends, ROI) to stakeholders and leadership.
Key Project Management Skills
- Plan and track automation deliveries across sprints/releases, ensuring alignment with project milestones.
- Identify, track, and mitigate risks and issues related to automation, environments, data, and dependencies.
- Support defect triage, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Work effectively within Agile projects (Scrum/Kanban), contributing to sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
Test Execution & Operations
- Execute automated suites in various environments, analyze failures, and drive defect resolution with development teams.
- Maintain environments, test data, and configurations required for reliable and repeatable runs.
- Ensure automation is integrated with CI/CD pipelines and provides fast, actionable feedback.
Required Skills & Experience
- Strong Python programming skills with experience in object-oriented design and reusable component development.
- Hands-on experience with Pywinauto (Pywin Auto) for desktop, Selenium and Playwright for web, and Python-based API automation.
- Proven experience designing, building, and maintaining test automation frameworks.
- Experience leading teams of 20+ members in an automation or QA context.
- Good understanding of QA methodologies, SDLC, STLC, and defect lifecycle.
- Experience with Git or similar version control and CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, etc.).
Soft Skills
- Strong communication and presentation skills to interact with technical and business stakeholders.
- Solid stakeholder and negotiation skills to align priorities and resolve conflicts.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Ability to work independently, take ownership, and drive outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Pytest or Robot Framework.
- Exposure to performance or non-functional testing.
- Prior experience leading automation for complex enterprise desktop and web applications.
