QE Automation Lead (Python)

Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania; hybrid work with office attendance required three days per week

Company

hirify.global is building a dedicated Testing Chapter for a long-term modernization program with a global financial markets infrastructure provider.

What you will do

• Design and own the QA automation strategy, including framework selection, tooling, CI/CD integration, and coverage targets.
• Build automation frameworks from scratch or extend existing frameworks.
• Lead and mentor a distributed QE team and conduct code reviews for test automation code.
• Define risk-based test plans aligned with quality gates and release criteria.
• Drive API, integration, and regression automation for real-time, event-driven services using Kafka, WebSocket, and REST.
• Provide quality dashboards, defect analytics, and release-quality evidence for program governance and operational readiness reviews.

Requirements

• 10+ years of software quality engineering experience, including 3+ years leading QA teams or programs.
• Hands-on automation experience with Python and/or Java, including Pytest, Requests, REST Assured, JUnit, or TestNG.
• Experience with REST API testing, JSON schema validation, contract testing, HTTP semantics, SQL, and backend data validation.
• Experience implementing CI/CD quality gates with GitHub Actions or Jenkins.
• Knowledge of risk-based testing methodologies and strong communication skills for presenting quality concerns to non-technical stakeholders.
• Proficient English at B2+ level is required.

Nice to have

• Kafka consumer validation or WebSocket feed testing experience.
• TestRail or similar test management tools.
• Performance and load testing with k6, Gatling, or JMeter.
• Background in financial services or capital markets.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangement with teams working across the EU.
• Vacation according to the laws of the country of employment.
• Health insurance support for employees and their loved ones.
• Paid sick leave, including 10 days without a doctor's note.
• Time off for state holidays according to the official calendar.
• IT certification cost coverage and access to courses and learning platforms.