Quality Assurance Automation Lead

QA Automation Lead Location: Tel Aviv We are looking for an AI-Driven Quality Engineering Lead to lead our testing and quality strategy in a hands-on technical role. You’ll drive the transition to an Automation-First / Quality Engineering approach, lead cross-organizational quality initiatives, and leverage modern AI-powered testing practices to scale automation and reduce manual testing. The role combines QA leadership, test automation, mobile automation, CI/CD, and hands-on technical ownership in a React Native environment using Cucumber/Gherkin. What You’ll Do * Lead the organization-wide Automation-First transformation and adoption of modern Quality Engineering practices. * Own the end-to-end QA & Quality Strategy, including testing methodologies, quality gates, KPIs, and release readiness. * Define testing strategies across the full SDLC — from DEV and QA through Staging and Production. * Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to QA professionals in a matrix environment. * Design, implement, and maintain scalable mobile automation frameworks for iOS & Android using Cucumber/Gherkin. * Define automation standards, coding practices, and framework best practices. * Leverage AI tools and modern AI-based practices to improve test coverage, automation efficiency, performance, and maintainability. * Solve complex Test Data challenges using Mocks, Stubs, and Service Virtualization. * Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using VSTS / Azure DevOps, including automated quality gates. * Work closely with Development, Tech Leads, Product Managers, and senior stakeholders to embed quality throughout the development lifecycle. What You Bring * 5+ years of QA experience in large-scale organizations, including both manual and automated testing of mobile applications. * 1+ year of experience in a leadership role — QA Team Lead, Development Team Lead, Tech Lead, or similar. * 2+ years of experience with Cucumber / Gherkin and designing or implementing automation frameworks. * 2+ years of hands-on mobile automation experience, preferably with Appium or Detox. * 2+ years of experience defining testing methodologies and quality KPIs/metrics. * 2+ years of hands-on coding experience with JavaScript / TypeScript, Python, or Java. * 2+ years of experience with React Native. * Strong understanding of test automation, QA methodologies, CI/CD, and Quality Engineering. * Strong technical leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence across teams and work effectively in a matrix environment. Nice to Have * Experience implementing AI-based testing solutions or using AI tools to enhance test automation. * Experience with VSTS / Azure DevOps Pipelines and automated testing within CI/CD. * Experience influencing without direct authority and working with Tech Leads, Development Managers, Product Managers, and senior leadership. * Background in FinTech, banking, or financial services. Show more Show less