Lead QA Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Costa Rica.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the complete testing lifecycle for Backcountry’s web, API, and mobile platforms.

• Establish scalable QA frameworks, automation strategies, and validation standards that support weekly deployments.

• Promote shift-left practices by incorporating quality checks early in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

• Enhance and maintain coverage for functional, regression, and performance/load testing.

• Mentor, develop, and support the growth of QA engineers.

• Impact quality practices across engineering teams and advocate for best practices in QA.

• Create reusable agents to minimize team overhead.

• Advocate for Playwright as the primary automation framework and broaden web and API testing coverage.

• Integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines and assist with release validation, including occasional deployments outside of regular hours.

• Spearhead Apple Pay automation and AI-assisted testing initiatives.

• Assess and implement QA tools like BrowserStack, Appium, and Gatling.

• Collaborate with product managers, developers, and DevOps teams in Agile delivery workflows.

• Manage defects and organize test cases using Jira and TestRail.

• Align stakeholders regarding quality signals and communicate readiness for release.

• Define and monitor KPIs related to product quality, defect density, test coverage, and release reliability.

• Establish checks for performance and load testing within the delivery workflow.

• Highlight quality trends and drive resolutions before release blockers arise.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in Quality Assurance and Testing, including a minimum of 2 years in a lead or senior individual contributor role.

• Proven hands-on experience with Playwright for web and API end-to-end automation.

• Strong foundational knowledge in automation using Cypress, Selenium, or similar frameworks; capability to build and manage scalable test suites.

• Proficient in Python, JavaScript, or Java; able to operate within test frameworks and validate or rectify AI-generated code.

• Significant experience with functional, regression, and performance/load testing using Postman, JMeter, or equivalent tools.

• Demonstrated experience in the SDLC and Agile methodologies with robust defect lifecycle management using Jira and TestRail.

• Capable of working independently under a regular release cadence and managing competing priorities with minimal supervision.

• Experience in e-commerce QA automation, especially in environments with frequent releases and CI/CD integration.

• Familiarity with BrowserStack, Appium, Gatling, or Argo CD.

• Experience with observability tools such as Grafana or GCP-based infrastructure.

• Practical experience with Apple Pay automation or similar payment flow testing.

• Responsible use of AI-assisted testing tools, including the validation and correction of AI-generated test code.

• Strong communication and stakeholder alignment skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.

🏝️ Benefits

• Milestone moments, employee stories, and exclusive outdoor perks.

• Hands-on access to cutting-edge AI and automation tools.

• Enhanced scope, new challenges, and leadership opportunities for high achievers.

• Primarily remote work flexibility.

• Private medical and life insurance coverage.

• Additional paid time off.

• Monthly allowances and reimbursements.

• Employee discounts available.

• Opportunities for professional advancement.