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QA Automation Lead

About Appsmith

Appsmith is an open-source, low-code platform that helps developers build applications quickly, usually within hours.

Since its inception, Appsmith has gained significant traction, with over 10 million downloads, more than 30,000 stars on GitHub, and adoption by 10,000+ organisations across 150 countries.

Our team is committed to delivering exceptional quality with Appsmith, delighting users and setting a new market standard. We aim to create a product that users consistently rely on for building applications, distinguishing Appsmith from competitors. The product's perceived quality is crucial in shaping users' impressions of its reliability and performance.

A stable, resilient platform serves dual purposes: boosting user retention through dependability, and instilling customer confidence to tackle complex use cases. This confidence comes from Appsmith's ability to handle sophisticated requirements without compromising performance or reliability.

The goal of the team is to iteratively identify and ship projects that improve the performance of Appsmith and help it support 10x of the current traffic in the future

Role Overview

As the Lead Engineer for the QA Team, you will define and implement an automation strategy that aligns with product goals and quality standards. You will oversee the test infrastructure, ensuring its maintenance, optimization, and scalability. The team currently uses Cypress for end-to-end testing, GitHub Actions for continuous integration and deployment, JUnit for Java-based unit testing, and Jest for JavaScript testing. You will be responsible for mentoring and upskilling the team in testing expertise. Your responsibilities will also include writing best practices and ensuring they are followed. Additionally, you will develop processes and ensure adherence to them. You'll contribute to driving major engineering initiatives by defining quality metrics. You will be responsible for mentoring and upskilling the team in testing expertise and help QA engineers grow professionally. It will be your duty to ensure bug prevention through shift left testing and acting as a champion for quality within the organization. You will advocate for the adoption of quality-focused practices across all stages of the development lifecycle. You will work closely with QA, SDET, PM, and Engineers to ensure the success of the product.

Test Automation Strategy

In this role, you will serve as the primary advocate for test automation best practices across the organization. You will establish, document, and enforce standards to ensure that automation efforts are consistent, efficient, and effective. A critical responsibility will be to enhance automation coverage while simultaneously reducing reliance on manual testing, with the goal of achieving near-complete automation.

Collaboration and Guidance

Collaboration with QA engineers and developers will be a key aspect of your role, as you work together to ensure comprehensive test coverage. You will be responsible for creating and maintaining automated tests while also guiding team members in integrating automation into their workflows. Additionally, you will educate the team on the benefits of test automation and demonstrate how to leverage it effectively.

Monitoring and Analysis of Test Results

Another important aspect of this role involves monitoring and analyzing test results by setting up robust reporting systems. You will identify trends in test failures and provide actionable insights to the development team. Using data from test runs, you will proactively address potential issues before they escalate and help prioritize development tasks.

Test Infrastructure Innovation

You will ensure that the test infrastructure remains robust, resilient, and scalable. This includes maintaining existing systems while planning for future growth and incorporating advancements in automation technologies and methodologies. Your goal will be to continuously improve the infrastructure to handle increasing complexity and scale, ensuring that the product maintains the high quality expected by its users.

This position is central to driving automation excellence at Appsmith, enabling efficient testing workflows and maintaining product quality as the organization evolves.

Qualifications

Must have skills

  • 10+ years of experience testing software through automation tools such as Cypress/Jest/Mocha/Playwright etc for a SaaS product. This experience helps you understand the software development life cycle and the pitfalls of buggy software.

  • Since Appsmith’s integration test suite is written in Cypress or Playwright , prior knowledge of working on this framework will help you hit the ground running.

  • Appsmith’s client-side code is written in React. Your understanding of contemporary browser frameworks such as React/Angular will ensure that you are able to understand and communicate the nuances of the product with the rest of the engineering team.

  • Software products are only as stable as the APIs they are built on. You should have a good understanding of RESTful APIs and should have worked on API testing tools like Postman before.

  • Being able to express your thoughts in code through JavaScript (JS) or TypeScript (TS) is essential to your success since Appsmith’s automation test suites are written in these languages.

  • The ability to represent a user base in our automation suite is critical to providing a great experience to users.

  • All automation suites require CI/CD pipelines and SQL databases. Familiarity with both will help you stand above the crowd.

Nice to have skills

  • Having worked on developer-focused products is an added bonus. This helps you understand our users and their requirements better.

  • Prior experience with unit testing through Jest/JUnit will help you break shackles and contribute to the code base across the board.

  • At Appsmith we value speed and performance within our product. Being able to write load testing/performance testing scripts will go a long way in keeping our developer users happy.

Interview Process

Hiring Manager Round - In a conversation with a hiring manager we'll discuss your prior work experience and your career aspirations, ensuring it aligns with our expectations for the role. Feel free to ask questions about the team, company, and product.

Prepare by researching Appsmith, focusing on our product and UI editor. Hint: we really appreciate people who have a critical viewpoint on our product. Our motivation internally is to be able to empathise well with our users.

Technical Round - QA Best Practices and Problem Solving -

In this interview round, candidates will participate in a live coding session where they will write Cypress tests for a provided user flow, using a pre-deployed version of Appsmith (without setting it up locally). The goal is to assess several key areas: whether the candidate follows good coding practices, implements Cypress best practices, and demonstrates effective debugging skills if issues arise. Additionally, we’ll evaluate their problem-solving abilities.

CTO Round - This round, led by the CTO and will focus on collaboration and communication. Expect questions about how you have worked with engineering teams to solve complex QA challenges through teamwork, effective communication, and alignment with development processes. The goal is to evaluate how you collaborate with engineers to resolve issues, ensure quality, and contribute to successful product delivery

Culture Fitment - In the final round, meet with one of Appsmith's executive co-founders. This is a culture fit discussion, and you're encouraged to ask questions about our culture, mission, and strategy. It's a chance to understand the broader vision of Appsmith.

Why Join Appsmith

  • Mission: Be part of a mission-driven company that solves problems that you can relate to. We are on a mission to help developers quickly build & deploy high-quality internal apps.

  • Team: We believe in hiring experts for every domain to create a culture of collaboration, innovation, creativity & diversity. Be part of a time that inspires you every day.

  • Impact: Play a key role in shaping the future of our platform and delivering features that directly impact our customers' success.

  • Flexibility: We believe in unlocking productivity by giving individuals freedom. Work remotely from the EU or India with flexible hours to suit your work style.

If you are passionate about building powerful, user-friendly tools for developers and are an expert in your domain, we would love to hear from you.

Benefits

  • Productivity: Work from anywhere with a budget to set up your home office.

  • Flexibility: Work how you are most productive with flexible holiday schedules & work timings.

  • Growth: Keep growing with a budget for books, courses & conferences.

Average salary estimate

$135000 / YEARLY (est.)
min
max
$120000K
$150000K

If an employer mentions a salary or salary range on their job, we display it as an "Employer Estimate". If a job has no salary data, Rise displays an estimate if available.

What You Should Know About QA Automation Lead, Appsmith

At Appsmith, we're seeking a passionate QA Automation Lead to ensure our open-source low-code platform remains a benchmark for quality. In this role, you’ll define our automation strategy and oversee our test infrastructure, helping to maintain and enhance the tools we rely on, like Cypress for end-to-end testing and GitHub Actions for seamless CI/CD. Your experience in managing test suites and ability to mentor others will empower our QA team to grow their skills and deliver exceptional quality. You'll work closely with developers, product managers, and QA engineers to ensure our automation efforts are robust and effective, and you'll champion quality practices throughout our development lifecycle. If you're excited about advocating for test automation and driving innovations in our infrastructure, then you'll appreciate our focus on collaboration and learning here at Appsmith. This position is not only about ensuring our software’s reliability but also about making significant contributions to our product's success. Join us to help shape the future of Appsmith while enjoying the flexibility of remote work and being part of a diverse team dedicated to delivering high-quality applications at unprecedented speeds. Together, as part of a mission-driven culture, we will make complex app development easier for developers across the globe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for QA Automation Lead Role at Appsmith
What responsibilities does a QA Automation Lead at Appsmith have?

As a QA Automation Lead at Appsmith, your primary responsibilities include defining and implementing an automation strategy that aligns with our product goals and quality standards. You'll oversee and optimize our test infrastructure while mentoring the QA team in automation best practices, ensuring adherence to documented processes, and driving quality-focused initiatives throughout the development lifecycle.

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What qualifications are required for the QA Automation Lead position at Appsmith?

For the QA Automation Lead role at Appsmith, candidates should have over 10 years of experience with software testing, particularly with automation tools like Cypress, Jest, or Postman. A background in RESTful API testing, proficiency in JavaScript or TypeScript, and knowledge of modern frameworks like React or Angular are crucial. Experience with CI/CD pipelines and an understanding of SQL databases will also enhance your candidacy.

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How does Appsmith support the professional growth of its QA Automation Lead?

At Appsmith, we believe in continuous learning and professional development. As a QA Automation Lead, you will have access to a budget for books, courses, and conferences. This commitment to growth allows you to stay updated with industry best practices and continuously refine your skills, thus enhancing your career trajectory within our innovative team.

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What testing tools are used at Appsmith for automation?

Appsmith employs several testing tools for automation, including Cypress for end-to-end testing, Jest for JavaScript unit testing, and JUnit for Java. Additionally, we utilize GitHub Actions for our CI/CD processes. Familiarity with these tools is essential for success in the QA Automation Lead role.

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What is the team culture like at Appsmith for the QA Automation Lead?

The culture at Appsmith is built on collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to diversity. As a QA Automation Lead, you'll work closely with various engineering teams ensuring that quality is integrated at every stage of our development process. We value critical thinking and encourage open communication, providing a nurturing environment where team members can thrive.

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Common Interview Questions for QA Automation Lead
How do you define an effective automation strategy as a QA Automation Lead?

To define an effective automation strategy, it's essential to first understand the product's testing requirements and quality goals. I would assess the current testing ecosystem, identify gaps in coverage, and collaborate with the team to prioritize automation efforts that offer the most value. Establishing clear metrics for success and regularly reviewing the strategy ensures it adapts to changing needs.

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Can you describe your experience with Cypress and how you’ve utilized it in past projects?

In my previous roles, I've extensively used Cypress for writing end-to-end tests. I leveraged its easy-to-understand syntax and powerful features to create robust test scenarios that mimic user interactions. Moreover, I integrated Cypress with CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that tests ran automatically with each code change to catch issues early and maintain high quality.

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What steps do you take to mentor QA engineers effectively?

Mentoring QA engineers involves providing guidance both technically and professionally. I like to start by understanding their current skill sets and aspirations. I then focus on sharing best practices, providing constructive feedback on their work, and offering learning resources. Additionally, setting up pair programming sessions or collaborative test writing can foster a continuous learning environment.

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How do you monitor and analyze test results in your role?

Monitoring and analyzing test results is crucial for maintaining product quality. I implement comprehensive reporting systems that track trend data for test failures and successes. By analyzing these patterns, I can proactively address recurring issues and prioritize areas that need improvement, allowing the development team to tackle potential problems early.

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Describe your experience working with RESTful APIs and how you approach API testing.

I have hands-on experience testing RESTful APIs, using tools like Postman for crafting and executing test cases. I focus on validating key functionalities, response codes, and data formats. Additionally, I incorporate API testing into our automation suite, ensuring API endpoints are consistently tested as part of the overall automation strategy, thus reinforcing application reliability.

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How do you handle prioritization in a fast-paced environment?

In a fast-paced environment, I prioritize tasks by assessing the potential impact and urgency. Collaborating with product managers and developers helps determine what needs immediate attention versus what can wait. Utilizing agile methodologies, I ensure our team focuses on high-value activities while maintaining flexibility to adapt as new challenges or opportunities arise.

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What methods do you use to foster collaboration between QA and development teams?

I promote regular communication between QA and development teams through scheduled stand-up meetings and collaborative workshops. This encourages sharing insights on testing practices, discussing potential roadblocks, and co-defining quality standards. Additionally, implementing a shift-left testing approach helps embed quality early in the development process, creating a culture where everyone is engaged in quality assurance.

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How do you stay updated with the latest trends in QA and automation testing?

I stay updated with the latest trends in QA and automation testing by following industry leaders on social media, subscribing to relevant blogs, and participating in online forums. Attending conferences or webinars is also beneficial for networking and learning about innovative practices. I encourage my team to do the same, fostering an environment of collective growth and knowledge.

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What approaches do you take to ensure test automation is effective and efficient?

To ensure test automation is effective, I focus on establishing a robust framework that supports scalability and ease of maintenance. This includes creating reusable test scripts and maintaining clear documentation. Additionally, regularly reviewing and refining test cases based on real-world usage patterns helps eliminate redundancies and enhances the efficiency of our automation efforts.

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Why is quality an essential part of the software development lifecycle?

Quality is crucial in the software development lifecycle because it directly impacts user satisfaction and retention. A robust QA process helps identify and address issues early, reducing the cost and time spent on fixing bugs post-release. By instilling a quality-first mindset across all stages of development, companies can ensure the reliability and performance of their products, ultimately leading to greater success.

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Appsmith (www.appsmith.com) is the first open-source low code tool that helps developers build dashboards and admin panels very quickly. It's a platform that helps businesses build any custom internal... application within hours. In the past we ha...

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Full-time, remote
DATE POSTED
December 10, 2024

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