QA Lead, Data & AI Products

Role: We are looking for an experienced QA Manager to lead the Quality Assurance function within Kanerika's Product Development team. You will own the end-to-end test strategy across our data engineering, BI/analytics, and AI-ML product lines, build and mentor a team of QA engineers, and drive a quality-first culture across the organization. You will work closely with Development Managers, Product Managers, and client stakeholders to define acceptance criteria, establish robust automation frameworks, and ensure every release meets Kanerika's standards for reliability, accuracy, and performance. Key Responsibilities Test Strategy & Leadership - Define and own the overall QA strategy across Kanerika's data, BI, and AI/ML product lines Build robust, scalable testing frameworks that align with core engineering and business objectivesLead testing efforts across multiple concurrent projects, balancing priorities and deadlinesDefine quality benchmarks, acceptance criteria, and go/no-go release standards Team Management - Manage, mentor, and grow a team of QA engineers and analystsConduct performance reviews, set goals, and support career development within the teamPlan hiring and resourcing for QA needs across active and upcoming projectsReview team output for consistency, thoroughness, and quality of documentation Automation & Test Frameworks - Architect and drive adoption of test automation frameworks across web, API, and data layersEvaluate and select automation tooling (e.G., Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Postman, REST Assured)Integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines for continuous quality feedbackChampion reusable, maintainable test assets to reduce regression testing effort over time Data & AI Quality Assurance - Define QA approaches specific to data pipelines, ETL processes, and BI/analytics dashboardsValidate data accuracy, completeness, and consistency across source and target systemsEstablish testing protocols for AI/ML model outputs, including accuracy, bias, and performance checksPartner with data engineering and data science teams to catch quality issues early in the pipeline Process, Governance & Reporting - Establish and maintain QA processes, defect management workflows, and test case documentation standardsRun sprint-level quality gates in partnership with Agile/Scrum delivery teamsOwn UAT coordination with client stakeholders and sign-off on release readinessReport on quality metrics, defect trends, and test coverage to engineering and client leadershipIdentify recurring risk areas and drive root-cause fixes rather than one-off patches Required Skills & Qualifications Primary Skill: QA Leadership & Test Management (Mandatory) - 812 years of overall QA/testing experience, including 3+ years in a QA management or lead role this is a non-negotiable requirementProven experience building and scaling QA processes for enterprise software or data productsStrong command of manual and automated testing methodologies across functional, regression, and performance testingExperience with test management and defect tracking tools (JIRA, Zephyr, TestRail, or equivalent)Track record of owning release quality sign-off and managing QA timelines under delivery pressure Secondary Skill: Automation & SQL (Required) - Hands-on experience with automation frameworks such as Selenium, Playwright, or CypressAPI testing experience using Postman, REST Assured, or similar toolsStrong SQL proficiency for validating data accuracy across pipelines, warehouses, and BI outputsFamiliarity with CI/CD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or equivalent) for integrated test automationUnderstanding of Agile/Scrum delivery and how QA integrates into sprint cycles Soft Skills - Strong leadership and team management skillsExcellent written and verbal communication, able to translate technical quality issues for non-technical stakeholdersQuality-first mindset with meticulous attention to detailSelf-driven, process-oriented, and comfortable working under delivery pressureCollaborative team player who thrives in a cross-functional, fast-paced environment Education & Certifications - Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related fieldISTQB certification (or equivalent QA certification) preferredCertifications in test automation tools or cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) are a plus Nice to Have - Prior experience testing BI/reporting platforms such as Power BI or CognosExposure to AI/ML model validation or data governance frameworksWorking knowledge of Python for test automation and data validation scriptingExperience testing products in a client-facing, mul .