Lead Automation Quality Engineer

Empower • Overland Park, KS

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them. Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT. The Lead Engineer Automation Quality– API & Data Mastering will be a hands-on automation subject matter expert, responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining robust, scalable automation frameworks. While hands-on automation will be the primary focus, this role will also provide technical leadership to a team of API and data based automation test engineers, contribute ideas and innovation, and help continuously improve overall quality practices. This position is part of the Data Initiatives Program for the Integration Hub, requiring strong experience in testing complex data flows across multiple systems, databases, and event-driven architectures.

Requirements

• 7–10 years of overall testing experience, including 4–5 years of hands-on automation testing (or equivalent automation-focused experience).
• Strong hands-on Java expertise, including deep knowledge of core Java concepts. The candidate is expected to understand developer-level code and, when required, contribute to integration and automation test code.
• Extensive experience with automation tools and frameworks such as Cucumber, Karate, JUnit, and TestNG.
• Strong experience testing data-intensive applications, including backend and integration testing.
• Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines, automation execution, and related tooling.
• Proven ability to guide and mentor junior or mid-level QA engineers.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Experience with performance testing tools such as Gatling, JMeter,LoadRunner.
• Hands-on experience working in an AWS cloud environment.
• Knowledge of Kafka-based event-driven architectures.
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement automation-first test strategies and frameworks for complex, data-driven applications.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to the QA team, helping set priorities and improve automation maturity.
• Contribute ideas, innovations, and improvements to enhance quality processes and automation effectiveness.
• Define and follow best practices for test automation, coding standards, and quality assurance.
• Perform testing across multiple data sources and systems, including EASY, C&H, Account, and other upstream/downstream integrations.
• Validate data across multiple databases such as PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and DynamoDB.
• Understand and test data flow through Kafka events, including event validation, data consistency, and downstream processing.
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Partner with developers, product owners, and architects to align testing strategies with delivery goals.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on automation coverage, defects, and quality metrics.
• Support and execute manual testing for complex scenarios, edge cases, or exploratory testing when required.
• Participate in innovation initiatives, including AI-assisted testing and automation enhancements.
• If required, support the performance testing requirements.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year
• Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year
• Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• Business Resource Groups (BRGs) – BRGs facilitate inclusion and collaboration across our business internally and throughout the communities where we live, work and play. BRGs are open to all.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level