Digital R&D - Test Automation Lead

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE As a Lead Test Automation Engineer within Sanofi's Global Digital R&D Software Engineering team, you will serve as the technical lead and quality champion for test automation across one or more digital product squads. You will own the end-to-end automation strategy, drive engineering excellence, and guide a team of automation engineers to deliver high-quality, reliable, and scalable digital solutions. This role sits at the intersection of technical leadership, hands-on engineering, and cross-functional collaboration, directly supporting Sanofi's ambition to be a digital-first, AI-powered healthcare company. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Technical Leadership • Define and own the test automation strategy, framework architecture, and tooling standards across assigned product domains • Lead the design and implementation of scalable, maintainable, and reusable automation frameworks (functional, regression, API, integration, performance, and security testing) • Drive shift-left testing practices, embedding quality from requirements through deployment • Establish and enforce quality gates, coding standards, and best practices for test automation across squads • Evaluate and recommend new tools, technologies, and methodologies to continuously improve the automation ecosystem Delivery & Execution • Oversee the integration of automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring fast and reliable feedback loops • Lead test planning activities including scope definition, risk-based testing strategies, and effort estimation • Monitor and report on test coverage, defect trends, and quality KPIs to engineering and product leadership • Ensure automated test environments are stable, scalable, and aligned with cloud-native infrastructure • Drive root cause analysis for critical defects and systemic quality issues, proposing and implementing corrective actions People & Collaboration • Mentor and coach a team of test automation engineers, fostering technical growth and a quality-first culture • Collaborate closely with product owners, software engineers, DevOps, and business stakeholders to align on quality objectives • Act as the primary point of contact for test automation matters within the squad and across the broader engineering community • Facilitate knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and internal guilds around testing excellence • Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and capability building within the test automation practice Governance & Compliance • Ensure test automation practices comply with Sanofi's IT standards, cybersecurity policies, and (where applicable) GxP/CSV regulatory requirements • Maintain comprehensive documentation of test strategies, frameworks, and results for audit readiness • Participate in global Digital R&D engineering initiatives and contribute lessons learned to the broader community REQUIRED SKILLS & PROFICIENCY Technical Skills: • Applications Delivery: Experienced • DevOps: Experienced • Software Design: Intermediate • Cloud Engineering: Experienced Functional Skills: • Cybersecurity: Intermediate • Continued Learning: Experienced Transversal Skills: • Quality Mindset: Experienced • Innovation: Intermediate • Communication: Experienced Other Skills: • Software Engineering: Experienced • Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): Intermediate TECHNICAL EXPERTISE • Test Automation Frameworks: Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Appium, RestAssured, Karate, or equivalent • Programming Languages: Python, Java, JavaScript, or TypeScript (proficient level) • CI/CD & DevOps: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps — experienced in pipeline design • Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, or GCP — experienced in cloud-based test execution environments • API & Contract Testing: Postman, REST/SOAP/GraphQL, Pact • Performance & Security Testing: JMeter, Gatling, OWASP ZAP, or equivalent • BDD/TDD Methodologies: Cucumber, SpecFlow, or equivalent • Test Management & Reporting: Jira, Xray, TestRail, Allure, or equivalent • Version Control & Code Quality: Git, SonarQube, code review practices • Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes (for test environment management) --- QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE • Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field • Experience: 12+ years in software quality engineering, with at least 3 years in a lead or senior automation role • Proven track record of building and scaling test automation frameworks in cloud-native, DevOps environments • Experience leading or mentoring small teams of engineers (2–6 people) • Exposure to regulated environments (GxP, CSV, 21 CFR Part 11) is a strong advantage in the pharma/life sciences context • Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions and drive quality culture across cross-functional teams BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES • Aim Higher: Sets high quality standards; continuously raises the bar on automation coverage and reliability • Act for Patients: Understands that software quality directly impacts patient safety and data integrity • Be Bold: Challenges legacy testing approaches; proposes and implements innovative automation solutions • Lead Together: Builds bridges across engineering, product, a