Quality Engineering Lead - Definity, Toronto

About the role

Collaborate closely with technical, agile development teams in a fast-paced, highly integrated environment. As a member of the Enterprise QE team, you will lead quality engineering activities and drive testing priorities throughout the release lifecycle by working hand-in-hand with software developers, business partners, and project stakeholders to ensure all quality goals are met. In this role, you will provide dedicated QE Leadership for the Enterprise Integration team, spearheading end-to-end quality strategy, test automation, and vendor governance across core API and microservices initiatives ensuring all integrated solutions are delivered with the highest standards of reliability, performance, and business value.

What you'll do

The responsibilities span across enterprise integration, test automation, and strategic delivery:

• Work collaboratively with cross functional team across various work stream to develop and execute comprehensive E2E integration test strategies across distributed microservices architectures, ensuring seamless data flow, schema validation, and protocol compliance across all interconnected systems.
• Implement and govern Consumer-Driven Contract Testing (e.g., Pact) to validate independent microservices deployments without breaking downstream and upstream dependencies.
• Collaborate with Service Virtualization team to simulate unavailable third-party or downstream dependencies, enabling parallel development and early shift-left testing.
• Utilize distributed tracing and logging tools to monitor API transactions, isolate latency bottlenecks, and diagnose root causes of failure across microservice boundaries.
• Maximize test automation coverage by championing an automation-first mindset and identifying practical opportunities to shift-left testing early in the microservices delivery process.
• Scale and maintain the enterprise API Test Automation framework (e.g., REST-assured, Karate, Postman), expanding its capabilities to support new integration points and driving framework adoption across teams.
• Integrate automated API regressions seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions), ensuring gatekeeper automated checks run on every microservice build and pull request.
• Identify and implement industry best practices, including GenAI / LLM prompt engineering, to drive continuous process improvements and testing efficiencies across the Enterprise Integration portfolio.
• Participate in optimization of existing AI agentic solutions and design and development of new solutions as part of continuous optimization of QE delivery.
• Build and maintain Integration Knowledge Base to be utilized by testing team and AI Agentic solutions in change impact analysis, test design and test automation development.
• Ensure optimal coverage and governance on vendor deliverables (onsite and offshore), establishing strict testing metrics, review protocols, and formal entry/exit gates to guarantee high-quality E2E release sign-offs.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of QE professionals, driving testing priorities, managing resource capacities, and aligning tasks to achieve business outcomes.
• Provide accurate, detailed, and transparent QE test status to stakeholders, highlighting quality trends, risks, and potential project impacts while actively driving the timely resolution of impediments.
• Participate in the coordination of change/release management and production implementation processes, ensuring zero-downtime deployments for critical APIs / microservices.
• Establish tight developer-QE feedback loops to proactively catch integration defects early, successfully preventing production-impacting incidents.
• Conduct technical and project orientation (KT) for onboarding team members, ensuring a deep understanding of standard tools, automation frameworks, and specific integration architectures.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet the following background and professional requirements:

• Over 10+ years of comprehensive experience in Quality Engineering, with a proven track record of 3+ years in active QE leadership roles directing complex testing initiatives, establishing quality governance, and optimizing test effectiveness.
• Solid understanding of Computer Science fundamentals, Agile methodologies, and modern release coordination to deliver high-quality software on aggressive timelines.
• Deep domain knowledge in the Insurance industry, featuring hands-on expertise testing and validating core Guidewire (GW) platform integrations (including GW-ServiceNow modernization streams).
• Advanced, hands-on experience designing, testing, and troubleshooting distributed microservices architectures and RESTful APIs.
• Proven capability in developing, expanding and maintaining scalable API Test Automation frameworks (utilizing tools like Postman, Karate, Rest-Assured, or Playwright) and seamlessly embedding automated regressions into CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, and other collaboration tools.
• Experienced in interacting and coordinating test activities amongst multiple teams.
• Experience in vendor management and resource governance, with a history of leading hybrid teams (internal FTEs and external partners) to drive complete end-to-end (E2E) functional and release sign-offs.
• Exceptional communication and analytical skills, with a focus on working closely with cross-functional development, product, and business streams to resolve bottlenecks and prevent production-impacting defects.
• Adapting quickly to changing conditions and providing approaches for pragmatic improvement and delivering results on time.

Perks and benefits

Definity offers a comprehensive employee benefits program:

• Hybrid work schedule for most roles
• Company share ownership program
• Incentive Program - Eligible employees may participate in various incentive plans which are paid out at the discretion of the company and subject to individual and company performance
• Pension and savings programs, with company-matched RRSP contributions
• Paid volunteer days and company matching on charitable donations
• Educational resources, tuition assistance, and paid time off to study for exams
• Focus on inclusion with employee groups, support for gender affirmation surgery, access to BIPOC counsellors, access to programs for working parents
• Wellness and recognition programs
• Discounts on products and services