Manager, Test Engineering - Playwright

Talent500 is hiring for one of its clients.

About Company:

Kestra Holdings offers industry-leading wealth management platforms for independent wealth management professionals nationwide. Kestra is dedicated to empowering independent financial professionals—including traditional and hybrid RIAs—to grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client service. We combine advanced business management technology with personalized consulting to provide unmatched scale, efficiency, and support. Our advisor-focused culture is built on innovation and advocacy, enabling advisors to offer comprehensive securities and investment advisory solutions to their clients.

Lead with Purpose. Partner with Impact.

Kestra is seeking a dynamic and experienced Manager / Senior Manager, Test Engineering to lead our quality assurance and testing teams within the Advisor Platform Architecture and Engineering organization. In this role, you will oversee three groups of test engineers (manual, automation, and performance), drive the vision and strategy for test engineering, and ensure the delivery of high-quality software products for our cutting-edge financial advisor platform — software that supports financial advisors and the Home Office staff who serve them.

What you'll Do:

• Lead, mentor, and develop three groups of test engineers (manual, automation, and performance), ensuring alignment with overall company goals and technical strategy.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive test strategy that covers functional, automation, regression, and performance testing across multiple product teams.
• Collaborate with senior leadership, product management, and development teams to define testing objectives and ensure testing activities align with product goals.
• Drive continuous improvement in test engineering practices, test automation, and testing processes across all stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Define and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for test effectiveness and quality assurance; report on trends and use data to guide investment decisions.
• Coordinate test efforts across multiple teams to ensure comprehensive test coverage, with a focus on both functional and non-functional testing.
• Champion the adoption and enhancement of automated testing frameworks (ADO Pipelines, Playwright, C# Selenium) to improve testing efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability.
• Ensure the test automation strategy is integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to accelerate testing cycles and product delivery.
• Analyze testing processes and identify opportunities for improvement in efficiency, coverage, and effectiveness; lead the integration of new testing tools, methodologies, and industry trends.
• Implement best practices in test documentation, reporting, and defect management, ensuring transparency and clear communication within the organization.
• Provide regular updates on testing progress, quality metrics, and potential risks to senior management and key stakeholders; present actionable recommendations for product quality improvements.
• Foster a culture of innovation, encouraging exploration of new tools, technologies, and best practices in test automation.
• Uphold core values (Make it Happen, One Team, Serve) in daily interactions and delivery commitments.

What You Bring:

• 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in software testing and quality engineering, including 3+ years directly managing cross-functional testing teams.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Extensive experience in test strategy development, test planning, and execution for both manual and automated testing.
• In-depth knowledge of test automation tools and frameworks (ADO Pipelines, C# Selenium, Playwright) and strong understanding of CI/CD pipeline integration.
• Experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner) and techniques for scalability and performance testing.
• Proven track record of managing large, cross-functional testing teams in an Agile development environment.
• Strong understanding of modern software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with defect management and documentation systems (e.g., Jira/Confluence) (desired).
• Financial services or wealth management industry experience (desired).
• Master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field (desired).