Lead SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test)

As Lead SDET at Kardex, you will architect, implement, and drive the test automation strategy for our next-generation SaaS warehouse solutions. You will build and mentor a high-performing SDET team , champion quality engineering across the SDLC, and collaborate closely with product, development, DevOps, and architecture teams. Your leadership will be crucial in ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of our globally deployed products.

Your tasks

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership:
  • Develop and implement the SDET strategy aligned with business and product goals.
  • Build, recruit, and mentor a diverse SDET team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
  • Establish and track key automation and quality KPIs, reporting regularly to senior management.
• Test Automation & Quality Engineering:
  • Architect and enhance robust test automation frameworks for web, mobile, API, microservices, and white-box testing.
  • Guide tool selection, proof-of-concept creation, and adoption of industry best practices in automation and CI/CD.
  • Ensure seamless integration of automated tests within CI/CD pipelines, maintaining high standards for test coverage and reporting.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership:
  • Work closely with Product Management, Development, DevOps, SRE, Release Management, and Application Support to deliver high-quality releases.
  • Participate in technical reviews, design discussions, and sprint planning to embed quality from feature inception to deployment.
  • Proactively engage with product owners and stakeholders to identify quality risks and improvement opportunities.
• Process & Environment Oversight:
  • Oversee test environment setup, data management, and alignment with production/staging configurations.
  • Lead root cause analysis for customer issues, production incidents, and drive system hardening measures.
  • Document and maintain test strategies, SOPs, utilities, and tooling to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Coaching & Mentorship:
  • Serve as a subject matter expert and coach for SDET engineers.
  • Provide guidance on technical and career development, fostering a high-performing, collaborative team.

Your profile

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering or SDET roles, with a proven track record in building automation frameworks.
• 5+ years of experience managing and mentoring technical teams.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, or similar languages.
• Deep expertise with automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Loadrunner, Appium), CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab), and containerization (Docker).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-based testing/infrastructure.
• Solid understanding of SDLC, Agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills.
• Experience recruiting, building, and leading diverse, high-performing teams.

Desired Skills

• Master’s degree in engineering, technology, or related field.
• Experience with microservices, event-driven architectures, and testing distributed systems.
• Familiarity with performance testing (JMeter, Gatling), security testing, and service virtualization.
• Experience with database testing (SQL, NoSQL) and test data management.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails or React is a plus.
• Exposure to AI/ML-driven testing or innovation labs is an advantage.

Your Impact

• Champion a quality-first culture and drive continuous improvement in test automation and processes.
• Deliver reliable, scalable, and innovative SaaS solutions used by global customers.
• Mentor and inspire the next generation of SDETs, raising the bar for software quality across the organization.