Lead Software Engineer - Test

<p><strong>About the Role</strong></p><p>At Freshworks, quality isn’t a checkpoint—it’s part of our engineering DNA. As a Lead Software Engineer in Test, you’ll be the technical owner of automation strategy and test architecture for products used by thousands every day. You’ll work at the intersection of code, tooling, performance, and product confidence—ensuring we ship fast without breaking things.</p><p>If you think like a developer, test like a user, and automate like an architect—this role is built for you.</p><p><strong>The Impact You Own</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Architecting the Quality Ecosystem:</strong> You will own and evolve our entire testing strategy. By designing and building scalable automation frameworks for UI, API, and microservices from scratch, you will set the technical foundation for how Freshworks ensures enterprise-grade product reliability.</p></li><li><p><strong>Accelerating Engineering Velocity:</strong> You will define the quality gates across the SDLC and champion "shift-left" testing practices. By seamlessly integrating your automation into CI/CD pipelines with DevOps, you will empower the engineering org to ship code faster without breaking things.</p></li><li><p><strong>Championing System Performance:</strong> You will look beyond functional testing to lead performance, cross-browser, and non-functional testing initiatives. Using deep debugging skills in distributed systems, you will proactively identify bottlenecks before they reach the user.</p></li><li><p><strong>Multiplying Team Capability:</strong> As a technical leader across multiple QA pods, you will elevate the engineering standards of everyone around you. Through rigorous test code reviews, architectural guidance, and dedicated mentorship, you will build a culture where quality is truly in the engineering DNA.</p></li></ul><p>&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Responsibilities</strong></p><ul><li><p>Own and evolve the entire testing lifecycle—strategy, tools, coverage, and automation ROI.</p></li><li><p>Build scalable automation frameworks for UI, API, and microservices.</p></li><li><p>Define quality gates across SDLC and drive shift-left testing practices.</p></li><li><p>Lead performance, non-functional, and cross-browser testing initiatives.</p></li><li><p>Partner with Dev and DevOps teams to integrate automation into CI/CD pipelines.</p></li><li><p>Drive continuous improvement in test coverage, stability, and developer confidence.</p></li><li><p>Provide technical leadership across multiple QA pods.</p></li><li><p>Review test code, mentor team members, and guide debugging and root cause analysis.</p></li></ul> <p><strong>Skill Inventory &amp; Qualifications</strong></p><p><strong>Core Engineering &amp; Architecture</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>7–9 years</strong> of proven experience in QA engineering and advanced automation.</p></li><li><p>Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.</p></li><li><p><strong>Data Structures &amp; Algorithms (DSA):</strong> Strong analytical problem-solving skills, capable of writing optimized code (time/space complexity) and applying OOP principles for highly extensible automation.</p></li><li><p><strong>System Design for Test:</strong> Experience architecting reusable automation frameworks from scratch for distributed systems and microservices.</p></li><li><p><strong>Engineering Mindset:</strong> A hands-on builder who codes and tests at production-level standards and naturally biases toward excellent documentation.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Automation &amp; Tooling Stack</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>UI &amp; API Automation:</strong> Deep expertise in Selenium (Webdrivers, XPath, CSS Selectors), Postman, and API testing methodologies.</p></li><li><p><strong>Performance Testing:</strong> Hands-on experience with JMeter or similar load-testing tools to validate non-functional requirements.</p></li><li><p><strong>DevOps Integration:</strong> Strong experience embedding test strategi ... (truncated, view full listing at source)