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, and business teams; fosters a collaborative quality culture
Why choose us?
Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team
Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether through promotion or international mobility
Enjoy a thoughtful rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact
Take good care of yourself and your family with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits, including at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave
Be part of a dynamic digital transformation journey with executive sponsorship and a strong innovation ecosystem
