QA Automation Lead
Tokyo Office
Engineering /
Full-time /
Hybrid
Our Mission:
Driving technology always feels old. Not by a little bit. We believe vehicles can be a thousand times smarter, safer, and more connected to the world around us, and our mission is to see it happen. In 2019, we joined forces with Honda as their first startup acquisition, and now we’re expanding our vision into building the future of electric vehicles (BEV) for millions of people around the world.
Why Drivemode:
Join Drivemode for an exciting startup environment and a vibrant culture that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to a crucial mission that revolutionizes the way people engage with vehicles, addressing both business needs and the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the EV market.
About the Role
As a QA Automation Lead, you will take a pivotal role in the QA team, overseeing the creation, implementation, and management of automation strategies. In addition to working closely with the App and IVI engineers to guarantee the quality of the delivered software for connected vehicles, you will lead the strategy for automating QA processes, improving testing efficiency, and setting long-term goals for automation across the team. You will have oversight of both the technical and non-technical aspects of automation, ensuring the team delivers reliable software that integrates with various vehicle hardware and Android-based applications.
What You Will Do:
- Automation Strategy Development
- Identify areas within QA processes that are suitable for automation.
- Design and implement a comprehensive QA automation strategy.
- Ensure alignment between the automation strategy and overall QA and engineering goals.
- Automation Execution Planning
- Create a clear roadmap and goals for executing the automation strategy.
- Define measurable milestones and objectives for the automation team.
- Monitor and ensure the efficient execution of automation plans.
- Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead the QA automation team by setting priorities and assigning responsibilities.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering and product management, to incorporate automation into product development cycles, and ensure that quality practices are considered at all stages of development.
- Drive automation initiatives, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptation of new technologies.
- Tools Utilization
- Evaluate and implement tools to augment the automation process, especially for areas like test management, reporting, and continuous integration.
- Ensure that the team leverages these tools effectively to enhance QA processes without requiring extensive coding.
- Process Improvement & Quality Advocacy
- Advocate for improvements in the overall development process to enhance quality, including testing early, better requirement definitions, and improved collaboration between teams.
- Work with developers and product teams to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies that affect software quality and propose changes to address these issues.
- Drive initiatives for adopting new methodologies, tools, and frameworks to improve code quality, testing coverage, and product reliability.
- Technical Contributions
- Analyze product requirements to develop automation testing cases.
- Design, write, and execute automated functional, nonfunctional, and performance tests for Applications and Services on embedded Android systems and mobile devices.
- Automate pre-test preparations, including application builds and test environment configurations.
- Documentation & Knowledge Sharing
- Document automation strategies, processes, and solutions.
- Share knowledge with the QA team to increase the overall understanding and skill level of the team in automation.
- Continuous Improvement
- Stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in QA automation.
- Drive continuous improvement efforts for automation practices, introducing new tools, frameworks, and methodologies as needed.
What We Are Looking For:
- 5+ years of experience in automation testing, with at least 2+ years in a leadership role.
- Strong experience in defining and implementing QA automation strategies.
- Deep knowledge of frameworks/tools for Android test automation (Appium, JUnit, etc.).
- Programming proficiency in Kotlin or Java.
- Proficiency in Linux OS and scripting languages like Shell Script.
- Experience with non-coding SaaS tools to support automation (e.g., TestRail, Jira, etc.).
- Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines, with experience in Git.
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to set goals, plan, and execute strategies.
- Fluent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Passion for improving the automotive experience through software quality.
Nice to Have:
- Experience with Android Compatibility Test Suite.
- Experience in delivering and testing embedded Android Systems such as Android Automotive, Android TV or standard Android for phones and other devices.
- Experience testing applications that interact with hardware devices and Bluetooth.
- Experience operating and customizing CI/CD pipelines to support QA needs
- Valid Driving License.
EEOC Statement:
Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints which are all critical in developing a product that has the greatest impacts on drivers all over the world. Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristics that make you unique.
