Lead QA Automation Engineer with AI and Playwright experience

About the role As a Lead QA Automation Engineer with AI & Playwright experience, you will make an impact by driving quality through advanced automation, modern testing practices, and emerging AI‑driven solutions. You will be a valued member of the QA engineering team and work closely with developers, product owners, and DevOps teams to ensure scalable, high‑quality software delivery. In this role, you will

• Develop and maintain automation scripts and scalable testing frameworks to improve test efficiency and coverage.
• Design and implement AI‑driven solutions, including Generative AI agents, to enhance testing capabilities and productivity.
• Perform both automated and manual testing across web applications and service layers.
• Design test cases, execute test plans, and ensure comprehensive validation across functional and integration scenarios.
• Track and report testing progress, defects, and quality metrics to stakeholders in a timely manner. Work model We strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a remote position open to qualified applicants in Dearborn - MI USA. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work‑life balance through our various wellbeing programs. The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations. What you need to have to be considered
• 7+ years of experience in IT Quality Assurance, with strong exposure to both manual and automation testing.
• Hands‑on experience with modern automation tools such as Playwright
• Strong proficiency with test management tools such as Azure DevOps or JIRA
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems (e.g., GitHub, GitHub Actions, TeamCity).
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as TypeScript or JavaScript
• Experience in web services testing, including REST and/or GraphQL APIs.
• Strong SQL skills for data validation and backend testing.
• Solid understanding of test design, execution, and reporting practices. These will help you stand out
• Experience using AI‑assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot or similar.
• Hands‑on experience developing automation frameworks from scratch.
• Exposure to Generative AI use cases within testing or software engineering.
• Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail and problem‑solving skills.
• Experience working in Agile environments with distributed teams. Salary and Other Compensation The annual salary for this position is between $71,100 to 112,500 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans. Benefits
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long‑term/Short‑term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship. Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.