Digital R&D - Test Automation Lead

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)

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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

  
  

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, ability or gender identity.

Watch our ALL IN video and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com!