Test Lead

Job Description:

• We are looking for a Senior QA Automation Engineer with strong experience in ETL testing (Informatica) and analytics layer testing (dbt) to lead quality assurance efforts for our hybrid data platform.
• Candidates will be responsible for defining QA strategies, building reusable automation frameworks, validating complex data transformations, and ensuring delivery quality across multiple releases.

Key Responsibilities:

Test Planning And Strategy:

• Participate in functional and technical discussions to understand design specifications, highlight performance concerns, and identify inconsistencies.
• Define QA strategy for a hybrid ETL stack involving Informatica PowerCenter and dbt for transformation and modeling.
• Analyze Source-to-Target Mapping (STTM) documents, business rules, and dbt model definitions to define test scope.
• Plan and manage testing phases across Program Increments (PIs) or releases: unit, system, integration, and UAT support.

Informatica Testing

• Review and validate Informatica mappings, workflows, sessions, and parameter files.
• Validate source data extraction (from flat files, RDBMS, mainframes, etc.) and data transformations (joins, lookups, aggregations, filters).
• Test load strategies for staging/ODS layers (insert/update, truncate/load, CDC).
• Use SQL and data comparison tools for reconciliation and transformation validation.
• Monitor job runs via Informatica Monitor/Workflow logs, ensuring correct execution paths and dependencies.

DBT Testing

• Validate dbt models, tests, and documentation in the analytics layer.
• Review SQL logic, YAML configurations, and dbt test coverage (unique, not null, accepted values, relationships, custom).
• Execute dbt test suites and investigate failures.
• Validate materialization strategies (table, view, incremental) and source freshness logic.
• Review compiled SQL to ensure transformation accuracy.

Data Validation And Reconciliation

• Perform full and sample-based data validation across source → staging → ODS → analytics layers.
• Write complex SQL queries to compare record counts, aggregates, and field-level data.
• Validate PII masking and data obfuscation rules where applicable.

Automation And DevOps Integration

• Develop reusable, SQL-based automated test scripts for recurring validations.
• Integrate QA checks into CI/CD pipelines using Git Actions.
• Monitor and validate Informatica batch schedules and dbt Cloud jobs.
• Contribute to QA dashboards and automated test reporting.

Defect Management And Reporting:

• Log and track defects in JIRA, categorized by layer (Informatica/dbt) and severity.
• Lead defect triage calls with data engineering teams.
• Provide detailed execution status reports and test coverage metrics.

Mentoring And Continuous Improvement:

• Guide QA engineers in using the test automation framework, improving technical capabilities and productivity.
• Maintain up-to-date test environments, data sets, and infrastructure.

Required Skills And Experience:

• Tech Stack: Informatica PowerCenter, dbt, SQL, Snowflake, Git, JIRA.
• Proven experience in ETL and data warehouse testing, including source-to-target validation.
• Strong SQL skills for data reconciliation and transformation validation.
• Experience with automation frameworks and CI/CD pipeline integration.
• Familiarity with data governance concepts, PII masking, and metadata validation