Job Description
Role:
UAT Lead- Senior QA Testing & Automation Location:
McLean, Virginia- Onsite Contract with potential for extension 13+ Years required The Role We are seeking a Senior QA Testing & Automation Consultant to support a major modernization program. This role sits within the UAT team and is responsible for ensuring high-quality delivery across User Acceptance Testing (UAT), requirements validation, change management, and cutover readiness. This is a consultative, client-facing role requiring strong collaboration with both business and technology stakeholders. The ideal candidate will bring a balance of UAT leadership, QA strategy, and automation expertise, with the ability to operate at both a strategic and hands-on level. What You ll Do Lead UAT strategy and execution across the modernization program, including planning, coordination, and governance of UAT activities Act as a bridge between business and technology teams, ensuring requirements are clearly understood, validated, and testable Define and maintain end-to-end traceability from business requirements through test scenarios, execution, and defect resolution Partner with business stakeholders to validate requirements, challenge assumptions, and ensure solutions meet business intent Design, develop, and oversee execution of manual and automated test cases, aligning testing efforts with business-critical outcomes Drive test automation adoption by aligning frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress) to support UAT efficiency and repeatability Manage and assess change requests, performing impact analysis and ensuring appropriate test coverage across affected areas Support cutover planning and execution, including readiness assessments, defect triage, and go-live support Provide UAT status reporting, risk identification, and escalation management to program leadership Contribute to continuous improvement of QA and UAT practices, particularly within large-scale transformation environments What We re Looking For Strong consulting background with the ability to operate in a client-facing role, drive discussions, and influence both business and technology stakeholders Background in financial services such as banking & payments with an understanding of regulatory and data-driven testing considerations Proven leadership in User Acceptance Testing (UAT), including planning, coordination, execution oversight, and business validation across complex, enterprise programs Demonstrated experience translating business requirements into end-to-end test strategies, ensuring full traceability from requirements through test execution and defect resolution Ability to challenge, refine, and validate requirements in partnership with business stakeholders, not just test against them Experience managing change requests, impact assessments, and testing scope adjustments within fast-moving delivery environments Hands-on experience with test automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress), with the ability to align automation efforts to UAT and business validation goals Strong communication skills with experience working across cross-functional teams, including Product, BA, QA, and Release/Deployment teams
