Job Intel

Job Intel has powered 19 interviews so far!

Straight From the Source

Updates from my sourcing efforts, with real-time notes from daily conversations with hiring managers, engineers, and recruiters in the community. I hear things that never make it online, and I share what’s public as I hear it – all in one place.

Automation Candidate Confessions Field Notes Interview Intel Job LoopQA Market Signal Ovidius AI Recruiters

  • LinkedIn: The 5-Minute Sweep

    How do people search for QA openings on LinkedIn?

    One of the first things I do is search by title, testing niche, or specific tools relevant to my field. Then I switch over to recent posts to see what recruiters, hiring managers, and engineers are actively discussing.

    In just five minutes, I found several people who have posted and might be worth reaching out to:

    Kyley Roberts
    Posted: 2 days ago
    REQ: ETL (mid level) QA

    Hemank Narula
    Posted: 1 week ago
    REQs: Automation Engineer/SDET (TD Bank)

    Manjari Saxena
    Posted: 2 days ago
    REQ: Salesforce QA Automation Engineer with Playwright 

    Sreenivas Mohan
    Posted: today
    REQ: Automation Engineer (Cypress)

    Avnish Kumar
    Posted: 4 weeks ago
    REQ: QA focused on AI/Chatbot and Conversational AI

    Shibashish Sam
    Posted: today
    REQ: Automation QA

    Harrison Ferone
    Posted: Repost
    REQ: Automation QA 

    Brianna Healing
    Posted: today
    REQ: Automation Engineer (remote)

    I did this exercise with an engineering manager last week, and we kicked up several hiring leaders who had posted opportunities or general signals we could leverage that we wouldn’t have found through the job tab. Job searching isn’t just applying to posted jobs but about identifying target companies and intentionally networking with the right people.

    It Could Be As Simple As This:

    Now who could use a little help with outreach strategy? 🙂

  • Field Updates

    Disclaimer: Please note these are just updates based on my conversation in the market

    • Daniel Haynes : Filled a QA engineering role on his team (automation + AI driven). Looks like they have a couple software gigs open and potentially more QA work down the line.
    • CPI: Heard CPI filled a QA role: supporting manual Salesforce and integration testing across sales workflows, including quotes, opportunities, and broader business operations such as install and service processes.
    • LoopQA: Filled another QA Automation Engineer opening today supporting a large payroll migration initiative

  • How to Vet the ‘Manual + Automation’ QA Gigs

    Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had 3 conversations with different candidates applying to “manual + automation” listed QA roles…that are actually much more engineering-heavy than they appear.

    How long has this been an issue?

    Quick note: if you’re ~75% of a fit, apply. Don’t overthink it.
    My opinion: The goal of your resume is simply to get that conversation. If it’s a solid company and you’re reasonably aligned, that first call is always worth it.

    Once you’re in that conversation, here are a few questions I think might help you actually vet the role:

    ▶️ If someone spent 70% of their first 90 days on automation backlog and 30% on sprint coverage, would that be the right balance? What does the week-to-week actually look like?
    ▶️ What does the current automation setup look like: building from scratch, inheriting a framework, or maintaining what’s already there?
    ▶️ When you say “manual testing when needed,” who decides when it’s needed? The QA engineer, product, or a defined process?

    If the rep doesn’t know the answers, that’s fine: ask them to go get them. That clarity helps everyone.

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  • Not a Straight Line: Career Moves

    Ovidius AI added headcount this week, bringing on a local engineer who was ready to step away from corporate dev life and move into a technical sales engineering role focused on driving custom solutions. This hire came through networking, but leadership is known to use staffing firms when needed on large projects😉

    LoopQA added headcount this week. An engineer with early-career testing experience spent the last five years working as a systems engineer. With AI reshaping the landscape, he re-engaged his interest in QA automation, refreshed his skills, and successfully landed an AI-driven testing role with LoopQA. This was possible because LoopQA’s leadership has strong credibility with their client partners and uses thoughtful evaluation processes that assess real knowledge not just someone’s most recent title. That’s something I don’t see as often with other staffing partners

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  • LoopQA – Automation QA

    Full-time | $90–95K + benefits/PTO

    Hybrid (Tues/Wed) in Charlotte, NC
    Reports to: Ben Fellows
    Note: Ben said feel free to reach out directly, just reference the site🙂

    QA Automation Engineer (Playwright / API / AI-Assisted Workflows)

    This role focuses on improving automation coverage for a team that ships continuously. You will build and maintain end-to-end and API test suites, help close coverage gaps, and support CI/CD pipeline reliability. The goal is to ensure quality keeps pace with development.

    We use AI tooling (Claude, Cursor) as part of our development workflow. Familiarity or curiosity in using these tools in practical work is a strong plus.

    What You Will Do

    • Build and maintain automated tests using Playwright across UI and API layers
    • Contribute to expanding end-to-end test coverage by identifying gaps and writing new scenarios
    • Run, monitor, and help triage failures in CI/CD pipelines
    • Debug test failures and work to determine whether the issue is in the test, data, or application
    • Collaborate with engineers to improve test structure and reliability
    • Use AI tooling to support testing, debugging, and workflow efficiency

    What We Need

    • 2 to 6 years in QA, software testing, or test automation
    • Hands-on experience with Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or similar frameworks
    • Working knowledge of APIs and how web applications function
    • Familiarity with JavaScript, TypeScript, or another scripting language
    • You are comfortable debugging issues before escalating them
    • Experience with AI-assisted tools is a plus, or strong interest in adopting them

    How We Evaluate

    A hands-on Playwright exercise built around real-world scenarios. We are evaluating your debugging process and how you navigate unfamiliar behavior—not just correctness.

    Interview Process

    Technical exercise followed by a hiring manager conversation.

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  • Still Seeing Strong Pull for Hybrid Automation Talent

    Hearing consistant signals from the market around hybrid Automation Engineer roles (UI / API / AI-driven initiatives) at Ally Financial

    Spoke with a tech lead this week who mentioned they just brought on an automation engineer Monday: and they’re still actively interviewing to build out the teams further (strong q2 hiring)

    Sharing a contact I was pointed to by my network: Selah Boughner & Meghan Robinson @ Optomi

    If you’re closer to the Ally ecosystem or know strong staffing partners with real-time delivery pipelines there, feel free to DM me

    **Disclaimer: I don’t manage or represent this role and am simply tracking market activity**

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  • LoopQA: Senior QA Automation Engineer (Playwright / Internal Tooling)

    Full-time | $105 to $115K + benefits/PTO
    Hybrid (Tues/Wed) in Charlotte, NC
    Reports to: Ryan Anderson **I spoke with him 4/21. This is a backfill role**

    This team builds internal web applications that power day-to-day operations across the business. This role exists because our development velocity has outpaced traditional QA. We need someone who can build automation that scales with how we actually ship. The environment is fast, iterative, and increasingly AI-assisted. You will not just add tests. You will define how quality works across a growing internal platform.

    What You Will Own

    • Architect and maintain automated test coverage using Playwright across internal web applications at both UI and API layers
    • Establish a repeatable QA strategy for internal tooling from test design through CI/CD integration and failure handling
    • Build automation that keeps pace with AI-assisted development workflows instead of traditional QA cycles
    • Investigate failures across the full stack including frontend, API, and database without waiting on handoffs
    • Create systems and patterns the team can reuse and elevate overall engineering standards through output

    What You Bring

    • Proven experience shipping Playwright-based automation in production environments
    • Strong API testing skills with the ability to trace requests, debug failures, and validate system behavior end to end
    • Comfort working in a full-stack environment with the ability to read and reason through application code
    • Experience using tools like Claude, Cursor, or similar AI coding assistants as part of your daily workflow
    • Ability to quickly determine whether an issue is a test failure, data issue, or application bug

    How We Evaluate

    • A hands-on Playwright exercise focused on real-world scenarios, with emphasis on how you think, debug, structure automation, and leverage AI tools to improve speed and quality.
    • Interview Process: tech eval + hiring manager interview

    Update 4/22- Actively reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews

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  • Candidate-Sourced Market Signal

    There have been mentions in the market of a potential contract QA automation opportunity focused on supporting the transition from manual QA to automation (Selenium / Cypress).

    Pratt Miller does not currently show a publicly posted role of this type on its careers page, so if it exists, it may be handled through external staffing partners rather than direct posting.

    Pratt Miller is an established engineering firm with a strong Midwest presence and work across advanced manufacturing and product development. They do have other engineering roles posted publicly. I’ve heard good things about this firm.

    Update
    – Spoke with an engineer at Pratt. Good firm/cultue
    – Ran across a candidate who interviewed 4/23 through a vendor

    Disclaimer: I do not manage or represent this role and am simply tracking market activity.

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  • How to Vet a Staffing Firm Submission Process

    A friend got double-submitted by two staffing firms and ended up in a dispute after an offer last week for a performance gig. The details were vague, client name was shared, a canned job description was used, but there was no req ID, R2R or hiring manager listed. That made it almost impossible to track at an active enterprise bank.

    We walked through the scenerio and came up with a simple set of questions candidates can use to understand how a firm actually operates and how transparent their process is.

    1) Req ID or approval status

    • “What is the req ID for this role?”
    • If there is no ID: “Where is this role in the approval process?”

    2) Hiring context

    • “Can you share the hiring manager or at least the team or business unit?”
    • “If not, can you give more detail on the project or scope beyond the job description?”

    3) Relationship depth

    • “How long have you supported this client and this specific manager?”
    • “Do you currently have anyone on payroll there?”

    4) Submission process

    • “How is my resume submitted and presented?”
    • “Do you hop on a call with the manager, or submit directly via email? Or does it go through a coordinator, or vms portal?”
    • “Do you personally present candidates or is it handled by an account manager?”

    5) Submission volume

    • “How many submissions is your firm allowed for this role?”
    • “How many other vendors have this role?”

    These are not meant to be combative. They simply help clarify how the process works, reduce ambiguity, and surface how transparent the relationship really is. It’s very easy to bake these into conversations.

    You know what they say…clear process upfront usually means fewer surprises later.

    Don’t know why these questions are important, or have one of your own you want answered? DM.

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  • LoopQA

    QA Automation Engineer
    Fulltime, 90-95K + benefits/pto
    Hybrid Tues/Wed in Charlotte, NC
    Ben Fellows, CEO (technical)

    Automation QA Engineer (Playwright / AI-Assisted Testing)

    We build AI infrastructure that companies actually use. Not demos. Not decks. Working systems that change how teams operate. This role exists because we need test coverage that keeps pace with AI-accelerated development, and we need someone who will raise the team’s automation floor permanently, not just write tests for the next sprint.

    What you will own

    • Design, build, and maintain automated test suites using Playwright across UI and API layers.
    • Own end-to-end coverage strategy: from test design through CI integration and failure triage.
    • Use AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent) as a core part of your workflow to ship more output per sprint, not as an occasional shortcut.
    • Debug and trace failures across API responses, database state, and application logic without waiting to be handed a ticket.
    • Set a higher standard for the team by shipping work others can learn from. This is not a coaching role. The influence is in the output.

    What we need you to bring

    • Production experience writing automated tests in Playwright. Not “familiar with.” Shipped it.
    • API testing depth: you can write, debug, and trace requests end-to-end.
    • Comfort using AI tools (LLM-based coding assistants, AI-powered debugging) as everyday instruments, not novelties.
    • Full-stack exposure sufficient to read and interrogate application code when a test fails.
    • Ability to triage a failure, determine root cause, and distinguish a test bug from an application bug without escalating.

    How we evaluate

    The technical assessment includes a Playwright automation exercise, an API and database debug problem, and open use of AI tools throughout. Candidates who use AI well during the eval score higher, not lower. We want to see how you actually work.

    **Update 4/22- These roles are closed**

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  • Hiring Pipeline Intelligence

    Sharing a quick snapshot from recent conversations across QA hiring in the Charlotte market. This is based on candidate interviews, recruiter outreach, and staffing-side signals I’m hearing week to week.

    Charlotte market activity
    Multiple candidates recently interview for QA roles at companies: Ben AI, Hemmings, CPI Security, Fastbreak AI, LoopQA, Bank of America, Ally Financial, Paylocity, Vanguard, Digital Kings Networking, Charter, and Wells Fargo, etc.

    Staffing + pipeline signals
    I’m hearing early-stage outreach from staffing partners tied to QA testing work at SMBC.
    I expect to continue to see roles come out from Ally Financial.

    Open reqs online in the last couple weeks:
    Selective Insurance, Total Quality Logistics, AssetMark and The Hartford currently show openings. If you’ve interviewed at any of these recently, I’d genuinely be interested in hearing about your feedback and what the process was like. Always helpful to compare notes, especially when job postings and actual interview activity don’t always match.

  • Ovidius AI

    AI QA Engineer

    Ovidius is Ben AI’s custom solution arm, offering advisory services and end-to-end custom builds. They have an international presence with a team right here in Charlotte.

    They were hiring an AI QA Automation Engineer to help redefine test automation in an AI-first environment: a fully remote, full-cycle testing role using tools like n8n and Claude Code to build automated, AI-assisted QA workflows that move faster and smarter than traditional frameworks.

    Update: This one was filled a month back, but it’s a great example of the type of forward-thinking roles we’re seeing come through. If this kind of work excites you, keep an eye on Ovidius, highly recommend checking them out.

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  • Staffing Reps

    Below is a curated list of local recruiters I either know personally and recommend, or who are active in my network and have been identified through candidate outreach related to IT/QA roles.

    • Ryan @ LoopQA: This is my squad: an extremely sharp group of individuals running a modern quality assurance practice, with a focus on AI-forward approaches
    • Jim@TEKsystems: I recruited QA for Jim during my TEK days. Great contact.
    • Mike @ Heitmeyer Consulting: Senior AE, overseeing fs clients. Great contact.
    • Evan@ Robert Half: I’ve worked with him. Director level, but rolls up his sleeves and is well-connected. Great contact.
    • Wes @ Randstad: Director level but would be the guy to help or point you in the right direction of the recruiter who could
    • Lilly @ Beacon Hill
    • Shriram @ Dexian: My buddy just started a new sdet gig at the bank through this contact at Dexian
    • Olivia @ Insight Global
    • Harrison @ AccurePartners
    • Andrew @ Experis: I worked with Andrew at Disys. Oversees a book of business for Experis. Great contact.
    • Selah @ Optomi: My friend started an automation role at Ally through Optomi 3/30
    • Justin @ Kavaliro
    • Mack @ Brookesource
    • Brian @ PDS

    Last Updated: 4/29/26

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  • Fastbreak AI

    QA Automation Engineer

    I caught a repost from TA Max Wilkins. Check out the link below, they have an engineer opening. Candidates in my network have been interviewing over the last few weeks. Looks like a fantastic, growing firm

    Tip: I’ve heard these folks are big sports fans… predictable 🙂

    Update 4/22: Swapped intros with Max. Great guy. Looks like they’re working on some exciting initatives. Actively hiring. Highly recommend flagging the company page

    Disclaimer: I don’t manage or represent this role and am simply tracking market activity

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  • DICK’S Sporting Goods

    SDET Lead

    Scottie Crump posted a remote opening on Li 3 weeks ago. Suggest checking out the gig. This was the post:
    This is a senior+ leadership role for someone who:
    ✅ Has deep expertise in test automation (AI-driven, Playwright, CI/CD pipelines)
    ✅ Is fluent in languages such as Java, TypeScript, or Python for automation development
    ✅ Has hands-on experience with AI-powered testing tools and workflows
    ✅ Loves mentoring engineers and elevating team quality culture

    Pay range: $95,200 – $158,800 + full benefits

    🔗 Apply here → https://lnkd.in/eSx2t-wD

    • Update: Req on hold 4/10. Review + Interviews

    **I do not oversee or control this role. I provide updates as I hear it**

  • LoopQA: Hiring Updates

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