Poonam Gaikwad
Chicago
Summary
Automation Lead, ISTQB certified, with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and managing robust automation testing strategies across diverse domains. Proven expertise in leading high-performing QA teams, architecting scalable Selenium-based automation frameworks, and integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines for accelerated delivery. Skilled in Java, Selenium, TestNG, Cucumber, Git, and Jenkins, with a strong track record of improving test coverage, reducing release cycles, and enhancing software quality.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Automation Test Lead
Northern Trust
Chicago
10.2022 - 01.2025
- Company Overview: Contract through Cigniti
- Guide and mentor QA engineers, ensuring adherence to automation best practices and coding standards.
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of robust automation frameworks using Selenium WebDriver, Java, TestNG, and Cucumber using behavior driven approach like POM. Contributed in framework creation from scratch.
- Advocate for adoption of AI in QA processes, providing training and guidance to team members.
- Pursuing AI platforms in QA automation e.g. Testim.
- Coordinated multiple testing projects simultaneously, resulting in timely delivery of all projects.
- Developed and executed test plans and scripts to ensure quality of software applications.
- Define test automation strategies, scope, and timelines aligned with project goals and agile delivery cycles.
- Provide clear test execution reports, quality metrics, and automation coverage statistics to stakeholders.
- Collaborated with developers, business analysts and product owner to ensure successful product releases.
- Tested the application in highly dynamic environment with sprint team using Agile methodology.
- Involved in using Jenkins as a Continuous Integration server to configure with Maven.
- Used Selenium WebDriver API to automate tests on cross browser and cross platform environment. Sound knowledge on Object Oriented Programming concept and Java Language.
- Integrated Automation scripts (Selenium WebDriver API) on Continuous Integration tools Jenkins for nightly batch run of the Script. Created Project plan on Jenkins.
- Conducted workflow, process diagram and gap analysis to derive requirements for existing systems enhancements.
- Used JIRA for Test Management for functional Test Automation.
- Manage test scripts, branch, and pull requests using GitHub, ensuring proper version control and code review processes.
- Participated in Walkthrough and defect report meetings periodically.
- Responsible for keeping up with the test schedule and interacting with software engineers to ensure clear communications on requirements and defect reports.
- Worked on mobile testing tool like Perfecto.
- Performed API testing using tools such as Postman and validate API request/response payloads, headers, status codes, authentication, and authorization mechanisms.
- Contract through Cigniti
- Environment: Java, Selenium WebDriver, Cucumber, Jenkins, TestNG, Maven, Eclipse IDE, JIRA, Mac OS and Windows.
Sr.QA Automation Engineer
Bank of New York
Pune
03.2014 - 04.2022
- Company Overview: Full time
- Interacted with the Business Clients, Product Owners, Developers and QA Manager for clear exposure to trickle down the technical/functional User Requirements & Change Requests to Test Plans and Test Scenarios.
- Involved in creation of automation framework in Selenium WebDriver using behavior driven approach like POM. Perform Functional Testing, Regression Testing, System Integration testing, (UAT) User Acceptance Testing, and End to End Testing.
- Responsible in executing Selenium test scripts on different browsers and checked for compatibility.
- Tested the application in highly dynamic environment with sprint team using Agile methodology.
- Automated the Test cases using Selenium for Regression testing and TestNG for grouping the tests.
- Created and enhanced numerous test scripts to handle changes in the objects, in the tested application’s GUI and in the testing, environment using Selenium WebDriver.
- Extensively used Page Objects design and page navigation framework for readable test script and easy maintenance from developer perspective.
- Responsible for keeping up with the test schedule and interacting with software engineers to ensure clear communications on requirements and defect reports.
- Full time
- Environment: Java, Selenium WebDriver, Cucumber, Jenkins, TestNG, Maven, Eclipse IDE, JIRA, Mac OS and Windows.
Software Test Engineer
Tata Consultancy Services
Mumbai
10.2011 - 03.2014
- Company Overview: Full time
- Interacted with the Project Manager, Business Analysts and Developers to understand the application design and functional specifications.
- Worked at TCS as a Software Test Engineer in Faster Payments and Global Billing System process for CITI client, Also worked on BPD flows for Faster Payment process.
- Worked on creating payments flows as per the functionality and worked on AWB tool to generate scripts automatically by using BPD flows.
- Prepared Test cases for positive and negative test scenarios as referred in the user stories keeping in mind Boundary Value Limitations, Equivalence classes.
- Analysing, writing reports & communicating results to colleagues & managers.
- Monitoring the testing process and identifying and logging test failures.
- Attend daily discussion call with client/UAT manager on defects and execution status.
- Worked on Capturing Screenshots on Failure or Pass to analyze the test failure reason.
- Coordinated with application team to ensure resolution of all issues and completion of work on time.
- Conducted backend testing using SQL queries to validate data for database and Used SQL queries for retrieving data from database for executing user specific test cases.
- Responsible for entering, tracking bugs in ALM to resolve bugs. Involved in verification of fixed bugs using and generated weekly quality progress reports.
- Participated in walkthroughs and technical reviews all through the testing phase.
- Full time
QA Engineer
Genesys World Eye
Mumbai
03.2010 - 07.2011
- Company Overview: Full time
- Analyzed business requirements, Functional Specifications and Use Cases, prepared Test Strategy and Test plan.
- Interacted with Functional and Technical Leads/Developers for understanding the requirements.
- Test the software with various test cases and various approaches.
- Understand existing system functionalities / new enhancements.
- Involved in User acceptance testing and End to End testing of the application.
- Performed Manual Testing on different Modules of the Application.
- Reviewed test plans, test cases and test scripts to ensure consistency with strategic direction, goals and objectives of QA resources working on the project with Agile SCRUM methodology.
- Documented and tracked test scripts, test results and reported test defects using HP Quality Center.
- Involved in QA team meetings and gave updates to the QA lead/Project Manager on a weekly basis.
- Full time
- Environment: Manual Testing, Quality Center, HTML, SQL, Oracle, and Windows.
Education
Bachelor of Science -
University of Mumbai
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India03-2009
Skills
- Selenium WebDriver and TestNG
- JIRA and Cucumber
- Postman and Perfecto
- HTML, CSS, and XML
- XPATH and SQL
- Quality Center and ALM
- Maven and Git
- Java and Oracle
- MySQL and Windows
- UNIX, Mac, and Linux
Timeline
Automation Test Lead
Northern Trust
10.2022 - 01.2025
Sr.QA Automation Engineer
Bank of New York
03.2014 - 04.2022
Software Test Engineer
Tata Consultancy Services
10.2011 - 03.2014
QA Engineer
Genesys World Eye
03.2010 - 07.2011
Bachelor of Science -
University of Mumbai