Sr. Automation Engineer

The Big Picture: This is a high-visibility, foundational role. The client is building a brand-new integration testing practice from scratch. For now, this person will be a team of one who needs to challenge the status quo, hands-on build the automation framework, and coordinate across upstream/downstream application teams.

Location: Onshore Preference for San Antonio, Austin, or Dallas
Work Authorization: US Citizen or Green Card only (No H1B processing). Must be eligible for eventual permanent conversion.
Duration: Long-term Contract-to-Hire (Budgeted under upcoming Q1 Capex; conversion is the goal but no strict guarantees yet).
= Technical Matrix
Requirement Layer
Technologies & Skills
Core Testing Frameworks
Must-Have: Karate, BDD (Behavior-Driven Development). Pure automation background only (5-6+ years).
Integration Layers
Mulesoft (External connectors) & ESB (Enterprise Service Bus / Internal bus).
Messaging & Queues
IBM MQ and Apache Kafka (Validating that ESB puts items in MQ, Mulesoft blasts notifications via Kafka).
Scripting / Headless
Java and Python (Used for headless automation to put data/messages directly onto the queues).
Education Background
Computer Science degree is highly preferred (especially for eventual FTE conversion).

< Key Responsibilities & Environment
Pure Automation: Zero manual testing. 100% focused on creating, validating, and testing automated backend services, endpoints, and queues.
The "Pipeline " Middleman: Act as the central checkpoint for the bank. If a digital platform needs to talk to the mainframe via the ESB pipeline, this resource ensures the end-to-end integration testing is complete.
Cross-Team Coordination: While there is no manual testing, there is "manual coordination. " The candidate must be mature enough to sit in the middle of multiple consuming applications, work with different development teams, and support ESB releases.
= Sourcing Flags & Red Flags
No "Watchers ": The manager explicitly stated they do not want a coordinator who just watches others work. This person must be entirely hands-on.
No Manual Testers: Profiles that lean heavily on UI/manual testing will be an immediate reject. They need headless, backend, and API/service-level automation expertise.
Industry vs. Skill: Technical skills matter far more than banking industry experience. Focus heavily on the tech stack.
= Interview Process
Technical Screen: will coordinate a deep-dive technical interview involving highly technical team members.
Note: Interviews will likely be scheduled around 4:00 PM CST.
Final Interview: A follow-up interview with the broader stakeholders/leadership if they pass the technical bar.