BALAJI K
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Summary
With over 14+ years of proven success in the IT industry, I have gained extensive experience across multiple domains, such as Energy & Power, Automative, Investment Banking, Betting & Gaming, News & Media. My skill set includes expertise in Test Automation, the development of robust and scalable frameworks, and a high level of proficiency in Java, JavaScript and TypeScript programming. I have a strong background in performance and automation testing across various platforms such as web, m-web, android, and iOS.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Engineering Lead QA
NEWS CORP INDIA PVT LTD
Bangalore
03.2020 - Current
- Lead quality engineering, automation, and release engineering at News Corp, driving excellence across the organisation
- Manage a team of 24+ QA, SDET, and SDE engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation
- Build and enhance automation culture by establishing effective pipelines, frameworks, tools, and infrastructure to optimise productivity
- Develop and execute comprehensive test strategies that align with project goals and objectives
- Empower developers to create high-quality tests, promoting a collaborative approach to quality assurance
- Drive the transition from manual testing to automated processes, eliminating inefficiencies and enhancing productivity
- Design and implement API integration tests with mock dependencies, ensuring comprehensive coverage
- Integrate automated and performance quality gates into fully integrated CI/CD pipelines, ensuring continuous delivery of high-quality software
- Develop and execute a roadmap to improve release speed while maintaining top-notch user experience and production quality
- Designed and implemented Cypress and Playwright frameworks from scratch for isolation, functional, and E2E testing using WordPress Core for one of the popular traffic UK websites (The Sun, The Times, and Sunday Times) in collaboration with local and onsite teams in an agile environment
- Led the integration of CI/CD pipelines using CircleCI, automating test execution for each pull request with Docker and parallel testing
- Conducted proof of concepts (POCs) with various automation tools such as Cypress, JMeter, Taurus, and Cypress Visual Regression Testing to enhance project delivery
- Set clear performance goals and provided meaningful annual reviews for team members, fostering continuous growth and accountability
- Directed the roadmap strategy for the QA team, facilitating 15+ successful releases in a six month period; established clear performance metrics that resulted in a 30% reduction in critical defects post-release
Senior Test Engineer
QUALITEST INDIA PVT LTD
Bangalore
09.2018 - 02.2020
- Client: Jefferies l UK
- Primarily focused on web, mobile and api testing for Jefferies Web, Android and iOS applications
- Spearheaded the development of a comprehensive automation framework from scratch using Hybrid framework(that includes Selenium, Appium, Maven, Log 4j, JUnit, Serenity and Rest Assured)
- Key responsibilities included requirement analysis, test cycle planning, estimation, test plan review, and test execution analysis
- Conducted thorough code reviews of automation scripts to ensure high-quality and comprehensive test coverage
- Effectively utilised GitHub for version control and collaboration
- Delivered engaging automation demos to clients, clearly communicating the benefits and value of automated testing
- Additional achievements:
- Successfully transitioned a team from manual to automated testing, resulting in significant improvements in efficiency and coverage
- Reduced the number of defects found in production by 50% through the implementation of a Shift Left-based Test Strategy
- Successfully delivered multiple critical features within tight deadlines, ensuring a high-quality user experience
- Mentored, motivated, and line-managed a team of QA engineers, providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful
Senior Engineer
HARMAN CONNECTED SERVICES
Bangalore
03.2016 - 09.2018
- Client : Ladbrokes | UK
- Selected test cases for automation to enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness
- Developed automation solutions using Selenium WebDriver, Java, and Sikuli
- Created Page Object Model (POM) and TestNG classes to improve test execution
- Generated test data using automation scripts and Spring (Singleton and Prototype)
- Contributed to the design of the automation framework for scalability and maintainability
- Reviewed automation scripts for quality and test coverage using Bitbucket
- Managed pom.xml in Apache Maven and executed builds with Jenkins for continuous integration
- Executed automation scripts and analyzed results in TestNG to ensure quality
- Prepared comprehensive documentation related to automation processes and best practices
- Conducted defect tracking and management using Jira to maintain high quality standards
- Compiled daily and weekly status reports to communicate progress to stakeholders
- Conducted proof of concepts (POCs) on various automation tools to assess their effectiveness
- Trained new team members on automation tools and methodologies
- Presented automation demos to clients to highlight testing efforts and outcomes
SQA Engineer
IHS GLOBAL PVT LTD
Bangalore
06.2010 - 02.2016
- Conducted a detailed study of software requirement specifications to understand project needs
- Identified test scenarios and designed test cases to ensure comprehensive coverage
- Prepared test data for use in testing processes
- Executed test cases based on system requirements to validate functionality
- Developed a Data Driven Framework using the Page Object Model for efficient test automation
- Created test scripts using Selenium WebDriver, Java, and TestNG to automate testing tasks
- Executed automation scripts and analyzed results in TestNG to verify outcomes
- Performed various testing types, including Functional, System, Compatibility, Re-Testing, and Regression testing
- Managed defect tracking and reporting using TFS to maintain quality control
- Reviewed test reports and prepared summary reports to communicate findings
- Compiled daily and weekly status reports to update stakeholders on testing progress
Education
B.E - Computer Science
Arunai Engineering College
India05.2009
Higher Secondary -
Don Bosco Mat Hr Sec School
Tirupattur, TN01.2005
Matriculation -
Don Bosco Mat Hr Sec School
Tirupattur, TN01.2003
Skills
Selenium Rest Assured Test NG Maven Appium/Experitest Cypress Playwright Git Hub Jmeter Blazemeter Taurus Manual Testing Jenkins CircleCI BDD Data-Driven Framework JIRA Confluence Analytical Thinking Problem Solving Leadership Team Management Operational management Stakeholder management Performance Management
Websites
Buildtools
Maven
Trackingtools
- JIRA
- Test Rail
- Team Foundation Server
Databasetools
SQL Server
Softwaretesting
- Manual Testing
- Exploratory Testing
- Isolation Testing
- Adhoc Testing
- Performance Testing
- Visual Testing
- GUI Testing
- Regression Testing
- Functional Testing
- Smoke testing
- Sanity Testing
- Web Automation
- Mobile Automation
- Web Service Testing
- Database Testing
- Salesforce Testing
Operatingsystems
- Windows
- Mac
Automationframeworks
- Data Driven
- Hybrid
- BDD
- Mocha
Testingframeworks
- Junit
- TestNG
- MB Unit
- Nunit
Packagemanagers
- NPM
- Yarn
Cloudtools
- Browserstack
- Headspin
- Saucelabs
Containertool
Docker
Languages
- Core Java
- Gherkin
- Javascript
- Typescript
- C#
Awards
- NEWSIE AWARD, News Corp India, 05/01/23, Led performance testing initiatives that significantly improved the user experience for the StylePlay Beauty Awards globally. The rigorous testing efforts resulted in a 99% reduction in error rates compared to previous years.
- CHAMPION AWARD, News Corp India, 07/01/22, Recognized for building a QA team within short span, achieving a 0% attrition rate within the team, selecting right automation tools, and excelling in operational and stakeholder management.
- GRANT NATIONAL AWARD, Harman Connected Services, 03/01/17, Awarded for automating an image and flash-based application, delivering a solution projected to save the company £150,000 annually.
Codereviewtools
- Bitbucket
- Github
- Jenkins
- CircleCI
Idetools
- Eclipse
- GIT Hub
- SVN
- Bitbucket
- Source Tree
- Visual Studio Code
Timeline
Engineering Lead QA
NEWS CORP INDIA PVT LTD
03.2020 - Current
Senior Test Engineer
QUALITEST INDIA PVT LTD
09.2018 - 02.2020
Senior Engineer
HARMAN CONNECTED SERVICES
03.2016 - 09.2018
SQA Engineer
IHS GLOBAL PVT LTD
06.2010 - 02.2016
B.E - Computer Science
Arunai Engineering College
Higher Secondary -
Don Bosco Mat Hr Sec School
Matriculation -
Don Bosco Mat Hr Sec School
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