A global insurance organization is seeking a Lead Test Automation Manager (Senior) for its Solution Delivery / QA Transformation team in Japan.

This is a senior role focused on test strategy, automation governance, and quality engineering leadership across large-scale enterprise insurance applications. You will work with IT leadership, business stakeholders, and offshore vendor teams to improve quality maturity, reduce production defects, and drive testing transformation.

The role is not hands-on testing; execution is handled by offshore teams. The focus is on strategy, oversight, and automation enablement.

It supports major transformation programs including application modernization, cloud migration (GCP), and enterprise system enhancements.

Responsibilities:
- Define and drive end-to-end test strategy and automation roadmap
- Establish and improve QA governance, test coverage, and quality standards
- Lead validation strategy for performance, scalability, stability, and responsiveness testing
- Oversee testing across multiple enterprise insurance applications and transformation programs
- Coordinate and manage offshore vendor testing teams (approx. 40 resources)
- Ensure alignment of testing deliverables with business and regulatory requirements
- Improve defect prevention, reduce production incidents, and enhance release quality
- Evaluate and introduce modern testing approaches including AI-driven testing
- Partner with development, product, and infrastructure teams to ensure testability of systems
- Drive continuous improvement of testing frameworks, automation coverage, and tooling
- Manage cross-location coordination across Japan and offshore delivery teams
- Provide reporting and visibility on test progress, risks, and quality metrics to senior stakeholders

Required Skills:
- 8+ years of experience in software testing / QA / test management
- 5+ years in test leadership or QA management roles
- Experience managing large-scale enterprise application testing programs
- Strong understanding of test automation frameworks and QA methodologies
- Experience coordinating with offshore / vendor-based delivery teams
- Experience in complex enterprise environments (insurance or financial services preferred)
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
- Ability to drive quality strategy across multiple parallel projects
- Exposure to cloud environments (GCP preferred) and modern application architectures

Why should you apply:
Senior leadership role with high visibility across transformation programs
Opportunity to shape QA strategy and automation maturity at enterprise scale
Work with global offshore teams and modern testing approaches including AI-driven QA
Exposure to large-scale insurance modernization and cloud migration initiatives


Company Overview:
A leading international insurance organization operates in over 130 countries and jurisdictions, serving commercial, institutional, and individual customers through a global property and casualty insurance network. The group also provides life insurance and retirement services in key markets. Its Japan-based IT organization supports regional and global transformation initiatives across core insurance platforms.

Employment Type: Permanent
Salary: 10M – 12.5M JPY (base + bonus)
Working Hours: 9:00 – 17:00 (Mon–Fri)
Work Style: Hybrid (4 days office / 1 day remote)
Location: Tokyo (Sumida / Minato area depending on project site)
Holidays: Weekends, national holidays, year-end holidays, 27 paid days
Benefits: Social insurance, pension scheme, transportation allowance
Interview Process: 3 rounds (Department Head → Senior Management → HR)