Lead Test Automation Engineer

We are modernizing Müller’s complete application landscape - from classic fat clients toward containerized web, mobile, and event-driven integration workloads running on our new GCP-based DevOps Platform with a central managed GitLab at its core. As Lead Test Automation Engineer, you build our new test automation team in Bucharest and Ulm from the ground up: you shape the test strategy for this multi-year transformation, set the technical direction, and make quality a built-in property of how Müller ships software., * Build and lead our new test automation team in Bucharest and Ulm from the first hire - define its mission, operating model, and hiring profile in close collaboration with engineering leadership in Ulm and Bucharest.

• Shape the test architecture for the modernized stack - web, mobile, and the API and integration landscape around our Spring Boot services and integration layer - and choose the tools that fit.
• Establish quality practices at the seams of our distributed architecture: API testing, contract testing, and sensible end-to-end coverage where it truly matters.
• Anchor automated quality gates in our central GitLab as part of the secure software development lifecycle, and make quality visible through meaningful engineering metrics.
• Define the testing responsibility model together with development teams - who tests what, from developer-owned unit and integration tests to team-owned cross-system flows.
• Steward the legacy portfolio through the transformation: keep existing test suites healthy and shape the verification approach as applications move to the new platform.
• Mentor and upskill our existing testers, bridging their deep domain knowledge into the new automation stack and building one quality engineering culture across legacy and future.
• Contribute to technical standards, code review culture, and architecture decisions across the hybrid engineering organization in Bucharest and Ulm.

• Several years of hands-on experience in test automation or quality engineering, ideally with first leadership or architectural responsibility - whether as a seasoned lead or a strong senior engineer ready to take this step.
• Solid experience with modern web test automation - for example with Playwright, Cypress, or Selenium - and the openness to establish the right framework for our stack.
• Good understanding of testing beyond the UI: API testing, integration testing, and ideally first exposure to contract testing or container-based test approaches.
• Interest in testing modern architectures - microservices, APIs, asynchronous messaging - and the curiosity to grow into topics like event-driven integration and API management.
• Experience with or interest in mobile test automation is a plus - our future stack includes React Native apps.
• A pragmatic sense for the test pyramid: knowing where automation adds the most value and keeping test suites lean, fast, and trusted.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and the ambition to make automated quality checks a natural part of the delivery process.
• Appreciation for the realities of transformation: legacy applications and their test suites deserve care while the new world is being built - experience with codeless tools such as Ranorex is a plus, not a must.
• Enjoyment in building and mentoring a team, and in helping experienced testers grow into modern automation practices.
• Clear, approachable communication across engineering, QA, and business stakeholders.
• fluent English required; German or Romanian is a plus.

• A green-field opportunity to define test automation from day one for one of Europe’s largest family-owned retailers - your strategy, frameworks, and quality gates will shape how Müller ships software for years to come.
• A modern IT organisation with over 230 colleagues, flat hierarchies, and real freedom to shape your domain.
• two locations, one team - a flexible hybrid model (desk sharing and mobile working) and regular in-person meetups across Bucharest and Ulm.
• Great teams that enjoy driving Müller’s digitalisation forward every day.