Citi is hiring an Applications Quality Lead Analyst in Pune for an experienced Quality Engineering / Automation professional who can combine technical leadership, application quality, automation strategy and emerging Generative AI capabilities. ๐ผ๐
This is a 10โ14 years experience opportunity designed for senior professionals who can move beyond traditional testing and help build a highly automated quality engineering platform with minimal manual QA intervention.
๐ Job Title: Applications Quality Lead Analyst
๐ Location: Pune, Maharashtra
๐ผ Experience: 10โ14 Years
๐ข Job Family: Technology โ Applications Development
๐งช Focus: Quality Engineering, Automation, Java, Python, BDD, API/UI Automation, GenAI
๐ป Employment: Full-time
๐ข About Citi
Citi is a global financial institution with a presence across more than 180 markets and approximately 219,000 colleagues serving clients worldwide. Its businesses span banking, capital markets, securities services, wealth management and other financial services.
Technology plays a major role in Citi’s operations, with its India technology organization supporting a broad range of applications and engineering functions. Citi’s current Pune technology openings include roles across application development, digital engineering, data, AI, DevOps and technology quality.
That makes this opportunity particularly interesting for senior QA professionals who want exposure to large-scale financial technology, engineering transformation and modern automation practices.
๐ฏ Why This Role Is Good for Experienced Professionals?
This isn’t simply a test execution position. The role combines quality strategy, automation architecture, application development, leadership and GenAI.
You will be expected to define automation priorities, establish quality standards, work with Product Owners and development teams, mentor engineers and influence release strategy.
The most exciting part is the target of creating a fully automated platform with minimal manual QA intervention. That gives experienced SDETs an opportunity to influence how quality engineering is implemented rather than simply executing predefined test cases.
You can also gain valuable exposure to financial services and Capital Markets, where accuracy, reliability, risk management and regulatory compliance are critical.
๐ ๏ธ Key Skills Required
Candidates should be strong in the following areas:
- โ Core Java โ OOP, collections, exception handling, multithreading and clean coding
- ๐ Python & Shell โ scripting, backend automation and data validation
- ๐งช BDD & Automation โ Cucumber, TestNG and automation framework design
- ๐ API Automation โ Rest-Assured, API validation and service-level testing
- ๐ญ UI Automation โ Playwright, Cypress and Selenium
- ๐๏ธ Backend/Data Testing โ Python-based validation, SQL and data accuracy checks
- ๐ SDLC & Testing Strategy โ functional, integration, regression, system and end-to-end testing
- ๐ค GenAI โ AI-assisted development/testing and GenAI quality concepts
- ๐ฅ Leadership โ mentoring, stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
- ๐ฆ Domain โ Financial Services, preferably Capital Markets
๐ง Preparation Tips
Don’t prepare for this interview as a traditional QA interview. Prepare as a Quality Engineering Lead who can design the future-state testing strategy.
First, be prepared to design an automation architecture. For example, you could be asked how you would create a framework combining Java + Cucumber + TestNG + Playwright + Rest-Assured, including reporting, parallel execution, test data management and CI/CD integration.
Second, prepare a scenario around backend data validation using Python. Explain how you would compare API responses with database records, identify mismatches and generate meaningful validation reports.
Third, study Capital Markets fundamentals. Understand concepts such as equities, fixed income, trade lifecycle, orders, settlements, market data and risk. You don’t need to become a finance expert, but you should understand why accuracy and controls matter.
Finally, prepare a GenAI testing strategy. Be ready to discuss hallucination testing, response accuracy, prompt variations, regression testing for AI outputs, data privacy and human validation.
๐ฐ Expected Salary Range
Citi does not publicly disclose the salary for this specific vacancy in the supplied description, so the exact compensation will depend on level, experience, current CTC and negotiation.
For a 10โ14 year senior QA/automation professional in Pune, a reasonable market expectation could be approximately โน25โ40+ LPA, with highly specialized candidates in leadership, Capital Markets, automation architecture or GenAI potentially negotiating beyond this range.
Treat this as a market estimate, not a guaranteed Citi salary. The final offer can differ considerably based on Citi’s internal level and compensation structure.
๐ค Expected Citi Interview Rounds
The exact process can vary by team and seniority. Recent Citi candidate reports commonly describe combinations of technical, managerial and HR discussions, while some technology positions include an assessment or additional technical rounds.
For this senior role, a realistic preparation structure would be:
- Round 1 โ Recruiter/Initial Discussion: Experience, notice period, location, compensation and role alignment.
- Round 2 โ Technical Quality Engineering: Java, Python, automation frameworks, Cucumber/TestNG, Playwright/Cypress, API automation and SQL.
- Round 3 โ Architecture/Leadership: Automation strategy, framework design, quality roadmap, risk management and complex project scenarios.
- Round 4 โ Managerial/Stakeholder Round: Leadership, conflict resolution, mentoring, ownership and cross-functional collaboration.
- Round 5 โ HR/Final Discussion: Compensation, career goals, availability and organizational fit.
๐ Resume Tips
Your resume should immediately position you as a Senior SDET / Quality Engineering Lead, not simply a QA Tester.
Use a headline such as:
Quality Engineering Lead | SDET | Java | Python | Playwright | Cucumber | API Automation | GenAI Testing
Highlight measurable achievements such as:
- โDesigned automation framework reducing regression effort by 70%.โ
- โAutomated 500+ API/UI scenarios using Java, Playwright and Rest-Assured.โ
- โImplemented Python-based backend data validation framework.โ
- โLed automation strategy across multiple applications and teams.โ
Also mention Capital Markets/Financial Services experience prominently if applicable. Include mentoring, framework architecture, CI/CD, release ownership and stakeholder management.
๐ฉ How to Apply
Interested candidates can DM toย Sneha Sahayย and share updated resume if their experience matches the job requirements.
๐ Application Link: Click Here
๐จ Important: Never pay anyone for a Citi interview, referral or job offer. Use official Citi recruitment channels and verify recruiter communications carefully.
๐ฅ If you have 10โ14 years of experience and your background combines Java, automation architecture, API/UI testing, Python and leadershipโwith exposure to Capital Markets or GenAIโthis is a strong opportunity to target.
