Automation Architecture
Scalable UI, API, component, accessibility, and integration frameworks built for maintainability.
- Playwright & Cypress
- Selenium & Java
- REST Assured & BDD
Senior SDET & Automation Architect
Mahendra Akula
Quality Engineering Leader · AI Educator
I design scalable automation platforms, modernize delivery pipelines, and apply AI to help teams release reliable software faster and with greater confidence.
Open to strategic opportunitiesLeadership · Architecture · Consulting
13+Years of experience
15+Enterprise initiatives
5Industries served
AWSAI certified
Core toolkit
PlaywrightCypressSeleniumAPI TestingCI/CDAWSJavaGenerative AI
Executive profile
Quality engineering that moves beyond testing.
I partner with engineering leaders to turn quality into a scalable capability—combining modern automation, cloud infrastructure, and AI-assisted workflows to improve delivery speed and release confidence.
Core expertise
Building the systems behind reliable software.
Deep technical execution paired with architecture, enablement, and enterprise delivery.
CI/CD & Quality Platforms
Fast feedback loops and quality gates that make dependable delivery part of the engineering workflow.
- Jenkins & GitHub Actions
- Azure DevOps
- Docker & Kubernetes
AI-Enabled Quality
Applied Generative AI for intelligent test design, edge-case discovery, evaluation, and failure triage.
- Amazon Bedrock
- RAG & AI agents
- LLM evaluation & MCP
Leadership impact
From framework adoption to organization-wide quality strategy.
I help teams modernize legacy automation, establish durable engineering standards, and bring quality earlier into every stage of delivery.
01
ModernizationLed adoption of Playwright to replace legacy WebDriver suites.
02
Release confidenceDesigned multi-layer strategies across UI, API, integration, accessibility, and performance.
03
Engineering enablementEstablished CI/CD quality gates, branching strategies, and automation standards.
04
Intelligent testingApplied AWS Generative AI and LLM tools to accelerate authoring and triage.
Project portfolio
Enterprise projects, clearly explained.
Selected client engagements across financial services, SaaS, healthcare, retail, and public-sector modernization.
01
Regulatory Financial Application Quality Platform
Enterprise quality engineering for audit-sensitive regulatory applications and complex financial data workflows where reliability, traceability, and release confidence are critical.
Key contributions
- Architected a Playwright-led automation platform spanning cross-browser UI, API, component, accessibility, integration, and scenario testing.
- Designed multi-layer test strategy and reusable SQL data-seeding patterns for complex financial scenarios.
- Engineered Jenkins monorepo and Azure DevOps quality gates, merge controls, branching workflows, and deployment automation.
- Led performance testing and contributed to chaos and security testing to validate system resilience.
- Applied Amazon Q, Kiro CLI, Amazon Bedrock, LLM tooling, and Playwright MCP integrations to accelerate authoring, edge-case discovery, and failure triage.
02
Multifamily Loan Workflow Automation
Automation architecture for complex multifamily lending workflows, covering business-critical front-end, service, integration, batch, and data-validation paths.
Key contributions
- Designed a Cypress and Playwright automation framework from the ground up using JavaScript, Gherkin, and reusable behavior-driven patterns.
- Built REST API coverage with REST Assured, RestSharp, and Java for complex back-end and integration workflows.
- Validated ETL batch processing and database interactions using custom SQL data setup and verification strategies.
- Supported functional, integration, and regression coverage while improving framework maintainability and execution consistency.
03
Wealth Management Portal Quality Engineering
Cross-browser quality coverage for wealth-management experiences serving financial users and data-intensive investment workflows.
Key contributions
- Architected Playwright, Cypress, and BDD-based test suites for critical wealth-management journeys.
- Expanded cross-browser, accessibility, UI, API, and integration coverage using reusable automation components.
- Validated service and database interactions and strengthened regression feedback for release teams.
- Contributed to AWS migration, cloud environment management, and observability improvements.
04
Omni-channel Commerce Automation
UI and service-layer automation for connected retail journeys across customer-facing commerce experiences and supporting APIs.
Key contributions
- Developed UI automation using Java and Selenium for high-value omni-channel customer workflows.
- Built API and integration validations with REST tooling to verify end-to-end behavior across services.
- Maintained build and release definitions in Azure DevOps with Git-based branching and quality controls.
- Supported stable regression execution across rapidly changing commerce functionality.
05
Cloud ITSM Test Automation Platform
Backend, API, and front-end quality engineering for a global IT service management platform running in cloud-native delivery environments.
Key contributions
- Built hybrid keyword- and data-driven frameworks using REST Assured, Ruby, RSpec, and Selenium.
- Automated REST services and ITSM integrations, improving regression coverage and accelerating root-cause analysis.
- Designed Jenkins and Bamboo delivery pipelines with automated test gates and version-control policies.
- Implemented SQL data seeding and validation for ITSM workflows and integrations.
- Worked with AWS clusters, Docker, and Kubernetes and supported performance testing through load-scenario design.
06
Healthcare Content & Services Automation
Quality engineering for healthcare content, professional medical experiences, APIs, and microservices used across the Medscape ecosystem.
Key contributions
- Implemented a Cucumber and Selenium Page Object Model framework for maintainable BDD coverage.
- Automated UI and API flows with Selenium WebDriver, TestNG, Postman, and Swagger.
- Performed microservices, integration, cross-browser, and accessibility-focused testing.
- Developed SQL queries for test-data management and supported coverage analysis and quality reporting.
07
DMV Modernization Program
End-to-end validation for a statewide motor-vehicle modernization program covering citizen services and regulated back-office workflows.
Key contributions
- Led functional, integration, end-to-end, and regression testing for vehicle registration, driver licensing, and financial-responsibility modules.
- Designed model-based test scenarios with Conformiq Creator to improve systematic business-rule coverage.
- Built Selenium WebDriver and TestNG regression automation for repeatable release validation.
- Created Jenkins execution pipelines and coordinated testing across complex modernization releases.
08
Web, API & Data Automation Programs
Foundational quality engineering across multiple customer projects spanning browser applications, service integrations, and data workflows.
Key contributions
- Developed reusable Selenium WebDriver and TestNG automation frameworks for web applications.
- Validated SOAP and service integrations with SoapUI and supporting API test utilities.
- Used SQL for data verification, test setup, and back-end workflow validation.
- Executed full test lifecycles across Agile and structured delivery environments.
Career journey
Trusted across complex, regulated industries.
Experience spanning FinTech, SaaS, healthcare, retail, and the public sector.
2023 — Present
Compunnel · FINRA
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Leading Playwright automation architecture, enterprise test strategy, CI/CD optimization, and AI-enabled quality workflows for regulatory financial applications.
2022 — 2023
Friendly Consultants · Fannie Mae · Northern Trust · Best Buy
Senior Automation Engineer
Designed scalable automation solutions across financial and omni-channel platforms using Cypress, Selenium, Java, BDD, and REST APIs.
2020 — 2022
Freshworks · Freshservice
Senior Software Engineer in Test
Built hybrid backend and REST API automation frameworks and supported cloud-native delivery pipelines for a global SaaS platform.
2012 — 2020
ValueLabs · Tech Mahindra · Ideabytes
Progressive Quality Engineering Leadership
Delivered automation and end-to-end quality programs across healthcare, public-sector modernization, and customer platforms.
Featured work
Open-source portfolioAutomation Projects
A practical collection showcasing modern test automation approaches, quality engineering patterns, and AI-assisted workflows.
Explore on GitHub →quality-strategy.ts
const strategy = {
automation: "scalable",
feedback: "continuous",
quality: "shared"
};
await buildWithConfidence(strategy);Credentials
Certified for the next generation of quality engineering.
Hands-on automation leadership strengthened by cloud AI and intelligent systems expertise.
AWS
Professional · Early AdopterAWS Certified Generative AI DeveloperAmong the first 5,000 certified globally
AWS
FoundationalAWS Certified AI PractitionerAI/ML, cloud AI services, and responsible AI
Let's connect
Ready to build quality into every release?
I'm open to engineering leadership roles, architecture engagements, consulting, collaboration, and training.