diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c7d9ea5cf..bbf3c1d5f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ MANIFESTS ?= $(STANDARD_MANIFEST) $(STANDARD_E2E_MANIFEST) $(EXPERIMENTAL_MANIFE
 $(STANDARD_MANIFEST) ?= helm/cert-manager.yaml
 $(STANDARD_E2E_MANIFEST) ?= helm/cert-manager.yaml helm/e2e.yaml
 $(EXPERIMENTAL_MANIFEST) ?= helm/cert-manager.yaml helm/experimental.yaml
-$(EXPERIMENTAL_E2E_MANIFEST) ?= helm/cert-manager.yaml helm/experimental.yaml helm/e2e.yaml
+$(EXPERIMENTAL_E2E_MANIFEST) ?= helm/cert-manager.yaml helm/experimental.yaml helm/e2e.yaml helm/high-availability.yaml
 HELM_SETTINGS ?=
 .PHONY: $(MANIFESTS)
 $(MANIFESTS): $(HELM)
@@ -484,8 +484,8 @@ run-experimental: run-internal #HELP Build the operator-controller then deploy i
 CATD_NAMESPACE := olmv1-system
 .PHONY: wait
 wait:
-	kubectl wait --for=condition=Available --namespace=$(CATD_NAMESPACE) deployment/catalogd-controller-manager --timeout=60s
-	kubectl wait --for=condition=Ready --namespace=$(CATD_NAMESPACE) certificate/catalogd-service-cert # Avoid upgrade test flakes when reissuing cert
+	kubectl wait --for=condition=Available --namespace=$(CATD_NAMESPACE) deployment/catalogd-controller-manager --timeout=3m
+	kubectl wait --for=condition=Ready --namespace=$(CATD_NAMESPACE) certificate/catalogd-service-cert --timeout=3m # Avoid upgrade test flakes when reissuing cert
 
 .PHONY: docker-build
 docker-build: build-linux #EXHELP Build docker image for operator-controller and catalog with GOOS=linux and local GOARCH.
diff --git a/hack/test/pre-upgrade-setup.sh b/hack/test/pre-upgrade-setup.sh
index 669f9da37..e52c88b46 100755
--- a/hack/test/pre-upgrade-setup.sh
+++ b/hack/test/pre-upgrade-setup.sh
@@ -155,5 +155,5 @@ spec:
       version: 1.0.0
 EOF
 
-kubectl wait --for=condition=Serving --timeout=60s ClusterCatalog $TEST_CLUSTER_CATALOG_NAME
-kubectl wait --for=condition=Installed --timeout=60s ClusterExtension $TEST_CLUSTER_EXTENSION_NAME
+kubectl wait --for=condition=Serving --timeout=5m ClusterCatalog $TEST_CLUSTER_CATALOG_NAME
+kubectl wait --for=condition=Installed --timeout=5m ClusterExtension $TEST_CLUSTER_EXTENSION_NAME
diff --git a/helm/high-availability.yaml b/helm/high-availability.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a8de38aac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helm/high-availability.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# High Availability (HA) configuration for OLMv1
+# Sets replicas to 2 for both operator-controller and catalogd to enable HA setup
+# This is used in experimental-e2e.yaml to test multi-replica deployments
+#
+# Pod anti-affinity is configured as "preferred" (not "required") to ensure:
+# - In multi-node clusters: replicas are scheduled on different nodes for better availability
+# - In single-node clusters (like kind): both replicas can still be scheduled on the same node
+options:
+  operatorController:
+    deployment:
+      replicas: 2
+  catalogd:
+    deployment:
+      replicas: 2
+
+# Pod anti-affinity configuration to prefer spreading replicas across different nodes
+# Uses preferredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution (soft constraint) to allow
+# scheduling on the same node when necessary (e.g., single-node kind clusters for e2e tests)
+deployments:
+  templateSpec:
+    affinity:
+      podAntiAffinity:
+        preferredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
+          - weight: 100
+            podAffinityTerm:
+              labelSelector:
+                matchExpressions:
+                  - key: control-plane
+                    operator: In
+                    values:
+                      - operator-controller-controller-manager
+                      - catalogd-controller-manager
+              topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname
diff --git a/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-catalogd-controller-manager.yml b/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-catalogd-controller-manager.yml
index 092cb7a24..ac69bce6a 100644
--- a/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-catalogd-controller-manager.yml
+++ b/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-catalogd-controller-manager.yml
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ metadata:
   namespace: {{ .Values.namespaces.olmv1.name }}
 spec:
   minReadySeconds: 5
-  replicas: 1
+  replicas: {{ .Values.options.catalogd.deployment.replicas }}
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
diff --git a/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-operator-controller-controller-manager.yml b/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-operator-controller-controller-manager.yml
index 249610244..bea8f0404 100644
--- a/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-operator-controller-controller-manager.yml
+++ b/helm/olmv1/templates/deployment-olmv1-system-operator-controller-controller-manager.yml
@@ -11,11 +11,11 @@ metadata:
   name: operator-controller-controller-manager
   namespace: {{ .Values.namespaces.olmv1.name }}
 spec:
-  replicas: 1
+  replicas: {{ .Values.options.operatorController.deployment.replicas }}
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
diff --git a/helm/olmv1/values.yaml b/helm/olmv1/values.yaml
index cb454f625..c5845b9a1 100644
--- a/helm/olmv1/values.yaml
+++ b/helm/olmv1/values.yaml
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ options:
     enabled: true
     deployment:
       image: quay.io/operator-framework/operator-controller:devel
+      replicas: 1
       extraArguments: []
     features:
       enabled: []
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ options:
     enabled: true
     deployment:
       image: quay.io/operator-framework/catalogd:devel
+      replicas: 1
       extraArguments: []
     features:
       enabled: []
diff --git a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
index e536cd72a..ef0200aaf 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
@@ -2107,11 +2107,11 @@ metadata:
   namespace: olmv1-system
 spec:
   minReadySeconds: 5
-  replicas: 1
+  replicas: 2
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
@@ -2224,6 +2224,18 @@ spec:
                     operator: In
                     values:
                       - linux
+        podAntiAffinity:
+          preferredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
+            - podAffinityTerm:
+                labelSelector:
+                  matchExpressions:
+                    - key: control-plane
+                      operator: In
+                      values:
+                        - operator-controller-controller-manager
+                        - catalogd-controller-manager
+                topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname
+              weight: 100
       nodeSelector:
         kubernetes.io/os: linux
         node-role.kubernetes.io/control-plane: ""
@@ -2258,11 +2270,11 @@ metadata:
   name: operator-controller-controller-manager
   namespace: olmv1-system
 spec:
-  replicas: 1
+  replicas: 2
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
@@ -2383,6 +2395,18 @@ spec:
                     operator: In
                     values:
                       - linux
+        podAntiAffinity:
+          preferredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
+            - podAffinityTerm:
+                labelSelector:
+                  matchExpressions:
+                    - key: control-plane
+                      operator: In
+                      values:
+                        - operator-controller-controller-manager
+                        - catalogd-controller-manager
+                topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname
+              weight: 100
       nodeSelector:
         kubernetes.io/os: linux
         node-role.kubernetes.io/control-plane: ""
diff --git a/manifests/experimental.yaml b/manifests/experimental.yaml
index f88debab0..9e9d611f0 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental.yaml
@@ -2036,7 +2036,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
@@ -2174,7 +2174,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
diff --git a/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml b/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
index 1aed38ba9..36cb9971c 100644
--- a/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
+++ b/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
@@ -1799,7 +1799,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
@@ -1949,7 +1949,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
diff --git a/manifests/standard.yaml b/manifests/standard.yaml
index 34cc57918..933ff5d81 100644
--- a/manifests/standard.yaml
+++ b/manifests/standard.yaml
@@ -1724,7 +1724,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
@@ -1861,7 +1861,7 @@ spec:
   strategy:
     type: RollingUpdate
     rollingUpdate:
-      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary 2 pods (1 + 1) for zero-downtime updates
+      maxSurge: 1          # Allow temporary extra pod for zero-downtime updates
       maxUnavailable: 0    # Never allow pods to be unavailable during updates
   selector:
     matchLabels:
diff --git a/test/e2e/cluster_extension_install_test.go b/test/e2e/cluster_extension_install_test.go
index b3380ff0f..bc1eb1e68 100644
--- a/test/e2e/cluster_extension_install_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/cluster_extension_install_test.go
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import (
 const (
 	artifactName         = "operator-controller-e2e"
 	pollDuration         = time.Minute
+	catalogPollDuration  = 3 * time.Minute
+	extendedPollDuration = 5 * time.Minute
 	pollInterval         = time.Second
 	testCatalogRefEnvVar = "CATALOG_IMG"
 	testCatalogName      = "test-catalog"
@@ -167,12 +169,11 @@ location = "docker-registry.operator-controller-e2e.svc.cluster.local:5000"`,
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting a successful resolution and bundle path")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
-	}, 2*time.Minute, pollInterval)
+	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
 
-	// Give the check 2 minutes instead of the typical 1 for the pod's
-	// files to update from the configmap change.
+	// Give the check extra time for the pod's files to update from the configmap change.
 	// The theoretical max time is the kubelet sync period of 1 minute +
-	// ConfigMap cache TTL of 1 minute = 2 minutes
+	// ConfigMap cache TTL of 1 minute = 2 minutes, plus buffer for reconciliation.
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting progressing as True")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
@@ -180,7 +181,7 @@ location = "docker-registry.operator-controller-e2e.svc.cluster.local:5000"`,
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, 2*time.Minute, pollInterval)
+	}, extendedPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By eventually installing the package successfully")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -333,13 +334,14 @@ func TestClusterExtensionForceInstallNonSuccessorVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	require.NoError(t, c.Create(context.Background(), clusterExtension))
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting a successful resolution")
+	// Use catalogPollDuration for initial catalog resolution
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeProgressing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("It allows to upgrade the ClusterExtension to a non-successor version")
 	t.Log("By updating the ClusterExtension resource to a non-successor version")
@@ -380,13 +382,14 @@ func TestClusterExtensionInstallSuccessorVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	require.NoError(t, c.Create(context.Background(), clusterExtension))
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting a successful resolution")
+	// Use catalogPollDuration for initial catalog resolution
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeProgressing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("It does allow to upgrade the ClusterExtension to any of the successor versions within non-zero major version")
 	t.Log("By updating the ClusterExtension resource by skipping versions")
@@ -436,13 +439,14 @@ func TestClusterExtensionInstallReResolvesWhenCatalogIsPatched(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, c.Create(context.Background(), clusterExtension))
 
 	t.Log("By reporting a successful resolution and bundle path")
+	// Use catalogPollDuration since this test waits for the catalog to be unpacked and served
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeProgressing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	// patch imageRef tag on test-catalog image with v2 image
 	t.Log("By patching the catalog ImageRef to point to the v2 catalog")
@@ -517,26 +521,28 @@ func TestClusterExtensionInstallReResolvesWhenNewCatalog(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, c.Create(context.Background(), clusterExtension))
 
 	t.Log("By reporting a successful resolution and bundle path")
+	// Use catalogPollDuration since this test waits for the catalog to be unpacked and served
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeProgressing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	// update tag on test-catalog image with v2 image
 	t.Log("By updating the catalog tag to point to the v2 catalog")
 	v2Image := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", os.Getenv("LOCAL_REGISTRY_HOST"), os.Getenv("E2E_TEST_CATALOG_V2"))
 	err = crane.Tag(v2Image, latestImageTag, crane.Insecure)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
+	// Use catalogPollDuration for waiting on catalog re-unpacking after tag update
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: extensionCatalog.Name}, extensionCatalog))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(extensionCatalog.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeServing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonAvailable, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting a successful resolution and bundle path")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -655,6 +661,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionRecoversFromNoNamespaceWhenFailureFixed(t *testing.T) {
 	// backoff of this eventually check we MUST ensure we do not touch the ClusterExtension
 	// after creating int the Namespace and ServiceAccount.
 	t.Log("By eventually installing the package successfully")
+	// Use extendedPollDuration for recovery tests to account for exponential backoff after repeated failures
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeInstalled)
@@ -663,7 +670,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionRecoversFromNoNamespaceWhenFailureFixed(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
 		require.Contains(ct, cond.Message, "Installed bundle")
 		require.NotEmpty(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, extendedPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting Progressing == True with Reason Success")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -777,6 +784,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionRecoversFromExistingDeploymentWhenFailureFixed(t *testi
 	// backoff of this eventually check we MUST ensure we do not touch the ClusterExtension
 	// after deleting the Deployment.
 	t.Log("By eventually installing the package successfully")
+	// Use extendedPollDuration for recovery tests to account for exponential backoff after repeated failures
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeInstalled)
@@ -785,7 +793,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionRecoversFromExistingDeploymentWhenFailureFixed(t *testi
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
 		require.Contains(ct, cond.Message, "Installed bundle")
 		require.NotEmpty(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, extendedPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By eventually reporting Progressing == True with Reason Success")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
diff --git a/test/e2e/webhook_support_test.go b/test/e2e/webhook_support_test.go
index 1c80c615b..a3ae361a7 100644
--- a/test/e2e/webhook_support_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/webhook_support_test.go
@@ -103,13 +103,14 @@ func TestWebhookSupport(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Log("By waiting for the catalog to serve its metadata")
+	// Use catalogPollDuration since catalog unpacking can take time
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: extensionCatalog.GetName()}, extensionCatalog))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(extensionCatalog.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeServing)
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonAvailable, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By installing the webhook-operator ClusterExtension")
 	clusterExtension := &ocv1.ClusterExtension{
@@ -138,6 +139,8 @@ func TestWebhookSupport(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Log("By waiting for webhook-operator extension to be installed successfully")
+	// Use extendedPollDuration for webhook installation as it requires webhook cert generation via
+	// cert-manager, which can take significant time.
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(t.Context(), types.NamespacedName{Name: clusterExtension.Name}, clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeInstalled)
@@ -147,7 +150,7 @@ func TestWebhookSupport(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Contains(ct, cond.Message, "Installed bundle")
 		require.NotNil(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install)
 		require.NotEmpty(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install.Bundle)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, extendedPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("By waiting for webhook-operator deployment to be available")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
diff --git a/test/helpers/helpers.go b/test/helpers/helpers.go
index af142c6e3..e646cbc05 100644
--- a/test/helpers/helpers.go
+++ b/test/helpers/helpers.go
@@ -34,7 +34,15 @@ var (
 )
 
 const (
-	pollDuration         = time.Minute
+	pollDuration = time.Minute
+	// catalogPollDuration is used for catalog operations (unpacking, serving) which involve
+	// I/O-bound operations like pulling OCI images and unpacking catalog content.
+	catalogPollDuration = 3 * time.Minute
+	// extendedPollDuration is used for operations that involve pod restarts (like upgrades)
+	// or webhook installations with cert-manager. In the worst case of a pod crash during upgrade,
+	// leader election can take up to 163 seconds (LeaseDuration: 137s + RetryPeriod: 26s).
+	// With LeaderElectionReleaseOnCancel: true, graceful shutdowns only take ~26s (RetryPeriod).
+	extendedPollDuration = 5 * time.Minute
 	pollInterval         = time.Second
 	testCatalogName      = "test-catalog"
 	testCatalogRefEnvVar = "CATALOG_IMG"
@@ -268,7 +276,7 @@ func ValidateCatalogUnpackWithName(t *testing.T, catalogName string) {
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("Checking that catalog has the expected metadata label")
 	require.NotNil(t, catalog.Labels)
@@ -283,13 +291,17 @@ func ValidateCatalogUnpackWithName(t *testing.T, catalogName string) {
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonAvailable, cond.Reason)
-	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, catalogPollDuration, pollInterval)
 }
 
 func EnsureNoExtensionResources(t *testing.T, clusterExtensionName string) {
 	ls := labels.Set{"olm.operatorframework.io/owner-name": clusterExtensionName}
 
-	// CRDs may take an extra long time to be deleted, and may run into the following error:
+	// Use 2 minute timeout for cleanup operations to ensure they complete within the test timeout.
+	// This is shorter than pollDuration (3 min) to leave buffer for the overall test suite.
+	cleanupTimeout := 2 * time.Minute
+
+	// CRDs may take extra time to be deleted, and may run into the following error:
 	// Condition=Terminating Status=True Reason=InstanceDeletionFailed Message="could not list instances: storage is (re)initializing"
 	t.Logf("By waiting for CustomResourceDefinitions of %q to be deleted", clusterExtensionName)
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -297,7 +309,7 @@ func EnsureNoExtensionResources(t *testing.T, clusterExtensionName string) {
 		err := c.List(context.Background(), list, client.MatchingLabelsSelector{Selector: ls.AsSelector()})
 		require.NoError(ct, err)
 		require.Empty(ct, list.Items)
-	}, 5*pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, cleanupTimeout, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Logf("By waiting for ClusterRoleBindings of %q to be deleted", clusterExtensionName)
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -305,7 +317,7 @@ func EnsureNoExtensionResources(t *testing.T, clusterExtensionName string) {
 		err := c.List(context.Background(), list, client.MatchingLabelsSelector{Selector: ls.AsSelector()})
 		require.NoError(ct, err)
 		require.Empty(ct, list.Items)
-	}, 2*pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, cleanupTimeout, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Logf("By waiting for ClusterRoles of %q to be deleted", clusterExtensionName)
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -313,7 +325,7 @@ func EnsureNoExtensionResources(t *testing.T, clusterExtensionName string) {
 		err := c.List(context.Background(), list, client.MatchingLabelsSelector{Selector: ls.AsSelector()})
 		require.NoError(ct, err)
 		require.Empty(ct, list.Items)
-	}, 2*pollDuration, pollInterval)
+	}, cleanupTimeout, pollInterval)
 }
 
 func TestCleanup(t *testing.T, cat *ocv1.ClusterCatalog, clusterExtension *ocv1.ClusterExtension, sa *corev1.ServiceAccount, ns *corev1.Namespace) {
@@ -348,10 +360,12 @@ func TestCleanup(t *testing.T, cat *ocv1.ClusterCatalog, clusterExtension *ocv1.
 	if ns != nil {
 		t.Logf("By deleting Namespace %q", ns.Name)
 		require.NoError(t, c.Delete(context.Background(), ns))
+		// Namespace deletion may take longer as it needs to delete all resources within it.
+		// Use extendedPollDuration to allow sufficient time for graceful cleanup.
 		require.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 			err := c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Name: ns.Name}, &corev1.Namespace{})
 			return errors.IsNotFound(err)
-		}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
+		}, extendedPollDuration, pollInterval)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/test/upgrade-e2e/post_upgrade_test.go b/test/upgrade-e2e/post_upgrade_test.go
index 785d91ea3..802e9c33c 100644
--- a/test/upgrade-e2e/post_upgrade_test.go
+++ b/test/upgrade-e2e/post_upgrade_test.go
@@ -11,11 +11,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	appsv1 "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
+	coordinationv1 "k8s.io/api/coordination/v1"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apimeta "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
 	ocv1 "github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/api/v1"
@@ -25,6 +27,11 @@ import (
 const (
 	artifactName = "operator-controller-upgrade-e2e"
 	container    = "manager"
+	// pollDuration is set to 3 minutes for upgrade tests because upgrades cause pod restarts.
+	// With LeaderElectionReleaseOnCancel: true, graceful shutdowns take ~26s (RetryPeriod).
+	// In the worst case (pod crash), leader election can take up to 163s (LeaseDuration: 137s + RetryPeriod: 26s).
+	pollDuration = 3 * time.Minute
+	pollInterval = time.Second
 )
 
 func TestClusterCatalogUnpacking(t *testing.T) {
@@ -45,23 +52,22 @@ func TestClusterCatalogUnpacking(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(ct, *managerDeployment.Spec.Replicas, managerDeployment.Status.ReadyReplicas)
 	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
 
-	var managerPod corev1.Pod
-	t.Log("Waiting for only one controller-manager pod to remain")
+	t.Log("Waiting for controller-manager pods to match the desired replica count")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		var managerPods corev1.PodList
 		err := c.List(ctx, &managerPods, client.MatchingLabels(managerLabelSelector))
 		require.NoError(ct, err)
-		require.Len(ct, managerPods.Items, 1)
-		managerPod = managerPods.Items[0]
+		require.Len(ct, managerPods.Items, int(*managerDeployment.Spec.Replicas))
 	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
 
 	t.Log("Waiting for acquired leader election")
-	leaderCtx, leaderCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 3*time.Minute)
+	leaderCtx, leaderCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, pollDuration)
 	defer leaderCancel()
-	leaderSubstrings := []string{"successfully acquired lease"}
-	leaderElected, err := watchPodLogsForSubstring(leaderCtx, &managerPod, leaderSubstrings...)
+
+	// When there are multiple replicas, find the leader pod
+	managerPod, err := findLeaderPod(leaderCtx, "catalogd")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.True(t, leaderElected)
+	require.NotNil(t, managerPod)
 
 	t.Log("Reading logs to make sure that ClusterCatalog was reconciled by catalogdv1")
 	logCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Minute)
@@ -70,7 +76,7 @@ func TestClusterCatalogUnpacking(t *testing.T) {
 		"reconcile ending",
 		fmt.Sprintf(`ClusterCatalog=%q`, testClusterCatalogName),
 	}
-	found, err := watchPodLogsForSubstring(logCtx, &managerPod, substrings...)
+	found, err := watchPodLogsForSubstring(logCtx, managerPod, substrings...)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.True(t, found)
 
@@ -83,7 +89,7 @@ func TestClusterCatalogUnpacking(t *testing.T) {
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
-	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
+	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	t.Log("Ensuring ClusterCatalog has Status.Condition of Serving with a status == True, reason == Available")
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
@@ -93,7 +99,7 @@ func TestClusterCatalogUnpacking(t *testing.T) {
 		require.NotNil(ct, cond)
 		require.Equal(ct, metav1.ConditionTrue, cond.Status)
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonAvailable, cond.Reason)
-	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
+	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
 }
 
 func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
@@ -103,22 +109,30 @@ func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// wait for catalogd deployment to finish
 	t.Log("Wait for catalogd deployment to be ready")
-	catalogdManagerPod := waitForDeployment(t, ctx, "catalogd")
+	waitForDeployment(t, ctx, "catalogd")
+
+	// Find the catalogd leader pod
+	catalogdLeaderCtx, catalogdLeaderCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, pollDuration)
+	defer catalogdLeaderCancel()
+	catalogdManagerPod, err := findLeaderPod(catalogdLeaderCtx, "catalogd")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, catalogdManagerPod)
 
 	// wait for operator-controller deployment to finish
 	t.Log("Wait for operator-controller deployment to be ready")
-	managerPod := waitForDeployment(t, ctx, "operator-controller")
+	waitForDeployment(t, ctx, "operator-controller")
 
 	t.Log("Wait for acquired leader election")
 	// Average case is under 1 minute but in the worst case: (previous leader crashed)
 	// we could have LeaseDuration (137s) + RetryPeriod (26s) +/- 163s
-	leaderCtx, leaderCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 3*time.Minute)
+	leaderCtx, leaderCancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, pollDuration)
 	defer leaderCancel()
 
-	leaderSubstrings := []string{"successfully acquired lease"}
-	leaderElected, err := watchPodLogsForSubstring(leaderCtx, managerPod, leaderSubstrings...)
+	// When there are multiple replicas, find the leader pod
+	var managerPod *corev1.Pod
+	managerPod, err = findLeaderPod(leaderCtx, "operator-controller")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.True(t, leaderElected)
+	require.NotNil(t, managerPod)
 
 	t.Log("Reading logs to make sure that ClusterExtension was reconciled by operator-controller before we update it")
 	// Make sure that after we upgrade OLM itself we can still reconcile old objects without any changes
@@ -154,7 +168,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.ReasonSucceeded, cond.Reason)
 
 		require.True(ct, clusterCatalog.Status.LastUnpacked.After(catalogdManagerPod.CreationTimestamp.Time))
-	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
+	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	// TODO: if we change the underlying revision storage mechanism, the new version
 	//   will not detect any installed versions, we need to make sure that the upgrade
@@ -172,7 +186,7 @@ func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Contains(ct, cond.Message, "Installed bundle")
 		require.NotNil(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install)
 		require.NotEmpty(ct, clusterExtension.Status.Install.Bundle.Version)
-	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
+	}, pollDuration, pollInterval)
 
 	previousVersion := clusterExtension.Status.Install.Bundle.Version
 
@@ -182,6 +196,13 @@ func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, c.Update(ctx, &clusterExtension))
 
 	t.Log("Checking that the ClusterExtension installs successfully")
+	// Use 10 minutes for post-OLM-upgrade extension upgrade operations.
+	// After upgrading OLM itself, the system needs time to:
+	// - Stabilize after operator-controller pods restart (leader election: up to 163s)
+	// - Process the ClusterExtension spec change
+	// - Resolve and unpack the new bundle (1.0.1)
+	// - Apply manifests and wait for rollout
+	// In multi-replica deployments with recent OLM upgrade, this can take significant time
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		require.NoError(ct, c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: testClusterExtensionName}, &clusterExtension))
 		cond := apimeta.FindStatusCondition(clusterExtension.Status.Conditions, ocv1.TypeInstalled)
@@ -190,14 +211,13 @@ func TestClusterExtensionAfterOLMUpgrade(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Contains(ct, cond.Message, "Installed bundle")
 		require.Equal(ct, ocv1.BundleMetadata{Name: "test-operator.1.0.1", Version: "1.0.1"}, clusterExtension.Status.Install.Bundle)
 		require.NotEqual(ct, previousVersion, clusterExtension.Status.Install.Bundle.Version)
-	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
+	}, 10*time.Minute, pollInterval)
 }
 
 // waitForDeployment checks that the updated deployment with the given app.kubernetes.io/name label
 // has reached the desired number of replicas and that the number pods matches that number
-// i.e. no old pods remain. It will return a pointer to the first pod. This is only necessary
-// to facilitate the mitigation put in place for https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/issues/1626
-func waitForDeployment(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, controlPlaneLabel string) *corev1.Pod {
+// i.e. no old pods remain.
+func waitForDeployment(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, controlPlaneLabel string) {
 	deploymentLabelSelector := labels.Set{"app.kubernetes.io/name": controlPlaneLabel}.AsSelector()
 
 	t.Log("Checking that the deployment is updated")
@@ -217,13 +237,82 @@ func waitForDeployment(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context, controlPlaneLabel stri
 		desiredNumReplicas = *managerDeployment.Spec.Replicas
 	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
 
-	var managerPods corev1.PodList
 	t.Logf("Ensure the number of remaining pods equal the desired number of replicas (%d)", desiredNumReplicas)
 	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
+		var managerPods corev1.PodList
 		require.NoError(ct, c.List(ctx, &managerPods, client.MatchingLabelsSelector{Selector: deploymentLabelSelector}))
-		require.Len(ct, managerPods.Items, 1)
+		require.Len(ct, managerPods.Items, int(desiredNumReplicas))
 	}, time.Minute, time.Second)
-	return &managerPods.Items[0]
+}
+
+// findLeaderPod finds the pod that has acquired the leader lease by inspecting the Lease resource.
+// This is more reliable than checking logs as it directly queries the Kubernetes API for the lease holder.
+func findLeaderPod(ctx context.Context, controlPlaneLabel string) (*corev1.Pod, error) {
+	deploymentLabelSelector := labels.Set{"app.kubernetes.io/name": controlPlaneLabel}.AsSelector()
+
+	// Map component name to its LeaderElectionID
+	leaseNameMap := map[string]string{
+		"operator-controller": "9c4404e7.operatorframework.io",
+		"catalogd":            "catalogd-operator-lock",
+	}
+
+	leaseName, ok := leaseNameMap[controlPlaneLabel]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown control plane label: %s", controlPlaneLabel)
+	}
+
+	var leaderPod *corev1.Pod
+
+	// Use require.Eventually for polling instead of custom ticker implementation
+	err := wait.PollUntilContextTimeout(ctx, 2*time.Second, pollDuration, true, func(ctx context.Context) (bool, error) {
+		// Fetch lease first to avoid race condition where pod count changes between list and lease check
+		var lease coordinationv1.Lease
+		if err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{
+			Name:      leaseName,
+			Namespace: "olmv1-system",
+		}, &lease); err != nil {
+			// Lease might not exist yet, retry
+			return false, nil
+		}
+
+		if lease.Spec.HolderIdentity == nil {
+			// No leader elected yet, retry
+			return false, nil
+		}
+
+		// The HolderIdentity is typically in the format "pod-name_hash"
+		holderIdentity := *lease.Spec.HolderIdentity
+
+		// Now fetch pods and find the one matching the lease holder
+		var managerPods corev1.PodList
+		if err := c.List(ctx, &managerPods, client.MatchingLabelsSelector{Selector: deploymentLabelSelector}); err != nil {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+
+		if len(managerPods.Items) == 0 {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+
+		// Find the pod that matches the holder identity
+		for i := range managerPods.Items {
+			pod := &managerPods.Items[i]
+			// The holder identity contains the pod name as a prefix
+			if strings.HasPrefix(holderIdentity, pod.Name+"_") {
+				leaderPod = pod
+				return true, nil
+			}
+		}
+
+		// If we couldn't match the holder identity to a pod, retry
+		// This can happen during pod rotation
+		return false, nil
+	})
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("timeout waiting for leader election: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return leaderPod, nil
 }
 
 func watchPodLogsForSubstring(ctx context.Context, pod *corev1.Pod, substrings ...string) (bool, error) {
diff --git a/testdata/build-test-registry.sh b/testdata/build-test-registry.sh
index e2dcc0914..7dee9e3c1 100755
--- a/testdata/build-test-registry.sh
+++ b/testdata/build-test-registry.sh
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ spec:
   type: NodePort
 EOF
 
-kubectl wait --for=condition=Available -n "${namespace}" "deploy/${name}" --timeout=60s
+kubectl wait --for=condition=Available -n "${namespace}" "deploy/${name}" --timeout=3m
 
 kubectl apply -f - << EOF
 apiVersion: batch/v1
@@ -135,4 +135,4 @@ spec:
             secretName: ${namespace}-registry
 EOF
 
-kubectl wait --for=condition=Complete -n "${namespace}" "job/${name}-push" --timeout=60s
+kubectl wait --for=condition=Complete -n "${namespace}" "job/${name}-push" --timeout=3m