Head of Quality and Test

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive quality strategy aligned with the company's overall goals and product roadmap.
• Define and track key quality metrics and KPIs (e.g., defect density, test coverage, customer satisfaction related to quality).
• Stay abreast of industry best practices, emerging technologies, and trends in quality assurance for SaaS products.
• Advocate for quality principles and practices across engineering, product, and other relevant teams.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing quality assurance team, including QA engineers, test automation specialists, and potentially performance and security testers.
• Foster a collaborative and growth-oriented environment within the QA team.
• Define roles and responsibilities, conduct performance reviews, and identify training and development needs.
• Effectively allocate resources to meet product demands and quality goals.
• Establish and maintain clear and efficient QA processes, methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall), and standards.
• Develop and implement test plans, test cases, and test scripts for various testing types (functional, integration, regression, performance, security, usability).
• Ensure consistent application of QA processes across different product areas and teams.
• Implement and manage defect tracking and reporting systems.
• Drive the development and implementation of robust test automation frameworks to improve efficiency and test coverage.
• Evaluate and select appropriate automation tools and technologies.
• Ensure the maintainability and scalability of automation scripts.
• Work closely with product managers, engineers, designers, and other stakeholders throughout the development lifecycle to ensure quality is built-in from the beginning.
• Communicate effectively on quality-related matters, including test results, defect status, and risk assessments.
• Participate in sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives to provide quality insights.
• Act as a point of contact for quality-related inquiries and escalations.
• Identify and assess potential quality risks early in the development process.
• Develop and implement mitigation strategies to minimize the impact of identified risks.
• Analyze defect trends and identify root causes to prevent future issues.
• Continuous Improvement:
• Continuously evaluate and improve QA processes and methodologies based on feedback, data analysis, and industry best practices.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the QA team and the broader organization.
• Implement tools and techniques to enhance test efficiency and effectiveness.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Relevant certifications (e.g., ISTQB, CSTE) are a plus.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in quality assurance, with at least 5-7 years in a leadership role within a SaaS environment.
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing QA teams.
• Deep understanding of the SaaS development lifecycle and deployment models.
• Significant experience in developing and implementing test automation frameworks.
• Experience with various testing methodologies and tools.
• Strong understanding of software testing principles, methodologies, and best practices.
• Proficiency in test automation tools and frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright).
• Familiarity with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner) and security testing concepts.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated tests.
• Understanding of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their impact on quality assurance.
• Familiarity with database technologies and query languages.
• Excellent leadership, communication (written and verbal), and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate business needs into quality strategies.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across different teams.
• Results-oriented with a strong focus on delivering high-quality products.
• Adaptability and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.