Lead QA Engineer job description
A Lead QA Engineer oversees the quality assurance lifecycle, ensuring software meets high standards through testing strategies, automation, and team mentorship.
Use this Lead QA Engineer job description template to advertise open roles for your company. Be sure to modify requirements and duties based on the unique needs of the role you’re hiring for.
What is a Lead QA Engineer?
A Lead QA Engineer is a pivotal role within the engineering team, focused on overseeing the quality assurance process to ensure software products meet the highest standards of quality before release. This role involves strategic planning, development of test plans and cases, and leadership over the QA team to maintain quality throughout the software development lifecycle. The Lead QA Engineer works closely with development and product teams to integrate quality assurance measures into the Agile process, ensuring timely and high-quality software releases.
What does a Lead QA Engineer do?
A Lead QA Engineer leads the charge in maintaining and enhancing software quality. This involves driving the quality assurance lifecycle within Agile frameworks, establishing testing strategies in collaboration with development and product teams, and implementing comprehensive test plans and cases.
They play a crucial role in mentoring and guiding QA team members, contributing to the development and execution of automated tests for mobile and web applications, and ensuring continuous integration flows are maintained.
Daily activities include reviewing test results, reporting issues, troubleshooting system under test issues, and managing QA-related meetings and goals. The Lead QA Engineer’s expertise in software testing frameworks, programming languages, and CI/CD processes is vital for diagnosing complex issues and ensuring the delivery of flawless software products.
Lead QA Engineer responsibilities include:
- Driving the software quality assurance lifecycle.
- Establishing and coordinating test strategies.
- Developing and executing automated tests.
- Managing and mentoring the QA team.
Job brief
We’re seeking a Lead QA Engineer to spearhead our quality assurance efforts. In this role, you’ll be instrumental in driving the QA lifecycle, developing test strategies, and leading a team towards delivering high-quality software releases.
Your expertise will ensure the implementation of effective test plans, automation frameworks, and continuous integration processes.
This position offers the opportunity to innovate in testing methodologies and play a key role in our product development cycle, contributing significantly to the enhancement of software quality and team efficiency.
Responsibilities
- Drive the software quality assurance lifecycle within the Agile process.
- Establish and coordinate test strategies with development/product teams.
- Design and implement test plans and test cases.
- Mentor and instruct QA team members, helping them make decisions and solve problems.
- Contribute to the maintenance and development of mobile test automation frameworks for Android and iOS.
- Develop and execute automated UI and functional tests on real devices and emulators.
- Review test results daily and report issues.
- Enhance and maintain automated CI flows.
- Troubleshoot issues in systems under test.
- Manage meetings, set goals, provide feedback on testing tasks, and delegate testing responsibilities.
Requirements and skills
- BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- 5+ years of experience as a Software Development Engineer in Test in a production environment.
- Ability to multi-task, proactive in project planning and requirements gathering.
- Excellent English communication skills, especially written.
- Proficiency in mobile or web application testing.
- Experience in programming languages such as Java, Groovy, Ruby, Python, or JavaScript.
- Extensive experience with Appium or Selenium WebDriver.
- Familiarity with testing frameworks like TestNG, JUnit, or Cucumber.
- Comfortable with Git, and CI processes using tools like Jenkins, JIRA.
- Knowledge of SQL/NoSQL databases.
- Attention to detail and ability to diagnose complex issues in application testing.
- Bonus for leadership experience, native mobile testing frameworks, and micro-services architecture knowledge.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Lead QA Engineer do?
- A Lead QA Engineer oversees the quality assurance process, ensuring software meets set quality standards through strategic testing, automation, and team leadership.
- What are the duties and responsibilities of a Lead QA Engineer?
- The duties include driving the QA lifecycle, establishing test strategies, developing automated tests, and mentoring the QA team to ensure high-quality software releases.
- What makes a good Lead QA Engineer?
- A good Lead QA Engineer possesses strong technical skills, leadership qualities, attention to detail, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills, ensuring effective team collaboration and high-quality software development.
- Who does a Lead QA Engineer work with?
- A Lead QA Engineer collaborates with development teams, product managers, and the QA team to integrate quality assurance measures into the software development lifecycle.
- How does a Lead QA Engineer contribute to software development?
- A Lead QA Engineer contributes by ensuring that all aspects of the software are thoroughly tested and meet quality standards before release, thereby reducing bugs, enhancing user satisfaction, and maintaining the product's reliability.