Lead Manual QA Engineer

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced QA Lead - Manual Testing to lead quality assurance activities, establish effective testing processes, and ensure the delivery of high-quality software products. The ideal candidate has strong expertise in manual testing, test planning and execution, defect management, and quality assurance methodologies, along with the ability to lead and mentor QA engineers.

This role requires close collaboration with developers, business analysts, product owners, and other stakeholders to ensure that software solutions meet business requirements, functional expectations, and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

QA Leadership and Team Management

Lead, mentor, and support QA engineers in executing testing activities and achieving quality objectives.

Allocate testing tasks, monitor team performance, and ensure timely completion of QA deliverables.

Establish and continuously improve QA processes, standards, and best practices.

Provide guidance on testing methodologies, defect analysis, and risk-based testing approaches.

Test Planning and Execution

Develop and review test strategies, test plans, test scenarios, test cases, and test data based on business and technical requirements.

Oversee functional, regression, integration, system, end-to-end, exploratory, and user acceptance testing activities.

Ensure adequate test coverage across application features, workflows, and business-critical scenarios.

Validate application functionality, usability, data integrity, and compliance with defined requirements.

Defect and Issue Management

Identify, document, prioritize, and track defects throughout the software development lifecycle.

Work closely with developers and other stakeholders to investigate issues, verify fixes, and prevent defect recurrence.

Facilitate defect triage discussions and provide clear reports on defect status, severity, and potential business impact.

Stakeholder Collaboration

Collaborate with product owners, business analysts, developers, and project managers to clarify requirements and define acceptance criteria.

Participate in requirements reviews, sprint planning, refinement sessions, and release readiness assessments.

Communicate testing progress, risks, dependencies, and quality concerns to relevant stakeholders.

Support release decisions by providing test results, quality metrics, and recommendations.

Quality Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Define and monitor QA metrics, including test coverage, defect density, defect leakage, and testing progress.

Identify gaps in existing testing processes and implement improvements to increase testing efficiency and effectiveness.

Ensure proper documentation of test evidence, test results, and QA deliverables.

Promote a quality-first mindset across the software development team.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

At least 5 years of experience in software quality assurance or manual testing, with relevant experience leading or mentoring QA teams.

Strong experience in manual testing methodologies, test design techniques, and defect management.

Proven experience creating and maintaining test plans, test cases, test scenarios, and test reports.

Experience testing web applications, mobile applications, APIs, or enterprise software systems.

Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Experience using test management and defect-tracking tools such as Jira, TestRail, Zephyr, or equivalent platforms.

Basic understanding of SQL and database validation.

Familiarity with API testing tools such as Postman is an advantage.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.

Demonstrated ability to lead a team, manage competing priorities, and work effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience establishing or improving QA processes and testing standards.

Exposure to test automation concepts and collaboration with automation engineers.

Experience with CI/CD workflows and modern software delivery practices.

Experience working in fast-paced, Agile, or product-driven environments.