Enterprise Quality Assurance Assistant Manager/Team Leader

Gesa Credit Union•Richland, WA

About The Position

The Enterprise Quality Assurance Assistant Manager/Team Leader provides hands-on leadership for enterprise testing, quality governance, and operational process improvement across the organization. The role leads a group of quality assurance professionals and serves as a senior technical contributor on projects and cross-functional initiatives. In partnership with the Program Manager/Team Lead, the role advances enterprise QA standards, testing frameworks, quality controls, and process improvement practices to improve delivery outcomes, reduce operational risk, and strengthen compliance across business and technology functions. The role coaches team members and organizational partners in test planning, defect management, root cause analysis, process measurement, and data-driven decision-making. It requires technical depth, mentoring ability, and a disciplined approach to continuous improvement and quality engineering. The position also supports team workload management, performance assessments, hiring, and alignment of QA practices with regulatory and organizational compliance requirements. Gesa Credit Union describes its work as community-focused and member- and relationship-centered. The organization offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. The listed full salary ranges are $83,450.81–$139,084.69 for Richland, Washington, and $94,830.47–$158,050.78 for Lynnwood, Washington. Most new team members typically start between the minimum and midpoint based on experience and qualifications. Selected candidates must pass a pre-employment credit/background check. Reasonable accommodations are available during the application and interview process and for essential job functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree emphasizing Information Systems, Computer Science, Quality Assurance/Engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience or training may substitute for education.
At least 7 years of progressive experience in enterprise quality assurance, software testing, quality engineering, process improvement, or related technical roles.
At least 1 year of experience coaching or mentoring technical professionals.
Familiarity with ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 or equivalent software testing standards.
Advanced knowledge of software and system development lifecycles (SDLC) and project management lifecycles.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and software development/testing tools such as Azure DevOps and Jira/Confluence, as well as process or engineering diagramming tools such as Microsoft Visio or Lucidchart.
Ability to design and execute test cases, test plans, and user acceptance campaigns across testing types including unit, integration, functional, acceptance, and end-to-end testing.
Ability to multitask across separate projects in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with tight timelines.
Strong analytical, quantitative, and information-sourcing skills, including the ability to write SQL queries for reporting, analytics, requirements generation, and KPI evaluation.
Ability to contribute independently and work collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams supporting strategic improvements.
Ability to adapt skills to technological change in a growing credit union environment.
Ability to manage communications vertically and horizontally across the organization and with vendors.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including documenting findings, summarizing risks, communicating recommendations, and influencing decisions.
Professional judgment, discretion, integrity, and diplomacy when working with cross-functional teams, leaders, and external partners.
Expertise in quality assurance, including process, software testing, and data quality analysis.
Ability to lead, motivate, and empower direct reports, peers, and leaders.
Knowledge of Agile software development methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe; the software development lifecycle; the project management lifecycle; and associated testing concepts and implementations.
Strong listening skills and customer service attributes.
Accountability for results.
Leadership competencies include leading others, developing others, emotional intelligence, social responsibility, and performance and results orientation.

Nice To Haves

Financial services experience is strongly preferred.
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level certification is preferred.
Experience using or testing a financial institution core banking platform and one or more loan origination systems, such as consumer, commercial, or mortgage systems, is preferred.
Familiarity with data reporting methodologies and tools such as Tableau or Power BI.

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise project QA testing and process improvement efforts for medium to large initiatives with project managers, product owners, technology teams, and business stakeholders.
Collaborate across project lifecycles to define testable requirements and develop testing strategies.
Execute assigned testing activities, guide business unit testers in validating system functionality, and confirm deliverables meet established quality standards.
Identify and report defects, monitor incident reports and defect resolution, verify fixes, and track results and outcomes.
Build and maintain a network of subject matter experts to promote QA processes through participation on project teams.
Maintain a member- and relationship-centered perspective and consider end-user needs when identifying potential problems.
Collaborate with business analysts to validate root-cause assumptions through testing and data analysis.
Review system documentation for technical accuracy, compliance, and completeness.
Propose and promote governance standards for approved process improvements and change control.
Communicate risks and issues that may require changes to project plans or scope to project managers, team leaders, and stakeholders.
Review reports and database structures and create or run queries to verify QA assumptions.
Collaborate with the Program Manager/Team Lead to manage team workload, deliver performance assessments, and participate in interview panels.
Mentor and advise less experienced Quality Assurance Analysts.
Gather data, perform root-cause analysis and performance trending, and propose QA process controls and policy changes.
Analyze QA governance, processes, and metrics and recommend cross-organizational improvements and updated KPIs using change management best practices.
Participate in process improvement and re-engineering efforts, including assessing progress and trends, developing recommendations and reports, prioritizing and implementing critical changes, identifying fiscal and staffing needs, and maintaining process and performance documentation.
Work with the Program Manager/Team Lead to align QA processes, procedures, and tools with regulatory and organizational compliance requirements.
Participate in the Data Governance Team, coach Data Owners, and brief them on establishing quality KPIs.
Adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and Credit Union policies and procedures.