QA Lead

Data Society•Washington, DC

2d•Remote

About The Position

The QA Lead owns the end-to-end test strategy for the platform, coordinating system integration testing (SIT), user acceptance testing (UAT), defect triage, and go/no-go readiness across all functional areas. In this role, you will lead our offshore QA team, manage the test exit criteria process, and serve as the critical quality gate between build completion and production cutover. This is a senior-level, project-based engagement requiring demonstrable test leadership, strong client-facing communication skills, and hands-on authority over quality assurance. This role is work-from-home (remote) though must be able to commute to client offices in Falls Church, VA as needed (estimated every 2 weeks).This is a full-time W2 employment position with benefits. Please note that this role is tied to a client contract and is structured as an initial 9-month position. Opportunities for extension or longterm placement are highly likely based on client renewal and project performance.

Requirements

6–10 years of progressive QA experience, with at least 3 years in a QA Lead or Test Management role (must have demonstrable test leadership experience, not just hands-on execution).
Proven experience owning an end-to-end test strategy for enterprise web applications.
Strong experience coordinating UAT with non-technical business stakeholders and presenting go/no-go recommendations to executive leadership.
High proficiency with Jira or equivalent enterprise defect and test management tooling.
Experience validating data outputs against source system records.
Experience managing offshore QA teams and coordinating asynchronous test execution.
Familiarity with automated testing frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Selenium, or similar).
Familiarity with AI-generated test suites and agentic QA approaches, with the ability to review and govern AI-assisted test coverage.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience testing enterprise financial, ERP, or data-intensive applications.
Familiarity with Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) or API integration testing, validating end-to-end data flow across system boundaries.
Experience with Azure DevOps test plans or similar enterprise test management tooling.
ISTQB certification or equivalent formal QA qualification.

Responsibilities

Define and own the end-to-end test strategy, covering SIT, UAT, regression, integration, data reconciliation, and performance testing across all functional areas.
Provide formal QA sign-off at each sprint demo and phase exit gate.
Coordinate and facilitate UAT sessions with business users across all functional workstreams, managing scheduling, guidance, and formal sign-off.
Lead and direct the offshore QA Engineer team by assigning test coverage, reviewing defect logs, and managing resolution timelines.
Triage defects by severity, assign ownership, and track issues to resolution.
Partner with the DevOps/Platform Engineer and Data Engineering Lead to ensure test environment readiness and data availability prior to test cycles.
Own the test evidence and acceptance process for OIC data freshness and reconciliation validation, confirming delta sync accuracy against agreed SLAs.
Manage the go/no-go readiness checklist, ensuring all exit criteria are met prior to production cutover authorization.
Maintain comprehensive test documentation, traceability matrices, and defect logs for audit and handoff purposes.