QA Lead

The Guitar Center Company•Frederick, MD

7d•$100,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced QA Lead to drive quality assurance initiatives across our software development lifecycle. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in test strategy, test planning, and team leadership, with a proven track record of managing both onshore and offshore QA resources. This role requires strong hands-on skills in automation testing with any coding language, JavaScript, Typescript, or Java, as well as the ability to influence quality standards and practices at a strategic level.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent work experience).
7+ years of QA experience in software testing, with at least 3+ years in a QA Lead role.
5 years of experience working on ecommerce web, Salesforce and mobile platforms. (ATG experience a plus)
Proven experience managing onshore and offshore QA teams, driving performance and accountability.
Strong knowledge of QA methodologies, test design techniques, and SDLC/Agile development practices.
Hands-on experience with automation testing frameworks and tools
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated tests into deployment processes.
Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, balancing multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of quality.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with performance and load testing.
Working knowledge of AWS cloud and pipeline.

Responsibilities

Define, develop, and implement test strategies and test plans for complex applications and systems.
Lead and mentor a QA team comprised of onshore and offshore engineers, ensuring alignment with project goals and deadlines.
Oversee the full QA lifecycle including requirements analysis, test design, execution, defect management, and reporting.
Establish and enforce QA processes, standards, and best practices to ensure consistent product quality.
Drive adoption of automation testing frameworks and tools (with a focus on Ghost Inspector, CodeCeptJS, Playwright, typescript, postman or any modern tool), reducing manual effort and increasing coverage.
Collaborate with product managers, developers, and stakeholders to integrate quality practices throughout the development cycle.
Monitor QA progress, resource allocation, and risk management, delivering regular status updates to leadership.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives in testing methodologies, automation, and cross-team collaboration.