Quality Assurance Engineering Leader

GreatAmerica • Cedar Rapids, IA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

GreatAmerica Financial Services is seeking a Quality Assurance Engineering Leader to join their Technology Group. This role is responsible for defining and leading the end-to-end quality strategy, encompassing both manual and automated testing practices. The objective is to ensure quality is integrated throughout the software development lifecycle by establishing standards, frameworks, and processes for reliable, scalable, and high-performing systems. The leader will collaborate with Business Subject Matter Experts, Product, Engineering, and Architecture teams to embed quality into solution design and delivery. A balanced testing approach, utilizing manual testing for exploratory and user-focused validation and automated testing for scalability, speed, and consistency, is key to delivering high-quality products and exceptional customer experiences.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in software quality assurance, including both manual and automated testing.
• 3+ years of leadership experience (direct or matrix leadership).
• Experience implementing or scaling QA automation frameworks and tooling.
• Experience working in Agile development environments with cross-functional teams.
• Experience in test lifecycle management, defect tracking, and CI/CD integration.
• Strong understanding of both manual testing techniques and automated testing frameworks.
• Experience with test automation tools, scripting, and modern QA engineering practices.
• Deep knowledge of SDLC, Agile methodologies, and quality engineering principles.
• Ability to balance speed, quality, and risk in release decision-making.
• Strong analytical skills, including trend analysis and root cause identification.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate technical quality metrics into business insights.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change and maturity progression (manual → automation → quality engineering).

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the QA strategy, balancing manual and automated testing approaches across platforms and products.
• Establish QA standards, testing methodologies, and quality gates across the SDLC.
• Ensure consistent testing practices, documentation standards, and quality metrics across teams.
• Oversee the full testing lifecycle, including test planning, execution, defect management, and reporting.
• Establish and scale automated testing practices, including integration into CI/CD pipelines.
• Ensure appropriate use of manual testing for exploratory, usability, and edge-case validation.
• Drive improvements in test coverage, test efficiency, and defect prevention strategies.
• Define frameworks for functional, regression, integration, and user acceptance testing.
• Define the test environment and test data seeding strategy.
• Partner with engineering teams to embed quality engineering practices into development workflows.
• Influence system design decisions to improve testability, performance, and reliability.
• Ensure testing is integrated early in the lifecycle (shift-left approach) and supported throughout delivery.
• Analyze defect trends, test effectiveness, and release outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead root cause analysis and ensure corrective actions are implemented to reduce future defects.
• Establish quality KPIs (e.g., defect leakage, automation coverage, release quality) and monitor performance.
• Provide go/no-go recommendations for releases based on quality metrics and risk assessment.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing QA organization, including both manual QA and QA automation engineers.
• Define clear roles, career paths, and development plans across QA disciplines.
• Coach teams on modern QA practices, including automation, Agile testing, and quality engineering.
• Foster a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Product Managers, Delivery, Architecture, and Engineering to align quality with business goals.
• Support user acceptance testing and collaborate with business stakeholders on quality expectations.
• Communicate quality insights, risks, and recommendations clearly to leadership.

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation
• Monthly Bonuses for Eligible Employees
• 401(k) and Company Match
• Annual Profit Sharing
• Paid Vacation - starting at 80 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.
• Paid Sick Days - Ten (10) per year with a conversion option for unused time.
• Ten (10) Paid Holidays per year
• Gym Reimbursement
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Parental Leave
• Tuition Assistance
• Networking Opportunities
• Leadership Development Opportunities
• Paid Parking
• Service Awards

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior