QA Analyst I

VARSITY SPIRIT, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE DRIVING FORCE IN SPIRIT ACROSS CHEER, DANCE, BAND AND YEARBOOK

For over 50 years, Varsity Spirit has been the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts and yearbook. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit's 5,000+ employees are dedicated to celebrating school spirit. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, competitions, and yearbook, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

At Varsity Spirit, the safety and wellbeing of the young people we serve is of the utmost importance. Since our inception 50 years ago, we have been - and remain - steadfastly committed to doing our part to create a safe and positive environment for our participants' physical, emotional, and social development, and promoting an environment free from abuse and misconduct. Varsity has a zero tolerance for abuse in its programs, events, and associated business activities. Varsity is committed to reporting all suspicions, allegations, and incidents of abuse in full accordance with local laws and reporting requirements. Learn more at Our Commitment to Safety - Varsity.com.

LOCATION: Remote (Memphis, TN, Dallas, TX areas preferred)

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT:

Varsity Brands is building a modern, unified digital platform that powers the full experience of sport and spirit, enabling seamless workflows across product configuration, ordering, fulfillment, and customer engagement. Delivering high-quality software is foundational to this platform, requiring disciplined quality engineering practices that ensure reliability, usability, and performance across every release.

Within Varsity Spirit, the QA Analyst supports the Yearbook Technology team, which operates within a highly creative, "infinite-solutions" environment that supports the end-to-end Yearbook manufacturing lifecycle-from digital creation and customization through production readiness.

The QA Analyst helps ensure technology solutions meet quality standards while supporting flexible workflows that accommodate unique school-driven designs, seasonal production timelines, and manufacturing requirements. This role directly impacts the accuracy, reliability, and production readiness of content as it moves from digital platforms into physical production.

Impact of the Role

• Contributes to software quality through testing and validation activities
• Supports the delivery of reliable software releases by identifying and documenting defects
• Partners with Product, Engineering, and Design to deliver reliable customer experiences
• Builds foundational quality engineering skills while contributing to team objectives
• Helps ensure digital content and technology solutions are production-ready for Yearbook manufacturing

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Works collaboratively with an Agile product delivery team by participating in user story refinement, writing testing specifications, executing tests, and documenting software defects
• Assists in reviewing requirements, specifications, and technical design documents to understand testing requirements
• Creates test cases and assists in developing test plans under the guidance of experienced team members
• Develops and applies testing processes for new and existing products to meet client needs
• Performs quality reviews of product specifications to identify gaps and testability concerns
• Supports successful deployment of products into the production environment through quality validation
• Performs thorough regression testing during regular release cycles
• Meets with software and product designers to determine quality assurance parameters
• Responds to requests from the design team and management
• Assists in analyzing business and technical requirements for testability
• Develops test data to support execution of assigned testing activities
• Executes functional, integration, regression, and user acceptance testing activities
• Identifies, documents, and validates software defects
• Verifies defect resolution and validates fixes prior to release
• Collaborates with Product Managers, Engineers, and Designers throughout Agile sprints
• Participates in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning and release readiness activities
• Contributes to continuous improvement of QA standards, tools, and processes
• Supports test automation initiatives where applicable
• Supports the successful implementation and release of technology solutions by validating functionality, quality, and production readiness

Key Performance Indicators

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Delivery of accurate test cases and support for comprehensive test plans
• Software quality and reduction of escaped production defects
• Timely identification, documentation, and validation of defects
• Successful completion of regression and release testing
• Effectiveness of cross-functional collaboration with Product and Engineering
• Readiness and quality of software releases supporting the Yearbook production lifecycle
• Contribution to continuous improvement of QA processes and testing practices

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following capabilities:

Technical Knowledge

• Basic understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC)
• Basic understanding of quality assurance methodologies
• Basic understanding of Agile software delivery
• Basic understanding of test planning and execution
• Basic understanding of defect lifecycle management

Technical Skills

• Develop test cases and supporting test scenarios
• Execute manual software testing across web applications and integrated systems
• Use Jira or other industry-standard defect tracking and test management tools
• Analyze application behavior and document observed defects

Cognitive & Problem-Solving Abilities

• Strong analytical thinking
• Root cause identification
• Risk assessment
• Attention to detail
• Ability to quickly adapt to changing priorities, technologies, and solution approaches
• Exercises sound judgment when evaluating assigned testing activities and software quality

Collaboration & Influence

• Works effectively across Product, Engineering, and Design
• Clearly communicates quality risks
• Partners to resolve defects efficiently
• Works effectively both independently and within cross-functional Agile teams
• Communicates effectively through written, verbal, and presentation skills

Execution & Ownership

• Successfully manages assigned testing activities and priorities
• Delivers high-quality work within release timelines
• Demonstrates accountability for testing outcomes
• Demonstrates a sense of urgency while maintaining high quality standards
• Applies creativity and flexibility to solve complex testing challenges

Education, Certification and Experience

Required :

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or related technical discipline; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 0-2 years of relevant experience, including internships, academic projects, or other early-career experience
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies, including Scrum
• Exposure to or familiarity with industry-standard testing and defect tracking tools, including Jira

Preferred :

• Experience working within cross-functional Agile product delivery teams

Physical Demands and/or Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

#LI_JF1

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions - BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit - and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.

Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.

OUR BENEFITS

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Access to Financial Coaching and member-owned Credit Union
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran's status, age or disability.