Quality Assurance Lead

QA Lead

Location: Chicago, IL Duration: 6+ Months Contract

Job Summary: We are seeking an experienced QA Lead to support Broker Copilot POD(s) within a Reinsurance Solutions environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong manual testing leadership experience, hands-on collaboration skills, and the ability to coordinate testing activities across Agile teams. This role requires close engagement with business stakeholders, developers, product owners, and QA team members to ensure high-quality releases across multiple environments.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of overall QA/testing experience
• 4+ years of experience leading QA teams consisting of manual and automation testers
• Minimum 6 months of automation testing experience (Playwright preferred)
• Strong manual testing expertise
• Experience with API testing
• Strong SQL query experience
• Solid understanding of SDLC and Agile methodologies
• Experience with TFS / Azure DevOps or similar workflow management tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills

Responsibilities: QA Leadership & Delivery

• Lead QA activities for assigned Broker Copilot POD(s)
• Serve as the primary QA point of contact for respective POD(s)
• Provide regular updates on QA risks, accomplishments, dependencies, and key watchlist items
• Facilitate communication and collaboration across QA team members
• Conduct weekly checkpoint meetings with QA resources
• Ensure active QA participation during Scrum ceremonies and team events

Test Planning & Execution

• Review and analyze features, requirements, and user stories to ensure complete understanding of deliverables
• Identify test requirements from specifications and business documentation
• Design and maintain comprehensive test cases and test scenarios for functional and regression testing
• Execute manual test cases and validate deliverables against functional and design specifications
• Perform API testing and validate backend integrations
• Conduct post-release and post-production testing as required
• Maintain regression test suites and testing documentation

Collaboration & Release Coordination

• Work closely with Developers, Business Analysts, Product Owners, and Scrum teams to resolve issues
• Participate in release planning, coordination, and testing activities
• Represent the QA team during release management meetings, including:
• Release Finalization Meetings
• Release Readiness Meetings
• Monthly and ad-hoc release discussions
• Provide QA signoff for QA, Pre-Production, and Post-Production testing phases
• Ensure adequate testing coverage for production deployments
• Maintain and update release deployment lists

Process & Quality Standards

• Adhere to established QA processes, procedures, and standards
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for QA processes and best practices
• Provide mentorship and guidance to QA team members
• Identify obstacles early and proactively communicate risks to avoid project delays.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Reinsurance domain/projects
• Agile Certification and/or formal Agile training
• Exposure to enterprise-scale release management environments
• Experience coordinating cross-functional QA activities in POD-based delivery models