QA Portfolio Manager

About Balor Games

Balor Games is a "Triple I" independent game publisher dedicated to long-term stewardship of high-quality creative works. Formed by former leaders of Humble Games, Balor Games oversees an expansive catalog of acclaimed indie games, following the acquisition of the Humble Games and Firestoke catalogs.

Balor Games aims to serve as a cultural curator for independent games, while providing expertise, resources, and belief-driven support to visionary developers.

Position Intro:

Balor Games is looking for a QA Portfolio Manager to own quality assurance strategy and execution across our published portfolio. In this role, you'll be the primary point of accountability for QA coverage on titles developed by multiple external developer teams, and you'll manage the outside QA vendors (FQA, CQA, LQA, compatibility) who deliver that coverage. You'll set testing strategy and standards, scope and book vendor engagements against title milestones, and be the escalation point when quality issues put a release at risk. You’ll also step in for hands-on testing when needed, confirming bug severity, verifying fixes, and writing clear, actionable bug reports. You'll work cross-functionally with Production, Publishing Services, and the developer teams themselves to make sure every title meets Balor Games' quality bar and platform certification requirements before it ships.

Key Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Own QA strategy and standards across Balor Games' published portfolio, adapting scope and approach to each title's genre, platform mix, and risk profile.

• Oversee day-to-day management of the external QA vendors (FQA, CQA, LQA, compatibility) supporting each title in Balor Games’ portfolio, including vetting and onboarding new vendors as needed.

• Scope QA requirements against Production and developer-team milestones; book and track vendor Statements of Work (SOWs), quotes, and SOW end dates.

• Manage QA vendor budgets, purchase orders, and invoicing; flag variances against approved budgets.

• Serve as the primary QA liaison to Balor Games' external developer teams across the portfolio, aligning each studio's build/patch cadence with vendor testing cycles.

• Perform hands-on QA testing on titles as needed, including verifying fixes and writing clear, actionable bug reports.

• Provide detailed gameplay feedback to developer teams, benchmarked against comparable titles in the market.

• Review and prioritize bug reports and test results coming out of vendor QA passes; triage severity, drive fixes with developer teams, and participate in decisions around milestone acceptance and ship/no-ship quality calls in partnership with Production.

• Serve as the main point of contact for data-driven reporting on each title’s game state, quality risks, and development trajectory, in partnership with Production and leadership.

• Track platform certification and compliance requirements (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam, mobile storefronts) and ensure vendor testing plans cover them ahead of submission deadlines.

• Maintain a current view of vendor capacity, specialties, rate cards, and performance; monitor quality and delivery, manage escalations and resolution, and match the right vendor to each title and testing phase.

• Build and maintain QA documentation, test plans, bug-tracking workflows, and reporting templates that scale across a growing, multi-developer portfolio.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in QA leadership, vendor/partner management, or production within the video game industry, including direct oversight of external QA vendors.

• Demonstrated experience managing vendor SOWs and quotes for QA services.

• Strong working knowledge of FQA, CQA, and LQA testing methodologies, bug-tracking tools, and platform certification/compliance requirements across major consoles, PC, and mobile.

• Proven ability to create, review, and refine test plans for games across a range of genres and modes, such as single-player vs. multiplayer and RPG vs. FPS.

• Proven ability to manage QA across multiple concurrent titles and external studios, with project management skills to coordinate differing vendor pipelines, tools, and deadlines.

• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with internal teams, external developer studios, and QA vendors.

• Relationship management skills with the ability to build and maintain internal and external partnerships.

• Self-motivated with experience working independently and with a team, while being comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities.

• Proficiency with bug-tracking/test-management tools, spreadsheets, and project tracking tools.

Bonus Points:

• Avid gamer with broad knowledge of current titles across PC, console, and mobile.

• Existing relationships with FQA/CQA/LQA vendors in the games industry.

• Experience with platform partner programs (PlayStation Partners, Xbox View email address on click.appcast.io/Partner, Nintendo Developer Portal).

• Experience working with indie or mid-size external developer studios.

• Passion for process improvement and cross-functional collaboration.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category.