Principal QA Engineer

hackajob is collaborating with Sage to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. The Principal QA Engineer serves as a product expert for quality assurance, leading testing initiatives across the Sage Fixed Assets applications. This role extends beyond traditional QA responsibilities to include Scrum Master duties, release management, and user assistance documentation—reflecting the multifaceted nature of quality leadership in a modern software development environment. Key Responsibilities Quality Assurance & Testing Leadership -Design, develop, and execute comprehensive test strategies for Black Box Functional testing based on requirements and technical specifications -Lead end-to-end testing for cloud-hosted services and new platform implementations -Conduct application testing in QA environments and ensure quality standards are met -Provide estimates for writing, executing, and reporting test results based on technical documents Scrum Master & Agile Leadership -Serve as Scrum Master for the development team, facilitating daily standups, sprint planning, and retrospectives -Remove impediments and foster a collaborative team environment -Ensure the team follows Agile best practices and continuously improves processes -Coordinate cross-team dependencies and facilitate communication Release Management -Own end-to-end release execution processes -Prepare comprehensive release notes documenting new features, improvements, and defect fixes -Coordinate release readiness activities across development, QA, and support teams- -Update and maintain installation guides and release documentation -Manage mobile app releases including submission to app stores User Assistance & Product Documentation -Create and maintain all user assistance documentation -Develop help topics and update product assistance content in Madcap Flare -Maintain and update product specifications and functional documentation Process Improvement & Mentorship -Lead process improvement and departmental standardization efforts -Share knowledge and expertise across the wider team -Identify opportunities for improving testing standards and methodologies Technical & Strategic Contributions -Collaborate with Product Managers, Architects, and Development teams on technical solutions -Stay current with QA and AI trends, methodologies, and tools through continuous learning -Participate in product roadmap discussions and provide quality perspective Stakeholder Management & Communication -Prepare verbal and written reports on test results (defects, status, coverage, trends, pass percentage) -Raise issues directly with key stakeholders when necessary -Lead team efforts to identify and solve problems producing quality and timely results Required Qualifications Education & Experience -Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Accounting -Minimum 5 years of software development and/or quality assurance experience -Experience in Agile/Scrum methodologies with demonstrated Scrum Master capabilities Technical Skills - Knowledge of software application structure (DLL, EXE, COM objects, databases, ODBC, etc.) - Proficiency with Microsoft Office and QA tools for test case development, defect management, change control, and requirements analysis - Understanding of network and computer architecture impacts on testing - Experience with on-premise, cloud platforms, and cloud-hosted application testing Soft Skills & Competencies -Excellent oral, written, and listening communication skills -Strong leadership and collaboration abilities -Ability to work collaboratively within cross-functional teams -Exceptional organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities -Self-motivated with ability to establish and exceed goals -Calm and methodical approach to problem-solving Preferred Qualifications -Background in technical writing or user documentation -Experience with mobile app testing and release management -Knowledge of specific domain (e.g., Fixed Assets, Accounting)aa415a4b-8b21-40fc-a65c-70d2b25ca29a