Direct Permanent Position in Livonia
We are looking for an engaged and inspiring leader with a background in software quality assurance and technology to motivate and mentor our Agile QA team. Be part of an exciting entrepreneurial environment in a fast-paced and growing company. We are committed, as a company, to Agile software delivery, and are looking for team members who are equally enthusiastic and passionate about collaborative software development practices.
The QA team plays a key role in our Agile delivery. The QA Development Manager will be responsible for coaching the QA Test Analysts in the fundamental concepts of testing in an Agile environment, as well as further developing and adapting our Agile processes. We are looking for a candidate who has hands-on experience working within Agile teams, and who is passionate about ongoing process development and continuous improvement. We are also looking for a candidate who is comfortable working in a cross-functional environment and can build a team that successfully blends skills across both technical and traditional quality assurance practices.
The QA Development Manager provides direction, leadership, & guidance to a team of QA Test Analysts who are responsible for validating changes to our systems and software, including internally developed and supported business applications, vendor software, servers, or network infrastructure.
The QA Development Manager will provide functional or technical expertise to assist team members during the development, enhancement, testing, validation, and/or maintenance of systems to satisfy business needs. Team members work with other technical resources to validate business requirements, define acceptance criteria, review unit test plans, provide estimates, and create both manual and automated test plans. The QA Test Analysts utilize our standard QA methodologies and testing tools to execute and manage testing activities & results.
Required Skills
Leadership
- Lead a team of IT professionals responsible for software testing in an Agile environment
- Consistently function as a positive role model, strong coach, and change agent.
- Motivate, inspire, energize, and help associates overcome barriers.
Staff Development
- Develop and coach assigned personnel toward the achievement of career goals and plans while meeting the objectives of the Company.
- Select, align, acquire and train associate resources with the goal of building a versatile and flexible team.
- Complete annual, periodic evaluations and career development. Ensure all associates have annual goals and training plans.
- Provide technical guidance, counseling, and training to staff as necessary. Identify opportunities to improve team performance and effectiveness. May assist in the coaching of systems methodology tools and techniques.
- Researches, analyzes and makes recommendations to upper management on appropriate positions and strategies relative to corporate goals and strategic initiatives.
Technology
- Ensures consistent adoption of tools, standards, & processes
- Promotes common methodologies and knowledge-sharing across functional teams
- Participate in and manage the efforts to implement and improve standards, policies, and procedures within the department.
Required Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, a related field or equivalent experience.
- 3 years of previous formal management experience
- 3+ years background in QA testing combined with some level of technical or software development experience.
- Leadership and decision making skills
- A passion for Agile methodologies and demonstrable experience working in Agile software development teams
- Excellent knowledge of technologies, utilities, software programming languages, hardware, software platforms, support software, and/or testing tools available to effectively manage the technical environment
- Strong interpersonal communication skills and problem solving skills
- Excellent presentation and meeting facilitation skills
- Strong negotiation skills
- Self-starter/self-motivated, capable of staying on track and pursuing solutions without supervision
- Ability to prepare and present technical information in business terms
- Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and handle multiple projects simultaneously
