(1115063) Lead QA Specialist

Diversified Services Network, Inc. (DSN) is seeking a full-time Lead QA Specialist to join our fully onsite team in Chicago or Peoria, IL. We offer full benefits, PTO, 401k, and more! If you're looking to grow your career within an extremely reputable, stable Fortune 100 company - let's talk!

Position Overview

As a Lead QA Specialist, you will join a Quality Assurance team supporting large-scale software programs within our Fortune 100 client's Digital Platform organization. You will work closely with cross-functional engineering and product teams to drive software quality, test strategy, defect management, and continuous improvement across multiple programs and releases.

The QA organization works with more than 50 Scrum teams and is responsible for the relentless pursuit of quality across complex software products. In this role, you will lead testing initiatives, develop and execute QA strategies, identify and drive high-impact issues to resolution, and provide technical guidance and mentorship to other QA team members.

This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced QA professional who can independently manage complex testing assignments, collaborate with product and engineering teams, analyze data and defects, and communicate effectively with stakeholders at varying levels of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead QA strategy, test planning, and test execution across multiple projects and software releases.
- Independently lead complex testing, quality assurance, and project assignments with limited supervision.
- Develop and execute testing strategies covering regression, integration, performance, user acceptance, and other applicable testing methodologies.
- Perform validation activities for new and existing software defects.
- Reproduce software defects, collect relevant testing artifacts, and provide detailed information to support analysis and resolution.
- Manage defect tracking and quality assurance activities across multiple large-scale programs.
- Identify high-impact issues, drive them through resolution, and perform root cause analysis.
- Participate in field follow-up testing for features requiring detailed planning and execution to ensure timely and accurate quality results.
- Work directly on complex application and technical problems and assist development teams with debugging and issue resolution.
- Communicate with end users and internal customers to help direct development, debugging, and testing of application software for accuracy, integrity, interoperability, and completeness.
- Partner with Product Owners to resolve open issues, enhancements, and upgrades and develop an understanding of specific product functionality as needed.
- Analyze testing results, quality metrics, and other data to support informed decision-making and recommendations.
- Present technical findings, testing results, issues, and recommendations to stakeholders at different levels of the organization.
- Collaborate with software development, engineering, product, program management, and other cross-functional teams in a fast-paced Agile environment.
- Mentor QA team members and provide technical guidance on testing best practices, standards, processes, and tools.
- Help identify opportunities to improve QA processes, testing coverage, automation, and overall software quality.
- Manage multiple concurrent testing priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Requirements

Education & Experience

- 10+ years of professional experience in software quality assurance, software testing, software development, or a closely related field.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in a true QA lead, test lead, technical lead, or comparable leadership role.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field is a plus but not required.
- Demonstrated experience leading QA initiatives and working across multiple projects, teams, or software releases.
- Experience working in a cross-functional, high-paced software development environment.

Top Skills

- QA & Software Testing – Strong understanding of software testing methodologies and the ability to design, plan, and execute comprehensive testing strategies.
- Leadership & Project Management – Ability to independently lead complex QA assignments, coordinate across teams, manage competing priorities, and provide technical guidance to other QA professionals.
- Analytical & Problem Solving – Strong analytical skills with the ability to investigate defects, identify high-impact issues, perform root cause analysis, and use data to support decisions.
- Communication – Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate technical information and quality results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required Technical Skills

- 7+ years of experience in software testing and/or software development.
- Strong knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodologies.
- Experience with Agile development and Quality Assurance/Quality Control methodologies.
- Experience working with AWS, SQL, Azure DevOps (ADO), Power BI, and Microsoft Excel.
- Strong data analysis and data mining skills.
- Experience with defect management, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis.
- Experience working with cross-functional engineering, development, product, and program teams.
- Understanding of regression, integration, performance, and user acceptance testing.
- Familiarity with software quality metrics, test documentation, and reporting.

Desired Technical Skills

- Experience working across multiple Scrum or Agile teams.
- Experience supporting large-scale software products or platforms.
- Experience using data and quantitative analysis to identify trends, risks, and quality issues.
- Experience presenting testing results, technical findings, and recommendations to leadership or other stakeholders.
- Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to QA engineers, testers, or other technical team members.
- Knowledge of test automation concepts and tools is a plus.

Soft Skills

- Strong decision-making and critical-thinking skills.
- Ability to independently manage complex assignments and make informed decisions with limited supervision.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to software quality.
- Ability to effectively communicate technical information to individuals with varying levels of technical knowledge.
- Comfortable working with multiple teams, priorities, and projects simultaneously.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Ability to build productive relationships with engineering, development, product, program management, and business stakeholders.
- Comfortable identifying problems, asking questions, and driving issues toward resolution.
- Ability to mentor and provide constructive technical guidance to other team members.
- Strong willingness to collaborate in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Benefits

- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Paid Holidays

Please follow the link to our website for a list of job openings in Engineering, IT, Project Management, and more! https://www.dsnworldwide.com

Salary Expectations : $100,000-105,000 annually