QA Lead / Quality Assurance Lead (m/f/d)

GULP Information Services GmbH; Hamburg; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Gulp AG seeks a QA Lead to own and modernize the QA strategy across enterprise platforms. You will lead the test automation rollout, guide offshore partners, and ensure robust data and secure testing practices for cross-border teams.

You will drive performance testing, shift-left initiatives, and collaboration with Product Owners, DevOps, and security teams to deliver high-quality releases in a hybrid work setting in Northern Germany.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software quality assurance for complex enterprise ecosystems.
• At least 4 years in a leadership role managing external delivery partners or offshore hubs.
• Proven track record architecting and scaling UI/API automated testing within delivery pipelines.
• Experience with cloud infrastructures (Azure), containers (Docker/Kubernetes), and test management suites (Azure DevOps, Jira).
• Strong knowledge of performance and security testing; shift-left and Agile (Scrum/Kanban/SAFe).
• Fluent English (C1+) for cross-border collaboration; German is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel to European hub locations.

Responsibilities

• Owns strategic QA framework for business-critical apps and defines quality KPIs and gates.
• Design, implement, and scale UI/API automation frameworks; integrate into CI/CD pipelines.
• Coordinate and manage external nearshore/offshore testing partners; ensure SLAs and milestones.
• Work with Platform and DevOps to ensure resilient test environments and robust test data strategies.
• Enable Product Owners and SMEs for structured UAT; standardize reporting and documentation.
• Collaborate with Change and Release Management to ensure traceability and RCA.

Skills

QA Leadership

Test Automation

CI/CD

Cloud/DevOps

Selenium

Playwright

Cypress

Docker

Kubernetes

English (C1+)

Tools

Azure DevOps

Jira

Selenium

Playwright

Cypress

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

On behalf of our client—a leading European enterprise in the consumer services, travel, and mobility sector, we are seeking an experienced QA Lead (m/f/d). The enterprise operates high-scale, mission-critical digital platforms supporting millions of customer interactions annually. In this pivotal role, you will take strategic ownership of software quality assurance, spearhead the modernization of test automation architectures, and orchestrate international engineering and delivery teams. Location: Northern Germany Region / Greater Hamburg Area (Hybrid) Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent Strategic Quality Ownership: Design, implement, and govern the enterprise QA framework for business-critical core applications; establish actionable quality KPIs, risk-based testing strategies, and quality gates aligned with business targets. Automation & CI/CD Integration: Drive the architecture, implementation, and expansion of scalable UI and API test automation frameworks; integrate automated regression suites into modern CI/CD pipelines. Vendor & Offshore Steering: Supervise, coordinate, and evaluate external nearshore and offshore testing partners; ensure strict adherence to SLAs, quality benchmarks, milestone deliveries, and resource plans. Environments & Test Data Management: Partner with Platform and DevOps teams to maintain resilient, reproducible test environments; champion robust test data strategies, including synthetic generation, anonymization, and data masking for compliance. Business Enablement & UAT Governance: Empower Product Owners, business stakeholders, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to plan and execute structured User Acceptance Testing (UAT); standardize reporting and test documentation. Release Governance & Traceability: Collaborate with Change and Release Management (CAB processes) to ensure audit-ready test documentation, full requirement-to-verification traceability, and systematic root-cause analyzes (RCA).

• Experience: 8+ years of hands-on experience in software quality assurance for complex enterprise ecosystems, including at least 4 years in a leadership role managing external delivery partners or distributed offshore hubs.

• Automation Expertise: Proven track record in architecting and scaling modern UI/API automated testing solutions (eg, Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or equivalent frameworks) embedded within automated delivery pipelines.

• Cloud & DevOps Ecosystems: Practical familiarity with cloud infrastructures (preferably Microsoft Azure), container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes), and modern test management suites (Azure DevOps, Jira).

• Testing Disciplines: Solid grasp of core performance and security testing principles (load/stress testing, OWASP guidelines), alongside practical implementation of Shift-Left and Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe).

• Languages: Business-fluent English proficiency (C1 level or higher) is mandatory for working across cross-border teams; German language skills are an advantage.

• Mobility: Willingness to undertake occasional business travel to European hub locations.