Lead Software QA - MES & Regulated Systems (Hybrid)

Simotechnology; Limerick; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SimoTech is seeking a Software Engineering Test Lead to guide a team of Validation and Test Engineers for MES applications on a greenfield biotech campus in Limerick. You will own the end-to-end testing strategy, drive automation within CI/CD, and act as the quality gate for releases, ensuring regulatory and performance compliance.

You will collaborate with CI/CD MES DevOps, Development teams and validation stakeholders to ensure thorough validation and robust test coverage, with a strong

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading software testing or QA activities within Agile/DevOps environments.
• Experience implementing test automation frameworks and integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with test and defect management tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira, Tosca, Zephyr, qTest, or similar platforms.
• Strong MES testing experience, ideally with Emerson Syncade, including workflows, electronic batch records, system integrations, and regulated environments.
• Experience working in regulated pharmaceutical or life sciences environments with knowledge of GxP, CSV, GAMP 5, and MES integrations with SAP and LIMS.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work in a hybrid model, with three days on-site in Limerick and two days remote.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of test and validation engineers and foster a quality culture.
• Define and own end-to-end testing strategy for MES implementations, upgrades, and integrations.
• Create and maintain test documentation: plans, cases, and scripts for functional, regression, integration, performance, automation, and UAT.
• Partner with DevOps to embed automated testing within CI/CD pipelines and improve release quality.
• Act as gatekeeper for MES releases ensuring regulatory and performance requirements are met.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders and validation teams to reflect real-world manufacturing operations.
• Lead defect management activities, triage, root-cause analysis and end-to-end resolution.
• Support CSV activities and ensure testing complies with GxP, CSV, GAMP 5, and MES-SAP/LIMS integrations.
• Evaluate and improve test automation frameworks and standards for MES environments.
• Ensure test environments mirror production conditions and provide testing metrics and risk assessments.

Skills

QA leadership

Testing strategy

UAT testing

CI/CD automation

Agile DevOps

Communication

Tools

Azure DevOps

Jira

Tosca

Zephyr

qTest

Job description

SimoTech is seeking a Software Engineering Test Lead to guide a team of Validation and Test Engineers for MES applications on a greenfield biotech campus in Limerick. You will own the end-to-end testing strategy, drive automation within CI/CD, and act as the quality gate for releases, ensuring regulatory and performance compliance.

You will collaborate with CI/CD MES DevOps, Development teams and validation stakeholders to ensure thorough validation and robust test coverage, with a strong