Software Testing Lead @ Limerick, Ireland - 24 Months with EXT - Onsite

Cbase Inc; Munster; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Cbase Inc in Limerick, Ireland is seeking an experienced Software Testing Lead to own QA across our MES programme. This role leads a team of testers managing validation in regulated manufacturing environments, with a preference for MES familiarity (Syncade) and DevOps-driven testing in CI/CD pipelines.

The position involves defining testing strategy, mentoring testers, and ensuring quality across releases with strong collaboration with DevOps, development, and validation teams.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of testing teams in enterprise software.
• Experience with MES or regulated environments.
• Ability to design test strategies and plans.
• Hands-on with CI/CD and automated testing.

Responsibilities

• Define, own, and continuously improve the testing strategy for MES implementations, upgrades, and integrations.
• Lead and mentor a team of test engineers, fostering quality and continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain test plans, cases, and scripts for functional, regression, integration, performance, and UAT.

Skills

Testing leadership

Agile/DevOps experience

Test planning & strategy

Defect management

Azure DevOps/Jira

Selenium/Playwright/Cypress

GxP / regulated environments

Communication with stakeholders

Tools

Azure DevOps

Jira

Zephyr

qTest

Job description

Onsite Role

Virtual Interviews

Position: Software Testing Lead

Location: Limerick, Ireland

Duration: 24 Months with EXT

Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Software Testing Lead to own and drive quality assurance across our Manufacturing Execution System (MES) programme. The successful candidate will lead a team of testers responsible for validating complex, regulated manufacturing software environments, with a strong preference for candidates who have hands-on experience with off-the-shelf MES platforms - particularly Syncade - and an understanding of DevOps practices to support continuous testing in modern delivery pipelines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define, own, and continuously improve the overall testing strategy for MES implementations, upgrades, and integrations.
• Lead and mentor a team of test engineers, fostering a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts for functional, regression, integration, performance, and UAT activities.
• Collaborate closely with DevOps and development teams to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, reducing manual effort and accelerating release cycles.
• Act as the quality gate for MES releases, ensuring all changes meet regulatory, functional, and performance requirements before deployment.
• Partner with business stakeholders, process owners, and validation teams to ensure test scenarios reflect real-world manufacturing processes.
• Oversee defect management - triage, prioritisation, root cause analysis, and resolution tracking - using appropriate tooling (e.g. Azure DevOps, Jira).
• Support computer system validation (CSV) activities in compliance with GxP regulations where applicable.
• Produce clear, concise testing metrics and progress reports for project stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Evaluate and implement test automation frameworks and tooling appropriate to MES environments.
• Ensure testing environments are adequately configured and maintained to mirror production conditions.

Essential Requirements:

• Proven experience as a Testing Lead or Senior QA Engineer on complex enterprise software implementations.
• Strong knowledge of software testing methodologies, tools, and best practices (ISTQB or equivalent preferred).
• Experience working in or closely with Agile/DevOps delivery environments.
• Demonstrable experience writing and executing test plans, test cases, and test scripts for large-scale enterprise systems.
• Hands-on experience with defect and test management tools (e.g. Azure DevOps, Jira, Zephyr, qTest).
• Ability to communicate complex quality and risk topics to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g. pharmaceutical, life sciences, food & beverage, or similar) with an understanding of quality and compliance requirements.

Desirable Requirements:

• Direct experience testing off-the-shelf MES platforms, ideally Syncade (Emerson) - including electronic batch records, workflow configuration, and system integrations.
• Hands-on DevOps experience: CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions), automated testing integration, and deployment pipeline quality gates.
• Familiarity with GxP computer system validation (CSV), GAMP 5 methodology, and regulated software lifecycle practices.
• Experience with test automation frameworks (Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or similar).
• Understanding of MES integrations with ERP systems (e.g. SAP) and laboratory systems (LIMS).
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes within pharmaceutical or life sciences sectors.

Personal Attributes:

• Detail-oriented with a strong quality mindset and commitment to delivering right-first-time outcomes.
• Proactive, organised, and able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills - able to develop and motivate a testing team.
• Collaborative, with the ability to build effective relationships across technology, operations, and quality functions.
• Pragmatic risk-based thinker who can balance thoroughness with delivery pace.