Manager - QA

Freshworks; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software solution provider in Hyderabad is seeking a Quality Assurance (QA) Manager to oversee the development and implementation of quality processes. The ideal candidate will drive continuous improvement initiatives, manage a team of QA professionals, and ensure compliance with external standards. The role requires a strong background in software QA methodologies and a successful history in managing QA teams, alongside excellent leadership and communication skills. Join us to impact organizations with fresh software solutions.

Qualifications

• 10–12 years in software quality assurance with 3+ years in a managerial role.
• Experience with CI/CD integration, particularly in Agile and DevOps contexts.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain QA processes aligned with business goals.
• Ensure product quality through effective testing and compliance.
• Lead and mentor QA professionals and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

QA policy design

Automation frameworks (Selenium, Cypress)

Programming (Java, Python)

Compliance standards (ISO, SOC 2)

Agile methodologies

Leadership and team management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

JIRA

GitLab

Jenkins

TestRail

Postman

Job description

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of “solutions” that promise to simplify their lives, creating better or worse experiences and either propelling or throttling growth. Software is a choice that can make or break a business—yet business software has become a blocker instead of a tool to get work done. Freshworks offers an alternative with a fresh vision for how the world works. We build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise‑grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use and quick to deliver results. With a people‑first approach to AI, we eliminate friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 72,000 companies—including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music—trust Freshworks CX and EX software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency. Over 4,500 Freshworks employees worldwide make this possible.

Job Description

The Quality Assurance (QA) Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining quality processes that ensure products and services meet organizational standards and customer expectations. This role oversees day‑to‑day QA operations, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and ensures compliance with internal policies and external quality frameworks. The QA Manager leads a team of QA professionals, collaborates closely with cross‑functional partners in Product and Engineering, and ensures that quality is built into every stage of the development and release lifecycle. The role reports to the Director of Quality Assurance and leads QA teams across multiple modules in a product area. The QA Manager will be expected to improve automation coverage, reduce defect leakage, and accelerate release readiness through process and tooling improvements.

Roles & Responsibilities

Quality Management

• Develop, implement, and maintain QA policies, processes, and performance metrics aligned with business and product goals.
• Define and communicate quality objectives across teams, ensuring measurable outcomes and accountability.
• Monitor product quality and operational performance, driving root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).
• Ensure consistent adherence to organizational, regulatory, and compliance standards.
• Establish and track key quality KPIs such as defect density, test coverage, automation ROI, and release readiness scores.

Testing & Process Oversight

• Plan, coordinate, and oversee all QA activities—including manual, automated, performance, and regression testing.
• Manage test planning, execution, defect triage, and reporting for timely and high‑quality releases.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Operations teams to identify and resolve quality issues early in the development lifecycle.
• Continuously review and improve testing frameworks, tools, and processes to enhance efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
• Champion “shift‑left” testing by integrating QA early into sprint planning and CI/CD pipelines.
• Increase automated test coverage of core workflows to 95%+ and ensure automation suites run as part of every build.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of QA and Software Engineers in Test (SETs).
• Define performance goals, establish clear accountability, and drive results through coaching and feedback.
• Foster a high‑performing culture centered on ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Identify skill gaps, build individual development plans, and grow future QA leads from within the team.
• Partner with Engineering Managers and Product Owners to align quality objectives with sprint deliverables and release milestones.

Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure compliance with relevant quality and regulatory standards (e.g., ISO 9001, Six Sigma, CMMI, SOC 2, FDA, or similar frameworks).
• Prepare and maintain quality documentation, test reports, and audit records.
• Lead or support internal and external audits, ensuring readiness and corrective action management.
• Ensure audit readiness and compliance for SOC 2 and ISO 9001 across product teams, collaborating with Security and Compliance functions.

Continuous Improvement

• Use data and analytics to identify process inefficiencies and drive measurable quality improvements.
• Recommend and implement best practices for testing automation, CI/CD integration, and release validation.
• Promote a culture of proactive quality ownership and continuous learning across teams.
• Drive year-over-year improvement in quality KPIs (e.g., 20% reduction in escaped defects, 15% faster test cycle time).
• Explore AI-driven testing tools and analytics to accelerate defect detection and root cause prediction.

Skills Inventory

• Quality & Process Management: QA policy design, metrics, root cause analysis, CAPA.
• Automation & Tools Expertise: Selenium, Cypress, Jenkins, GitLab, JIRA, TestRail, Postman, etc.
• Technical Proficiency: Java, Python, SQL, CI/CD integration, performance testing.
• Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, DevOps, Continuous Testing.
• Compliance & Governance: ISO, CMMI, Six Sigma, SOC 2, audit preparation.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Team management, stakeholder communication, coaching and mentoring.
• Analytical & Reporting: Quality analytics, dashboarding, and data‑driven decision‑making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Quality Management, or a related field.
• 10–12 years of experience in software quality assurance, including at least 3 years in a managerial role.
• Strong understanding of QA methodologies, automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress), CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab), and issue tracking tools (e.g., JIRA, TestRail).
• Hands‑on experience with programming/scripting languages such as Java or Python.
• Solid grasp of Agile and DevOps principles, with proven experience implementing QA strategies in modern software environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, analytical, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to influence cross‑functional teams and stakeholders in a fast‑paced environment.
• Experience in SaaS or cloud‑based product environments is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success in establishing QA metrics dashboards and presenting insights to senior leadership.

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Balanced Automation Coverage – Achieve an optimal automation mix across Unit, Integration, and UI layers to maximize test depth and speed.
• Defect Containment – Reduce escaped defects across pre‑production and production environments by 50% through stronger quality gates.
• Quality Index – Monitor and improve a unified Quality Score that blends velocity, reliability, and coverage to drive continuous improvement.
• Automation Reliability – Sustain a ≥95% pass rate with high test stability and minimal flakiness.

Additional Information

At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.