Lead Quality Assurance Engineer

ChannelEngine; Leiden; Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onboarding buddy

Hybrid-working

Mental healthcare support

Equity benefits

6% pension contribution

Job summary

ChannelEngine in Leiden is seeking a Lead QA Engineer to own quality across our SaaS platform. You will define and execute the QA strategy, stay hands-on with testing, release readiness and production quality, and build scalable QA processes.

You will lead a team, balance automation and manual testing, leverage AI-assisted testing, and collaborate with Engineering, Product and Support to ensure reliable software and fast feedback.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of QA experience including leading QA initiatives
• Hands-on with exploratory testing, API testing, SQL, Jira and modern QA tooling
• Experience with CI/CD environments and balancing automation vs manual testing
• Strong communicator who can influence engineering decisions and release readiness

Responsibilities

• Define and execute our QA strategy and release readiness for the SaaS platform
• Own Go/No-Go release decisions and production validation after deployments
• Mentor and grow a high-performing QA team while balancing automation, manual testing, and AI-assisted testing

Skills

QA leadership

Exploratory testing

API testing

SQL

Communication

AI-based testing

Tools

Jira

CI/CD

AI tooling

Automation tooling

Job description

What will you do as Lead QA Engineer?

As Lead QA Engineer, you'll take end-to-end ownership of quality across our SaaS platform. Your role will be to define and execute our QA strategy while remaining hands-on with testing, release readiness, and production quality. Key focus areas include building scalable QA processes, improving release confidence, and ensuring customers experience a reliable platform

You'll drive exploratory and risk-based testing, own release Go/No-Go decisions, oversee production validation after deployments, and drive root cause analysis to prevent recurring issues. Collaboration is key as you'll work closely with Engineering, Product and Support to establish effective bug triage processes, improve quality metrics, and embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle. Through mentoring, you'll build and develop a high-performing QA team while balancing automation, manual testing, AI-assisted testing, and production monitoring to maximise customer value

What makes you the ideal Lead QA Engineer?

• 5+ years of QA experience within a software environment, including experience leading QA initiatives and teams,
• Strong hands-on experience with exploratory testing, API testing, SQL, Jira, and modern QA tooling,
• Experience working with CI/CD environments and making pragmatic choices around automation versus manual testing,
• Confident communicator who can challenge stakeholders, influence engineering decisions, and make release readiness judgements when required,
• Comfortable using AI tools to improve testing, bug analysis and quality processes while applying sound engineering judgement,
• Currently residing within commuting distance of Leiden.

Nice to have (but not essential)

• Experience working on a SaaS platform
• Familiarity with e-commerce / online marketplaces

Why you’ll love working here

• You’ll receive a thorough onboarding to get you familiar with ChannelEngine, our processes and tools, and your new colleagues. You’ll also have a buddy to support you along the way
• You’ll be working in an open and collaborative company with +/-200 colleagues of over 40 different nationalities
• Work-life balance: we enable people to work in ways that suit their working style, which is why we offer flexible hours and hybrid-working
• We want to make sure everyone is supported mentally and emotionally which is why we provide free access to mental healthcare support
• You’ll be granted equity benefits and have access to financial coaching so that we can grow together
• We’ll contribute 6% to your pension fund

You’ve applied. What’s next?

We want all of our candidates to enjoy a smooth and efficient experience with us which is why we aim to get back to you regarding your application within 2 business days. The first step is a screening call with a member of the recruitment team. This is followed by an onsite meeting with the department heads, and two video meetings with the QA team. Our interview process tends to take +/-4 weeks to complete

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are an equal opportunity employer which means that all hiring decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business needs.

We are committed to shaping a recruitment process that provides everyone with an equal opportunity to get hired.

We welcome individuals from all backgrounds including, but not limited to, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, skin colour, marital status, religious beliefs, or physical or mental abilities.

At ChannelEngine, we believe that diversity enriches our work environment, sparks innovation, and drives success.

We celebrate and value our differences and are dedicated to building a safe, inclusive, and respectful working environment where everyone feels empowered to be themselves.

Use of AI in applications

Excessive AI use in CVs and cover letters is discouraged. We’re most interested in hearing your genuine voice and understanding the person behind the application.