Qa/Lead/Architect - Sênior

Act Digital; Setúbal; Hybrid; EUR 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Act Digital is seeking a Senior Quality Engineering Lead to embed quality into every stage of the SDLC. The role advances from a single-team PoC to organization-wide quality transformation, balancing technical excellence with delivery needs.

You will drive testing strategy, automation value, and engineering governance while collaborating with architects, developers and product teams to scale quality across multiple domains.

Qualifications

• Strong background in software development and architecture.
• Proven experience in leading quality engineering initiatives.
• Track record in designing test automation solutions.
• Ability to evaluate automation benefits, limitations and risks.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence skills.
• Willingness to challenge existing solutions with pragmatic alternatives.

Responsibilities

• Define and promote modern quality engineering practices across teams.
• Assess existing testing approaches and identify improvement opportunities.
• Design scalable quality frameworks, processes and testing strategies.
• Drive continuous improvements in quality, automation, and engineering standards.
• Evaluate when automation delivers real business value and implement frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with architects, developers and product teams.
• Help teams adopt quality-first mindsets and best practices.
• Scope quality initiatives across multiple domains as they scale.

Skills

Software Development

Solution Architecture

Test Automation

CI/CD Pipelines

DevOps Culture

Cloud-Native Architectures

API Testing

Performance Testing

Quality Engineering Practices

Engineering Governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a technical field

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Quality Engineering Lead with a strong technical background and a passion for building quality into every stage of the software development lifecycle.

This is not a traditional testing role. We are looking for someone who started their career in software development, evolved into solution architecture and technical leadership, and developed a deep interest in software quality, test strategy, and engineering excellence.

You will play a key role in assessing quality practices, defining scalable testing approaches, and helping teams determine where automation truly adds value. Your mission will be to drive quality transformation while balancing technical excellence, business needs, and delivery realities.

Your Mission

You will join the organization initially supporting a single team, gaining a deep understanding of its delivery processes, engineering practices, and current quality maturity.

Your first objective will be to design and implement a Proof of Concept (PoC) that demonstrates how quality engineering can create measurable value.

As the initiative gains traction and proves successful, your influence will progressively expand across multiple teams and business areas, helping shape the organization's broader quality strategy and engineering practices.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Strategy & Engineering Excellence

• - Define and promote modern quality engineering practices across software delivery teams.
• - Assess existing testing approaches and identify opportunities for improvement.
• - Design scalable quality frameworks, processes, and testing strategies.
• - Challenge existing practices and propose innovative, value-driven alternatives.
• - Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to quality, automation, and engineering standards.

Test Automation & Technical Leadership

• - Evaluate when test automation delivers real business and technical value.
• - Design and implement automation frameworks from scratch when needed.
• - Define automation standards, tools, and best practices across teams.
• - Ensure quality initiatives align with architectural and engineering decisions.
• - Balance automation, manual testing, and risk mitigation approaches pragmatically.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• - Work closely with architects, developers, product teams, and stakeholders.
• - Influence technical decisions through strong communication and negotiation skills.
• - Help teams adopt quality-first mindsets and engineering best practices.
• - Support multiple domains and business areas as quality initiatives scale across the organization.

• - Experiment with new technologies, frameworks, and approaches.
• - Stay up to date with emerging trends in Quality Engineering, Test Automation, and Software Architecture.
• - Foster a culture of curiosity, learning, and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

Mandatory Requirements

• - Strong background in Software Development.
• - Experience evolving into Solution Architecture, Technical Leadership, or Engineering Leadership roles.
• - Deep understanding of software quality principles and engineering best practices.
• - Proven experience designing and implementing test automation solutions.
• - Ability to evaluate the benefits, limitations, and risks of automation strategies.
• - Strong technical troubleshooting and analytical skills.
• - Experience influencing technical and business stakeholders.
• - Excellent communication, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• - Ability to challenge existing solutions and propose pragmatic alternatives.
• - Strong problem-solving mindset with a focus on delivering business value.

Ideal Profile

The ideal candidate is:

• - A former Software Engineer who understands systems end-to-end.
• - Comfortable discussing architecture, development, testing, and operational concerns.
• - Pragmatic rather than dogmatic, knowing when to push for the ideal solution and when a practical workaround is the best approach.
• - Confident challenging decisions while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.
• - Naturally curious and passionate about learning new technologies and methodologies.
• - Motivated by solving complex technical and organizational challenges.
• - Capable of scaling ideas, frameworks, and practices beyond a single team or department.

Technical Expertise

Experience in several of the following areas would be highly valued:

- Software Development - Solution Architecture - Test Automation Frameworks - Quality Engineering Practices - CI/CD Pipelines - DevOps Culture - Cloud-Native Architectures - API Testing - Performance Testing - Engineering Governance - Software Delivery Lifecycle

Soft Skills

Leadership & Influence

• - Strong negotiation and stakeholder management capabilities.
• - Ability to influence decisions across technical and business teams.
• - Comfortable leading quality initiatives without formal authority.

Strategic Thinking

• - Ability to see the bigger picture and connect quality initiatives with business outcomes.
• - Pragmatic decision-making while maintaining high engineering standards.

Curiosity & Innovation

• - Continuous learner with a strong desire to experiment and innovate.
• - Open-minded and eager to explore new tools, practices, and technologies.
• - Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• - Ability to build trust and credibility across teams and organizational levels.