QA Lead

Guitar Center; Ballenger Creek (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gig leave

401K with company match

Mental health support

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discount program

Job summary

Guitar Center is seeking an experienced QA Lead to drive quality assurance initiatives throughout the software development lifecycle. This role requires strong expertise in test strategy, planning, and team leadership, along with a proven track record in managing both onshore and offshore QA resources.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on skills in automation testing with coding languages like JavaScript, Typescript, or Java. You will be responsible for defining test strategies, leading the QA team, and implementing best practices to ensure product quality.

In addition, you will enjoy robust benefits including medical, dental, vision, and a unique gig leave opportunity for musicians.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of QA experience in software testing.
• 3+ years in a QA Lead role.
• Experience managing onshore and offshore QA teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement test strategies for applications.
• Lead a QA team, ensuring alignment with goals.
• Oversee the full QA lifecycle including defect management.

Skills

Test strategy

Team leadership

Automation testing

JavaScript

Java

Typescript

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Ghost Inspector

CodeCeptJS

Playwright

Postman

AWS

Job description

We are seeking an experienced QA Lead to drive quality assurance initiatives across our software development lifecycle. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in test strategy, test planning, and team leadership, with a proven track record of managing both onshore and offshore QA resources. This role requires strong hands‑on skills in automation testing with any coding language, JavaScript, Typescript, or Java, as well as the ability to influence quality standards and practices at a strategic level.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and implement test strategies and test plans for complex applications and systems.
• Lead and mentor a QA team comprised of onshore and offshore engineers, ensuring alignment with project goals and deadlines.
• Oversee the full QA lifecycle including requirements analysis, test design, execution, defect management, and reporting.
• Establish and enforce QA processes, standards, and best practices to ensure consistent product quality.
• Drive adoption of automation testing frameworks and tools (with a focus on Ghost Inspector, CodeCeptJS, Playwright, typescript, postman or any modern tool), reducing manual effort and increasing coverage.
• Collaborate with product managers, developers, and stakeholders to integrate quality practices throughout the development cycle.
• Monitor QA progress, resource allocation, and risk management, delivering regular status updates to leadership.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives in testing methodologies, automation, and cross‑team collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 7+ years of QA experience in software testing, with at least 3+ years in a QA Lead role.
• 5 years of experience working on e‑commerce web, Salesforce and mobile platforms. (ATG experience a plus)
• Proven experience managing onshore and offshore QA teams, driving performance and accountability.
• Strong knowledge of QA methodologies, test design techniques, and SDLC/Agile development practices.
• Hands‑on experience with automation testing frameworks and tools.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated tests into deployment processes.
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment, balancing multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of quality.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with performance and load testing.
• Working knowledge of AWS cloud and pipeline.

Benefits

For employees who are musicians we offer the unique opportunity of gig leave — take time off to share your music with the world and return to your job after your tour. Guitar Center offers robust benefits and perks, including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K plus company match, mental health support, paid sick/holiday/vacation time, employee discount program, and tuition reimbursement options.

Pay Rate

$100,000 – $115,000 per year depending on background and experience. The job posting is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific employee, which is always dependent on actual experience, education, and other factors. Pay ranges may be different in other locations.

With a career at Guitar Center, you become part of the world's largest multichannel musical instrument retailer. Whether at our Stores, Contact Centers, Distribution Centers, or Support Center, Guitar Center employees have a common goal: to help people find their sound and fill the world with more music.

Music & Arts is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides fair and equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status prohibited under Federal, State, or local laws. All employment decisions are based on valid job‑related requirements.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our website, you may request a reasonable accommodation to express interest in a specific opening. You can request reasonable accommodation by calling 1-818-735-8800 ext. 2862 or by sending an email to [e-mail].