Test Lead

TALENT Software Services; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

TALENT Software Services in Indianapolis seeks a Senior QA Lead to define testing strategy for multiple product teams, lead a QA/Test Engineers group, and own release quality. You will mentor staff and collaborate with Product, Development, Operations, and DevOps to ensure on-time, reliable software.

The role emphasizes hands-on automation, test planning, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement, with focus on SDLC/STLC, Agile, and strong stakeholder communication.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in Software Testing / QA with hands-on testing and leadership.
• 2+ years in a Lead or Senior QA role leading teams.
• Strong knowledge of SDLC/STLC, Agile and Scrum methodologies.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive quality-focused decisions.
• Experience coordinating onsite and offshore testing efforts.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive testing strategy for one or more product teams.
• Lead, mentor, and coach QA/Test Engineers and manage workload.
• Own overall quality of software releases and ensure on-time delivery.
• Partner with Product, Development, Operations, BAs, DevOps to align quality goals.
• Oversee test planning, estimation, scope, and criteria for exit/entry.
• Drive automation strategy and CI/CD integration; review coverage and risks.

Skills

Leadership

Quality Assurance

Test Strategy

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Engineering / Information Systems

Tools

Jira

Job description

• Minimum Experience: 6+ years in Software Testing / QA
• Lead Experience: 2+ years in a Lead or Senior QA role
• Primary Skill: Automation Testing
• Business Vertical: CL-LSHC
• Child: IS-LSHC-3.2
• Parent: IS-LSHC-3-Life Sciences NA-Parent
• Requisition ID: 11004407

Role Summary

• Define and drive the testing strategy for one or more product teams.
• Lead and mentor a team of QA/Test Engineers.
• Own the overall quality of software releases.
• Partner with:
• Product teams
• Development teams
• Operations
• Business analysts
• DevOps teams
• Ensure software:
• Meets requirements
• Is delivered on schedule
• Is reliable in production
• Meets defined quality standards
• Combine hands‑on technical expertise with:
• People leadership
• Strategic planning
• Quality management

Test Strategy & Planning

• Define:
• Test strategy
• Test plans
• Test estimates
• Testing schedules
• Testing scope
• Entry and exit criteria
• Testing deliverables
• Establish quality metrics aligned with project goals and release schedules.
• Assess testing risks and prioritize efforts across:
• Functional testing
• Regression testing
• Integration testing
• System testing
• Performance testing
• Security testing
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
• Estimate testing effort.
• Contribute to:
• Sprint planning
• Release planning
• Quality planning
• Identify risks early and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and coach QA/Test Engineers.
• Assign work and manage team workload.
• Coordinate daily activities across onsite and offshore testing teams.
• Monitor team progress and remove delivery impediments.
• Conduct performance reviews.
• Support career development.
• Participate in hiring activities.
• Mentor team members and promote best practices.
• Foster a culture of:
• Quality ownership
• Accountability
• Continuous improvement
• Quality-first delivery

Test Execution & Automation

• Oversee design and execution of manual and automated test cases.
• Lead:
• Functional testing
• Integration testing
• System testing
• Regression testing
• UAT
• Release validation
• Drive the test automation strategy.
• Evaluate and select automation frameworks.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Review test coverage.
• Identify automation opportunities.
• Improve:
• Regression coverage
• Test execution efficiency
• Test suite reliability
• Quality controls
• Continuously improve the testing process and automation framework.

Test Documentation & Quality Management

• Review:
• Test scenarios
• Test cases
• Test data
• Requirements traceability
• Execution evidence
• Defect documentation
• Ensure testing documentation is complete and accurate.
• Maintain requirements traceability throughout the testing lifecycle.
• Ensure testing deliverables meet quality standards.

Defect Management

• Manage the complete defect lifecycle.
• Facilitate defect triage meetings.
• Prioritize critical defects.
• Drive root‑cause analysis discussions.
• Track defect resolution and ensure timely closure.
• Communicate critical defects, risks, and blockers to stakeholders.
• Support production incident analysis and defect prevention.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with:
• Product Owners
• Developers
• DevOps
• Business Analysts
• Infrastructure Teams
• Data Teams
• Security Teams
• Release Management
• Business Users
• Client Stakeholders
• Clarify requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Assess requirements for testability.
• Identify quality and delivery risks early.
• Communicate:
• Testing status
• Risks
• Issues
• Blockers
• Release readiness
• Coordinate with vendors and offshore teams where applicable.
• Provide accurate status updates to project managers and senior leadership.

Reporting & Metrics

• Publish accurate:
• Test status dashboards
• Quality metrics
• Risk logs
• Issue logs
• Release readiness recommendations
• Track quality and testing KPIs.
• Drive improvements in:
• Escaped defects
• Production incidents
• Automation coverage
• Regression cycle time
• Release quality

Compliance & Production Support

• Ensure adherence to:
• Client processes
• Quality standards
• Documentation requirements
• Audit controls
• Regulatory requirements
• Compliance expectations
• Support:
• Production deployments
• Post‑release validation
• Production incident analysis
• Continuous improvement initiatives

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in:
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Information Systems
• Related field
• Equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• 6+ years of Software Testing / QA experience.
• 2+ years in a Test Lead or Senior QA role.
• Strong knowledge of:
• SDLC
• STLC
• Agile
• Scrum methodologies
• Experience with test management and defect tracking tools such as:
• Jira
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to influence technical and business stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• ISTQB Advanced Level - Test Manager certification or equivalent.
• Experience testing cloud-based applications, including:
• AWS
• Azure
• GCP
• Experience testing microservices architectures.
• Experience with test automation and CI/CD integration.

Key Competencies

• Leadership and mentoring
• Test strategy and planning
• Automation testing
• Analytical thinking
• Risk-based testing
• Attention to detail
• Quality mindset
• Organization and prioritization
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Stakeholder management
• Communication
• Team collaboration
• Defect management
• Continuous improvement

Success Measures

• Reduction in escaped defects.
• Reduction in production incidents.
• Increased automation coverage.
• Faster regression testing cycles.
• On-time, high-quality software releases.
• Improved test efficiency and reliability.
• Strong team engagement.
• Team member growth and retention.

Key Technologies / Keywords

• Test Lead
• QA Lead
• Software Testing
• Quality Assurance
• Automation Testing
• Test Automation
• Manual Testing
• Functional Testing
• Integration Testing
• System Testing
• Regression Testing
• UAT
• Release Validation
• Test Strategy
• Test Planning
• Defect Management
• Jira
• SDLC
• STLC
• Agile
• Scrum
• CI/CD
• Microservices
• AWS
• Azure
• GCP
• ISTQB
• Risk-Based Testing
• Test Metrics
• Quality Metrics