Quality Assurance Lead

Quality Assurance Lead

Seeking up to two full-time QA Lead resources. The resources will direct the work of multiple QA Analysts and partner closely with business, technical, and vendor teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality, fully tested solutions. This is a working leadership role that combines oversight, coordination, and direct testing activity, particularly in an environment where automated testing maturity is still developing.

Experience in implementation of mass transit systems or other complex operational infrastructures is highly desired.

The work is expected to be a hybrid of on-site and remote work. Resources are required to work on site at least one day per week, and more frequently as business needs dictate. The Council offices are located in Saint Paul, MN.

Location:

Local to Minnesota and willing to commute to Saint Paul.

• Serve as the Program QA Lead for multiple large-scale, enterprise-wide initiatives within the Program.
• Develop and implement comprehensive QA strategies, standards, and test frameworks across projects.
• Provide hands‑on leadership for testing efforts, including test plan creation, test case development, and defect management.
• Direct and mentor multiple QA Analysts while managing individual work streams and contributing to active testing.
• Oversee and validate vendor‑led testing activities, ensuring alignment with program standards and integration requirements.
• Develop and manage QA schedules, testing dependencies, and risk mitigation strategies across concurrent projects.
• Execute manual test scenarios and perform regression, functional, and integration testing across diverse solutions.
• Support configuration management and release control, maintaining traceability and documentation throughout the QA lifecycle.
• Define and track QA performance metrics such as defect density, coverage, and exit criteria for release readiness.
• Collaborate with program management, business analysts, developers, and vendors to prioritize defect resolution and testing scope.
• Provide QA governance and oversight throughout all project phases, ensuring adherence to enterprise standards and methodologies.
• Mentor business analysts and project team members in QA best practices to promote consistent quality across program initiatives.

• Ten (10) years’ experience in software quality assurance or software testing roles.
• Five (5) years’ of QA leadership experience managing or directing QA efforts on programs.
• One (1) year of experience with cloud-based SaaS implementations.
• Two (2) years’ experience leading QA activities in multi‑vendor or multi‑system integration environments.
• Two (2) years’ experience performing manual and automation testing.
• Two (2) years’ experience (cumulative) developing QA strategies, test plans, test cases, and metrics to measure quality and readiness.
• One (1) year of experience using either Azure Dev Ops, JIRA, or HP ALM.
• Two (2) years of experience applying QA processes within Agile, Iterative, and Waterfall development methodologies.
• Able to work onsite at least one day per week and more frequently as business needs dictate.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related discipline.
• Experience working within government or regulated industries implementing mission‑critical systems.
• Experience with mass transit technology solutions, including fare collection, asset management, or operational analytics systems.
• Prior experience in public sector, utilities, or transportation.
• Familiarity with test data management, performance testing, and vendor validation processes.
• Working knowledge of automation frameworks or tools (even if not fully deployed).
• Advanced degree or professional certification in Quality Assurance, Project Management (PMP), or Agile (CSM, SAFe).

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional QA teams and foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of translating technical QA concepts for business and executive audiences.
• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Effective conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills in multi‑stakeholder environments.
• Ability to balance leadership responsibilities with hands‑on testing execution when required.

We are open to negotiation, targeting in the $70-$90/Hr depending on W2 or 1099.