Head of Quality Engineering

Key Accountabilities

Own end-to-end Quality Engineering strategy across all product lines, ensuring world-class quality standards for cloud-native SaaS platforms. Define and implement a comprehensive quality strategy covering: Manual testing Test automation Performance testing Security testing API testing Data validation testing Regression and release testing Build and lead high-performing QA teams including manual testers, automation engineers, performance engineers, and security testing specialists. Establish scalable QA processes, frameworks, and governance aligned with Agile and DevOps practices. Drive shift-left testing practices, embedding quality early in the SDLC. Define test strategy for microservices, APIs, frontend applications, and data pipelines. Ensure high test coverage through automation across UI, API, and backend layers. Implement performance and load testing strategies to validate scalability and resilience of SaaS multi-tenant systems. Oversee security testing practices including vulnerability assessment, penetration testing coordination, and secure SDLC integration. Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, DevOps, and Security teams to ensure quality gates are integrated into CI/CD pipelines. Establish quality metrics and dashboards including: Defect density Escaped defects Automation coverage Test effectiveness Release readiness indicators Own release quality sign-off processes and enforce quality gates before production deployment. Drive root cause analysis for production defects and implement preventive quality measures. Standardize testing tools, frameworks, and best practices across all products. Champion continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defect leakage and improve release confidence. Build a culture of quality ownership across engineering teams (Quality is everyone’s responsibility). Stay updated on modern QA practices, AI-driven testing, test automation frameworks, and emerging quality engineering trends.

Mandatory Skills

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Minimum 15+ years of experience in software testing and quality engineering. At least 5+ years in senior QA leadership roles (Head / Director / Senior Manager). Proven experience leading QA for SaaS / cloud-native product organizations. Strong expertise in: Manual and automated testing methodologies API testing and microservices testing Performance and load testing Security testing practices Hands-on experience with automation frameworks (Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or similar). Strong understanding of CI/CD integration for automated testing. Experience with performance testing tools (JMeter, Gatling, or similar). Knowledge of security testing tools and practices (OWASP principles, vulnerability scanning tools). Experience testing distributed systems, microservices, and containerized environments. Strong understanding of databases (Postgres, MongoDB, etc.) and data validation testing. Proven ability to define and track quality KPIs and governance metrics. Strong leadership skills with experience building and scaling QA teams. Excellent stakeholder communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Desirable Skills

Experience in testing MERN stack-based applications. Familiarity with AWS-based cloud deployments and cloud-native testing strategies. Experience with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes). Exposure to AI-driven testing tools and intelligent automation platforms. Knowledge of test data management and synthetic data generation strategies. Experience in multi-tenant SaaS performance validation. Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and compliance standards (SOC2, ISO27001, GDPR). Experience implementing Quality Engineering transformation programs.