Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer

Senior Quality Assurance Engineer (REMOTE)
We are seeking a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer for a full-time and direct hire role for one of our amazing partners and they are open to remote candidates.
They are a SaaS company that makes products for retailers, manufacturers, and distributors to be able to communicate together to help stock retail goods. You will work directly with the development teams to ensure quality software and products are being delivered to customers. You will help organize and drive the evolution of quality at the company. You will set the standard for best practices, tooling, and process to ensure teams are able to consistently deliver high quality deliverables. You will define and maintain test system configurations and perform test executions while writing test scripts for complex and integrated systems.
Responsibilities
Work with the Engineering team to understand the overall technical architecture and how each feature is implemented
Advocate for quality delivery. Coordinate between departments, administer the testing problem management process including monitoring and reporting on problem resolution
Ensure quality standards are met in development, testing, deployment, and business processes and produce quantifiable metrics to measure success
Test features, build out our automated testing suite, and streamline the deployment process
Review product user interface for conformity to design guidelines and ensure test deliverables are prepared correctly
Analyze product requirements and devise a testing strategy with the Engineering team
Utilize automated testing tools
Find, isolate, document, regress, and track bugs through resolution
Create, execute, and optimize test cases and scenarios for all customer product journeys
Monitor the completion of tasks within time and cost constraints and ensure technical and functional objectives are met
Implement quality assurance improvements with measurable quality indicators while preparing to discuss the quality report with stakeholders
Identify technical and functional needs of testing infrastructures, and determine priority of needs
Collaborate with partners to educate and enhance the abilities of quality engineering across the organization
Lead adoption of proven testing patterns and technologies to ensure timely high-quality releases across departments
Requirements
5+ years of experience in software quality assurance
5+ years of experience implementing and managing automated testing systems
Strong understanding of IT systems including system design, Object Oriented Design, databases and programming concepts specifically HTML, JavaScript, Web Services, browsers and AJAX
Experience working on large scale and multi-tiered applications.
Strong background in test automation
Experience with complex system architecture and data flows.
Ability to work closely with multiple departments and leadership to identify testing opportunities as they evolve with the product.
Strong skills for driving strategic initiatives through large and diverse organizations.
Creativity and the initiative to drive significant improvements to test coverage and efficiency.
HTML, CSS, JavaScript experience and use of modern web frameworks such as Angular or React would be a plus.
Bachelors Degree in IT/Computer Science or related field preferred
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status.You must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.
Role Notes:

Role:
This is a senior automation QA Engineer role that is reporting to the Lead QA Engineer for now. That person is the only QA on staff now and the developers need more. They would ideally like one QA over each product down the road. They need more than pure QA experience. This is like an SDET and they need to understand how to get into the code. They won’t be writing code, but they need to understand and interpret it. They need strong technical chops and a great personality. Any kind of leadership or management skills will be good, but they aren’t managing anyone directly. They need to be able to work independently and be effective immediately. They will be writing automate scripts using Selenium. They use Python for their backend code, Angular and Reach on the front end, Dynamo NoSQL for one product and Postgres SQL for the other.
Must have skills:
The team is looking for someone who isn’t just skilled in QA, but also has some XP and familiarity understanding actual code. They need automation and manual experience, because they will be doing 50/50 of both. They don’t want people from big companies or teams, and would prefer start up experience. They need at least 5+ years of QA experience and hopefully in a python environment. Someone that was a software engineer in the past and then turned QA would be a huge plus. They need agile as well.
Team:
They have a little over 30 people in IT. There is a front end team, a couple Project Managers, a DevOps Engineering group, a backend team and a data team. They also have a Systems Admin and help desk. They have one Sr. .NET Developer for their legacy systems too.
What is Extreme Programming (XP)? According to the Agile Alliance, Extreme Programming (XP) is an agile software development framework that aims to produce higher quality software, and higher quality of life for the team.
Fall short:
They interviewed others through HR and they were not the right blend of skills and personality. One was a strong QA, but they fell apart on tech assessment. Others were technically great, but had zero personality and wouldn’t fit in with the team.
Personalities:
Everyone on the IT team is in their mid to late 30’s, and they are millennials. They want someone who fits in with the team and has an interesting hobby or some sort of personality. They don’t want a robot. They want someone who is personable because they will be visible. They need to have good social and people skills, has some levity (humor or lack of seriousness at times) and is cool under pressure.
Salary/Bonus:
For comp, anywhere from $80K-$130K, but the best candidates they’ve seen have been more in the $115K-$130K range. No bonus.
Feedback:
24-48 hours
Interview Process:
HR phone screen (might replace with us). Then there is a panel style interview with 5-6 members of the team that should be about a 1 ½ hour zoom for culture fit and technicial questions. One this interview, they will do a live technical assessment to see how they think and approach problems. The final interview is a 30 min with the VP of Product.
Remote/Onsite:
They prefer EST, since they work those hours. People usually start between 8am-10am EST, but they aren’t strict on hours. As long as they put in a full days work and are available for meetings. They are currently set up in a handful of states. They are open to others, but they would like to validate those before committing (SC and CA aren’t preferred, but they don’t want to limit themselves either). The current states are CT, CA, TX, VA, TN, KY, NC, FL, NY, WA, MI, MN, OH, and RI.
Company:
Website Description:
Tactiq, formerly DSD Partners, is on a mission to eliminate the headaches and hassles of retail with a focus on the direct store delivery distribution model. Retailers, manufacturers, and distributors deal with poor communication, out-of-stocks, invoicing errors, and price book challenges. These problems hurt your sales, profits, and customer loyalty. At Tactiq, we believe the DSD model can be done better. And we believe shoppers deserve much better. We get it. Inefficiencies cause many challenges in business. The last thing you want is to lose money or customers because of poor direct store delivery systems and processes. That’s why for over two decades, Tactiq has been developing technologies and providing services that maximize operational efficiencies. We’ve worked with leading manufacturers, distributors, and retailers across the country, reaching over 45,000+ stores. With Tactiq, you’ll never have to worry about empty shelves, wrong invoices, inconsistent price books, slow processing, or payment errors. You’ll keep your customers happy, your DSD partners satisfied, and your business growing. Win retail with smart technology, simplified services, and profitable DSD. Website is .
About their Product:
They have 2 main products. One is called Pipeline, and it helps businesses and retailers track DSD products, so they don’t run out on the shelf. It streamlines communication between store and DSD Vendors during every step of the process. The other is called Invoi, and it consolidates invoicing &
price book enforcement,and automates invoice processing for consistent and timely payments. It helps manufactures and distributors get paid faster &
eliminates billing errors.
Overview:
They make a DSD product (Direct Store Delivery). It helps streamline a client’s DSD Vendor Relationships by enabling DSD users to communicate easily, manage invoicing and enforce price books, and eliminate out-of-stocks, all with less human effort! They are on a mission to eliminate the headaches and hassles of the direct store delivery (DSD) distribution model. Every time you go into a convenience store for a soft drink, bag of ice or half gallon of milk, you have the DSD industry to thank.
Company size:
91 people on Linked In.
Size of IT Team:
They have a little over 30 people in IT. There is a front end team, a couple Project Managers, a DevOps Engineering group, a backend team and a data team. They also have a Systems Admin and help desk. They have one Sr. .NET Developer for their legacy systems too.
Tech stack:
They use Python for their backend code, Angular and Reach on the front end, Dynamo NoSQL for one product and Postgres SQL for the other. Strong Python skills. Experience with Linux, Postgres, and AWS-centric development. Past use of OpenAPI, DynamoDB, Lamba, SQS, Angular, Terraform or CloudFormation valued. Experience using serverless stacks with AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Remote/Onsite:
They prefer EST, since they work those hours. People usually start between 8am-10am EST, but they aren’t strict on hours. As long as they put in a full days work and are available for meetings. They are currently set up in a handful of states. They are open to others, but they would like to validate those before committing (SC and CA aren’t preferred, but they don’t want to limit themselves either). The current states are CT, CA, TX, VA, TN, KY, NC, FL, NY, WA, MI, MN, OH, and RI.
Benefits:
Benefits:
They believe in creating a work environment where everyone is welcome to be themselves. With a focus on diversity and inclusivity, individuals are able to contribute and bring their best selves to a winning team environment. They invest heavily in the development of their people and provide opportunities and support for their team to invest back into causes they care about. They offer an extensive employee benefits package because they know that their people and what they care about matter most. They deeply care and want their team to be taken care of. Included benefits are Health Care Plans (Medical, Dental &
Vision), 401k plan withcompany match, Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary &
AD&
D), Paid Time Off (including time for volunteering) &
Public Holidays, Generous Parental Leave, Short Term &
Long Term Disability, Training &
Development opportunities, Work From Home &
Flexible work arrangements, Free Food &
Snacks and Wellness Resources.
Staffing:
They like to try it on their own for 1-2 weeks before calling on staffing. They will likely hire about 10 people in 2024. HR likes to have relationships with us directly, rather than hiring managers, but will bring them in for intake calls and getting roles qualified. HR just likes to be the main contact and for feedback. We now have a new signed contract in place when they are ready to hire at 20%/25%.
Projects:
They will be updating and re-platforming their products. They have some technology that is fairly old and will be obsolete soon, so they need to update it. They will work on making their analytics piece more mature for their end users to use in their stores too. They are also thinking about potential acquisitions, which could help them grow.
Personalities:
Company is a bit siloed and wants to come together more. Redefining culture. Somone that has humility and a growth mindset. It’s ok not to know everything, but they should be able to ask for help when needed. They should be curious, value teamwork and be coachable. They should have a nice disposition, without an ego or thinking they know it all. Someone who isn’t looking to suck up all the glory and appreciates the team effort. Positive people who can handle stress and see bright side or silver lining in things.
Headquarters:
(phone number removed). 10800 Midlothian Turnpike, #300, Richmond, VA 23235
Upcoming roles:
I see a Sr. QA Engineer, Lead Backend Engineer and Backend Engineer. They only have 1 QA on staff now and the developers need more. They Product team is getting bigger, so they will need a BA too. The VP of Product is doing work that is manual to map products, so the BA would take over that work. Someone that can document processes that don’t exists yet. They will likely need a VP of Sales and later in the year, they’d like to add more business development people. They only have one sales person now. They want hunters to get new business. They might hire an HR generalist in the future too.
Hiring Managers:
Gloria Garber:
She’s the VP of People and started there in Jan 2024. She’s the only person on the people/HR side but she might add an HR generalist in the future. They had 2 temp people that were helping them during the gap after Whitney left, but they are winding down now. She comes from the startup world, so she gets it. She’s very nice and easy to speak with. She knows her stuff and fairly technical for a recruiter. Her Linked In is .
Original Job Description:
About the job
The Senior QA Engineer will work directly with our development teams to ensure quality software and products are being delivered to Tactiq’ customers. In this position, you will define and maintain test system configurations and perform test executions while writing test scripts for complex, integrated systems. This role will set the standard for best practices, tooling, and process - ensuring teams are able to consistently deliver high quality deliverables. You will have the opportunity to organize and drive the evolution of quality at Tactiq.
Responsibilities
Ensure quality standards are met in development, testing, deployment, and business processes and produce quantifiable metrics to measure success
Work with the Engineering team to understand the overall technical architecture and how each feature is implemented
Test features, build out our automated testing suite, and streamline our deployment process
Ensure test deliverables are prepared per company guidelines
Review product user interface for conformity to design guidelines
Create, execute, and optimize test cases and scenarios for all customer product journeys
Analyze product requirements and devise a testing strategy with the Engineering team
Utilize automated testing tools
Monitor the completion of tasks within time and cost constraints and ensure technical and functional objectives are met
Advocate for quality delivery;
coordinate between departments, administer the testing problem management process including monitoring and reporting on problem resolution
Implement quality assurance improvements with measurable quality indicators;
Prepare and discuss quality report with stakeholders
Identify technical and functional needs of testing infrastructures, and determine priority of needs
Collaborate with partners to educate and enhance the abilities of QE across the organization
Lead adoption of proven testing patterns and technologies to ensure timely high quality releases across departments
Find, isolate, document, regress, and track bugs through resolution
Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree in IT/Computer Science or related field preferred
5+ years of experience in software quality assurance
Strong understanding of IT systems including system design, Object Oriented Design, databases and programming concepts specifically HTML, browsers, JavaScript, Web Services and AJAX
At least 5 years of experience implementing and managing automated testing systems
Experience working on large scale and multi-tiered applications
Strong background in test automation
Experience with complex system architecture and data flows
Strong oral/written communication, presentation, and organizational skills
Strong interpersonal and communication skills for driving strategic initiatives through large and diverse organizations
Creativity and the initiative to drive significant improvements to test coverage and efficiency
HTML, CSS, Javascript experience - use of modern web frameworks such as Angular or React would be preferred
Ability to work closely with multiple departments and leadership to identify testing opportunities as they evolve with the product
Benefits
At Tactiq, we believe in creating a work environment where everyone is welcome to be themselves. With a focus on diversity and inclusivity, individuals are able to contribute and bring their best selves to a winning team environment.
We invest heavily in the development of our people and provide opportunities and support for our team to invest back into causes they care about.
We offer an extensive employee benefits package because we know that our people and what they care about matter most. We deeply care and want our team to be taken care of.
If you’re looking to work for a company that values family, authenticity, inclusivity, hardwork, determination, and problem-solving, then we’re the right fit for you!
Included benefits:
Health Care Plans (Medical, Dental &
Vision)
401k plan with company match
Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary &
AD&
D)
Paid Time Off (including time for volunteering) &
Public Holidays
Generous Parental Leave
Short Term &
Long Term Disability
Training &
Development opportunities
Work From Home &
Flexible work arrangements
Free Food &
Snacks
Wellness Resources