QA Lead

Overview

This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and business teams, ensuring releases are reliable, scalable, and customer-centric.

The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on testing expertise with leadership, process ownership, and stakeholder communication skills.

Role & Responsibilities

• Own quality assurance activities end to end, from test strategy definition through execution, reporting, and release readiness
• Lead and continuously improve testing methodologies, frameworks, and quality standards across multiple projects
• Actively participate in development cycles, collaborating closely with engineers, product managers, and external partners
• Review test plans, scenarios, and results, providing constructive feedback and identifying quality risks early
• Drive automation initiatives covering APIs, user interfaces, and critical workflows
• Promote efficient cross-team coordination to accelerate delivery without compromising quality
• Advocate for quality-first thinking and foster a culture of continuous improvement

Team & Environment

• Work within a mid-sized, international QA group collaborating across time zones
• English and Japanese are both used in daily communication
• Strong emphasis on skills growth through structured learning, external conferences, and certification programs
• A supportive environment with regular 1-on-1s and attention to sustainable workloads

Required Experience & Skills

• 5+ years of professional experience in application testing and QA execution
• Proven experience designing and implementing automated tests (API and UI)
• Hands-on exposure to non-functional testing such as performance, reliability, or scalability
• Solid foundation in testing theory and best practices (equivalent to ISTQB Foundation level)
• Ability to communicate clearly with diverse stakeholders and influence project outcomes

Preferred Background

• Experience owning or leading test strategies for complex web or online services
• Familiarity with large-scale consumer platforms or internet-based products
• Exposure to commerce, platform, or transaction-heavy systems
• Customer-oriented mindset with strong attention to usability and service quality