Head of Quality Assurance
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The Head of Quality Assurance plays a leadership position in the quality assurance department overseeing all the activities of the junior quality assurance teams. The Head 0f Quality Assurance is keen on consumer-base development as much as he is keen on software/product development and enhancement.
The Head of Quality Assurance takes ownership for the department’s performance as well as responsibility over the resolution of technical issues and debugging activities of the business’s software/products. As quality assurance leadership, the Head of Quality Assurance will coordinate with engineering department leadership on release timelines of software/products and establishing minimum release qualifications.
The Head of Quality Assurance performs a wide variety of activities as discussed below, all in an effort to ensure compliance with applicable quality objectives of the business.
Objectives and Responsibilities of the Head of Quality Assurance
Leadership/Supervisory Role: This is the most prominent role of the Head of Quality Assurance and in this position he oversees and manages all activities of junior quality assurance teams. The Head of Quality Assurance develops the departmental vision and builds the departmental culture and work standards.
The Head of Quality Assurance is also in charge of reviewing and approving impending and on-going product quality control activities for effective issues resolution and timely release of software/product. The Head of Quality Assurance follows up on all quality assurance activities ensuring compliance with established standards, which will guarantee software/product functionality and deter recurrence of similar issues.
In his leadership position, the Head of Quality Assurance will also lead the department in the orientation and training of new quality assurance personnel in order to ensure a high standard in the execution of duties. He will also act as mentor to key departmental personnel, assisting in the performance of duties upon request, ensuring the constant improvement of their skills, and essentially readying these personnel for the occupation of his position in the future.
Quality Assurance Measures/Testing: The Head of Quality Assurance plays a leading role in the implementation and maintenance of quality assurance processes and ensures compliance with the established standards. He also implements necessary changes in controlled documents for quality control measures, for example, testing methods, in order to guarantee the achievement of the defined quality objectives and standards.
In this position, the Head of Quality Assurance also manages corrective action as well as preventative action, but with emphasis on root cause analyses in order to ensure that software/product issues are deterred from recurring once they are resolved. In this position, he also leads junior quality assurance teams in testing and identifying bugs and issues in the business’s software/product and communicating these to the relevant software/product development management for prompt resolution.
In this position, the Head of Quality Assurance will lead the department in the regular performing of functional and regression tests on the business’s software/products.
Analytics: The Head of Quality Assurance will play an analytical role where he will lead the quality assurance department in the identification and reporting of bugs, issues, and defects in the business’s software/products. In this capacity he will also play a leading role in the development and maintenance of consumer usability tests as well as both manual and automation testing tools.
In this analytical role, the Head of Quality Assurance approves and develops analytical reports, any changes in quality assurance processes, and any reports and recommendations for software/product management.
Collaboration: The Head of Quality Assurance also plays a highly collaborative role where he works together with numerous functional teams inclusive of software/product development, operations, regulatory affairs, marketing, and so forth. The Head of Quality Assurance works extensively with the Director Engineering in ensuring that departmental requirements and standards are consistently met.
The Head of Quality Assurance will also partner with the software/product development team throughout the product’s lifecycle, ensuring quality optimization for consumer satisfaction. He also works with this team during the development of new software/products and in establishing key quality checkpoints for new products and processes, identifying and resolving potential issues at each stage, and guaranteeing a high-quality final product.
The Head of Quality Assurance will also take initiative to engage consumers in order to experience first-hand any usability issues and better understand consumer needs which will be insightful in establishing quality standards within the business.
Knowledge: The Head of Quality Assurance maintains knowledge of emerging best practices and adopts the most suitable for application in the quality assurance department. This is achieved by attending and playing an active role in industry seminars, conferences, workshops, and keeping up with professional publications.
Other Duties: The Head of Quality Assurance performs similar duties as he deems fit for the proper execution of his duties and duties as delegated by the Director Engineering, Chief Technology Officer, or the Employer.
Required Qualifications of the Head of Quality Assurance
Education: The Head of Quality Assurance has to have a master’s degree (Phd preferred) in Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Business Development, Product Management, or any related field. An equivalent of the same in working experience is also acceptable for the position.
Experience: A candidate for this position must have had at least 7 years of working experience in a quality assurance position in a business within a fast-paced and constantly evolving market, preferably working as a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer. The candidate must also have had previous experience leading a quality assurance team and maintaining a high standard in a business’s software/products department, leading to demonstrable enhancement in consumer satisfaction and revenue generation.
The candidate will also have demonstrated experience in creating, interpreting, and analyzing general technical procedures, analytics reports, and procedure manuals. A suitable candidate will also demonstrate vast and superior knowledge/experience working with numerous methodologies and tools.
Communication Skills: The Head of Quality Assurance must be an excellent communicator, both in written and oral form. He must also be an equally proficient listener. These skills will apply in his leadership capacity where the clarity of his communications down the line will greatly determine the effectiveness with which junior quality assurance personnel execute their duties, hence, determining the overall performance of the quality assurance department.
Communication skills will also be necessary for this individual seeing as the position is highly interactive and collaborative. Clear communication with software/product development teams will also greatly determine the quality and the extent to which quality standards and recommendations are fulfilled. Most importantly, the Head of Quality Assurance will need exceptional communication skills in his interactions with the business’s consumers.
The clarity of his communications and his keen ability to listen will ensure that he gathers important information on consumer needs and software/products issues and defects, all useful insights in determining the business’s quality assurance requirements and standards.
Ms Office: The Head of Quality Assurance must also demonstrate proficiency in Ms Word, Ms Excel, and PowerPoint, all necessary for the creation of both visually and verbally engaging analysis reports and recommendations for the engineering department leadership and relevant software/product development teams.
Analytical Skills: The Head of Quality Assurance must demonstrate a deep passion for research and analysis and possess outstanding troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. He will additionally be highly skilled in SQL and have an ability to manipulate large amounts of data.
The candidate will also be highly skilled in HTTP, JUnit, NUnit, and JSON testing frameworks and have experience in test automation using Python and Java. A candidate will further demonstrate high proficiency in the workings of defect management tools such as ALM and JIRA.
Interpersonal Skills: A candidate for this position must be detail- and quality-oriented, be consumer-oriented, have an exceptionally keen eye for detail, be highly organized, be a team-builder and team player, and work comfortably in a highly collaborative setting.
He will also work comfortably with senior business leadership, have a positive can-do attitude, be open and welcoming to change, have an ability to multitask and meet deadlines, and demonstrate an ability to remain calm under stress and in times of uncertainty.
Leadership Skills/People Skills: A candidate for this position must also demonstrate exceptional leadership skills, being able to influence cross-functional departmental leaders in a particular direction. He will also be an approachable and likeable individual who has an ability to form meaningful connections inspiring trust and confidence in others who will then be more willing to trust in his insights and follow in his directives.
