Quality Assurance Test Lead (Contract)

Job Title: Quality Assurance Test Lead

Location: Columbus, OH (Local Candidates only - Hybrid – 3 days onsite per week)

Duration: 6-Month Contract (Possible Extensions)

Rate: $50 - 60/hr (W2)

Benefits: 401(k) with 4% company match

Work Authorization:

Must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employment-based visa sponsorship. No sponsorship available for H-1B, H-1B1, F-1, OPT, CPT, TN, L-1, O-1, E-3, J-1, or any other visa status.

Position Overview

The Quality Assurance Test Lead is responsible for leading testing activities across enterprise applications within a defined functional or technical domain. This role serves as a key contributor on project and program teams operating in both Agile and Waterfall environments. The Test Lead provides strategic oversight of QA practices while remaining hands-on with test planning, execution, reporting, and continuous improvement.

This position requires deep expertise across the SDLC, including manual and automated testing, test management tools, defect governance, and stakeholder coordination within large, cross-functional organizations.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, or equivalent experience

5–7+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance, testing leadership, or test program delivery

Strong experience leading QA efforts on complex projects with distributed teams

Extensive experience with test and requirements management tools (Tricentis qTest, JIRA)

Demonstrated ability to lead QA strategy while executing tactical testing activities

Proven experience acting as a change agent within large, cross-functional environments

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to work effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced, matrixed environments

Deep understanding of QA best practices across the SDLC

Awareness of current QA tools, trends, and industry best practices

Preferred Qualifications

Performance testing experience (OpenText LoadRunner / Performance Center)

Automation testing experience (Tricentis Tosca, Gherkin, Jenkins, Postman)

SQL querying or data validation experience

Experience supporting Agile delivery teams and CI/CD pipelines

Key Responsibilities

QA Leadership & Strategy

Lead and govern testing activities in alignment with PMO and QA frameworks

Define and enforce testing best practices, standards, and methodologies

Act as escalation point for all testing-related risks, issues, and defects

Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive adoption

Test Planning & Execution

Facilitate creation of test strategies, approaches, and plans

Define scope of testing for releases, phases, and cycles

Develop, review, and maintain manual and automated test scripts

Ensure full traceability between requirements and test cases

Define entrance and exit criteria and track completion

Metrics, Reporting & Governance

Provide daily and weekly testing status, metrics, and dashboards

Track test execution progress, defect aging, and SLA compliance

Run audit reports to ensure QA compliance and readiness

Partner with PMO, Deployment, and Release teams to ensure delivery readiness

Defect & Risk Management

Establish defect standards, severity, and prioritization

Facilitate daily defect triage meetings

Monitor defect resolution and enforce SLAs

Support mitigation and remediation planning

Team Leadership & Collaboration

Conduct daily tester standups and weekly status meetings

Determine testing resource needs and staffing plans

Train testers on tools, processes, and defect management

Coach and mentor junior QA team members

Collaborate with OCM, training, deployment, and business leads