Work Location: In-person, on-site at FrontEdge Inc. Office in Rochester, NY
Direct Reports: 1–2 QA Engineers initially, growing over time
The FrontEdge Inc. team is seeking a full-time, experienced Software QA Engineer Manager to work with the team at the FrontEdge office in Rochester, NY.
FrontEdge is a small company, and this is a hands-on role first. The ideal candidate is a “doer” who will spend most of their time performing QA engineering work themselves: writing and executing test cases, building automated tests, triaging defects, and supporting releases. Alongside that hands-on work, they will supervise and develop a small team of one to two QA engineers. People management will be a smaller part of the role at the start. As the QA team grows, the balance will shift toward leadership, people management, and building the processes that keep FrontEdge’s software reliable for the K-12 public school districts and BOCES organizations we serve.
Job Responsibilities
Hands-On QA Engineering (the majority of the role)
Test Microsoft Architecture-based solutions including, but not limited to:
Responsive design using Bootstrap
ASP.NET web forms and MVC
Windows Services
Develop test plans, test procedures, requirements traceability, test reports, test flow, and test case design and implementation:
Create and execute test cases for existing software functionality
Create and execute test cases while working on an Agile Development team for features that are under development
Design, develop, execute, and interpret the output of automated tests
Collaboratively triage queued software defects with members of the software development team:
Scope and communicate the time required to complete groups of test cases
Scope and communicate the risk specific changes may pose to the system
Track and manage to completion the identification, fixing, confirmation, and closing of software defects
Participate in customer support activities:
Process to completion customer support tickets as required, interacting directly with end customers as necessary
Work to reproduce customer support tickets that have been escalated to the software development team
Assist in validating the success of production software releases immediately following upgrade
Capture and communicate/present test strategies, plans, results, and related metrics to a variety of (mostly internal) audiences
Recommend changes and/or new features to improve the quality of the software, its delivery, and/or the end-user experience
Assist in educating all team members in bug writing best practices
QA Leadership and Team Management
(a smaller share at first, growing with the team)
Leading the team day to day:
Directly supervise QA engineers:
Assign work, set priorities, and balance workloads across the team
Review test plans, test cases, and defect reports for quality and completeness
Hold regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports
Onboard and train new QA staff on FrontEdge products, testing practices, and data privacy and security expectations
Develop team members through coaching, goal setting, performance reviews, and career development planning
Identify and address performance concerns in partnership with company leadership and HR
Represent QA in sprint planning, release planning, and release readiness decisions, including making go/no-go recommendations
Plan QA resources and timelines for releases, and communicate capacity and risk to the software development team and company leadership
Building the QA function over time:
Hire QA engineers, including helping define staffing needs, writing job requirements, interviewing candidates, and making hiring recommendations
Define, document, and continuously improve QA processes, standards, and best practices
Establish, track, and report QA metrics (e.g., test coverage, defect trends, escape rates, automation progress)
Set the direction for test automation, and evaluate and recommend QA tools and technologies
Maintain QA documentation that supports the company’s security, privacy, and compliance obligations
Help shape the structure and growth of the QA function as the company grows
Required Qualifications
At least 5 years’ experience as a software test engineer, QA engineer, or in a related role
Experience developing test strategies and test plans for web-based applications
Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring other QA engineers or testers (e.g., as a QA team lead, senior/lead QA engineer, or in a formal mentoring role)
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present QA plans, results, and risks to technical and non-technical audiences
Ability to work onsite at the FrontEdge Inc. office in Village Gate
Consent to background screening (role requires candidate to be able to work onsite at K-12 educational facilities and to handle legally protected data)
Ability to work on projects involving personnel (and others from the communities) associated with K-12 public education institutions in NY state, including public school districts and BOCES organizations
Awareness of data privacy and security laws (e.g., NYS Education Law Section 2-d, FERPA, etc.) / Ability to appropriately handle legally protected customer data if required
Nice To Have Qualifications
B.S. in a technical degree relevant to software testing
Software testing certification (e.g., ISTQB)
Experience with Microsoft DevOps Suite of tools
Experience with BrowserStack
Experience with Hangfire
Experience with writing and running SQL Server queries
Experience with network tracing tools like Fiddler
Experience with Testrail
Experience with Anthropic Claude
Formal supervisory experience, including hiring and conducting performance reviews
Experience building or scaling a QA function at a small company or startup
Compensation
Salary range: $105,000 to $135,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications
Full-time, with benefits
Working Conditions
Job will be performed in-person at the FrontEdge location in Rochester, NY in a typical office environment
This is not a remote or hybrid position.
Essential and other important functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for sitting for prolonged periods of time
Little to no required travel. The QA Engineer Manager may periodically be asked to travel (NY State only) to visit customers, but travel is not a routine requirement of this position.
FrontEdge Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Accommodations are available upon request.