Quality Assurance Team Lead

Company Overview Policy Reporter offers a suite of insights products and consulting services to enhance market access strategies and patient support initiatives. By tracking payer policies in near real time, we ensure that the largest pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics manufacturers, leading academic institutions and organized provider groups have the most up-to-date data and evidence-based guidance to help patients access the therapies they need. For more information, please visit https://www.policyreporter.com . About the Team The Quality Assurance (QA) team is a core function within Policy Reporter, responsible for safeguarding the reliability, accuracy, and usability of Policy Reporter’s software products. The team partners closely with Engineering, Product, and the Project Management Office (PMO) to ensure that software is delivered with a consistent focus on quality, risk mitigation, and customer impact. QA operates across the full software development lifecycle by supporting early requirements validation, test planning, execution, and release readiness. The team combines manual and automated testing to serve as both a quality advocate and a critical checkpoint, ensuring software meets defined standards, technical requirements, and real-world user needs. As the product portfolio and delivery cadence continue to evolve, the QA team plays an increasingly important role in scaling quality practices, improving test coverage through automation, and embedding quality earlier in the development process. The team balances rigorous testing with pragmatic, risk-based decision-making to support timely delivery without compromising standards. Position Summary The QA Team Lead is a player-coach role, with time split between providing leadership for the QA team and hands-on quality assurance delivery, including manual and automated testing. As the leader, this role is responsible for overseeing day-to-day QA work; governing QA tooling, workflows and processes; designing and maintaining automated test frameworks and regression suites; tracking team performance; and coaching and mentoring the QA team to help them advance in their careers. Reporting to the Associate Director, Operations (PMO, QA), the Team Lead works collaboratively with leadership to help define the direction and ongoing evolution of the QA function. Role & Responsibilities Lead the QA Team and serve as the main representative, including but not limited to: Support the priorities and strategic objectives of the organization by ensuring software quality aligns with business and customer needs Foster a collaborative, accountable, and quality-focused team culture Line manage members of the QA team, including monitoring performance and developing individual capability Provide coaching, mentorship, and technical guidance to QA team members Perform administrative leadership tasks such as managing workloads, coordinating PTO, and contributing to performance reviews Ensure the QA team is equipped with appropriate tools and services by researching options, evaluating fit against team needs, and advocating for adoption in collaboration with PMO and Engineering leadership Serve as a professional representative and subject matter expert advocate for the QA team in cross-departmental meetings with Engineering, Product, and the PMO Oversee and maintain the relationship with external/offshore QA teams, including coordination of priorities, performance alignment, and ensure consistent quality standards across both onshore and offshore teams Team Governance, including but not limited to: Track QA projects and testing tasks against team capacity and set priorities appropriately in conjunction with other teams Set quality standards, testing expectations, and QA delivery KPIs Track team performance and quality metrics; identifying and driving improvement areas as needed Improve QA workflows, processes, and supporting documentation to enable the team to work more effectively and efficiently Ensure consistent adherence to QA SOPs, testing standards, and documentation practices In collaboration with Associate Director, Operations (PMO, QA) Help define opportunities for the QA team to contribute earlier and more effectively across the software development lifecycle Advocate for QA considerations and standards in planning, estimation, and delivery discussions Continuously evolve QA practices, tooling, and test coverage to support company goals and product growth In accordance with being a player-coach role, the QA Team Lead will also be directly involved in executing QA work, including responsibility for tasks such as: Create, review, and execute detailed test plans and test cases Review PRDs, mock-ups, and acceptance criteria to identify testable scenarios and edge cases. Perform manual, regression, and exploratory testing across software releases Design, implement, and maintain automated test frameworks and regression suites (e.g., Selenium, Playwright) to ensure reliable and scalable test coverage Identify, document, and track defects, including clear reproduction steps and impact assessment Follow defects through to resolution, including validation and re-testing of fixes Conduct risk-based testing to ensure coverage of critical functionality and edge cases Utilize testing and debugging tools such as Chrome DevTools, Postman, performance profilers, and related tooling Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, and the PMO to clarify requirements and validate deliverables Stay current on QA best practices, tools, and methodologies relevant to modern software development Skills & Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience 4+ years of experience in Quality Assurance and/or Software Development Engineering in Test (SDET) roles Experience in test automation, including designing, implementing, and maintaining automated test frameworks and regression suites (e.g., Selenium, Playwright) Strong understanding of QA methodologies, defect management, and test planning principles Experience working within Agile or iterative software development environments Prior experience as a team lead or line manager Experience leading or coordinating offshore/distributed QA teams, ensuring alignment, communication, and consistent quality standards preferred Strong attention to detail and ability to assess and communicate risk effectively Ability to debug, troubleshoot, and problem solve using documentation, collaboration, and existing tools Strong written and verbal communication skills Ability to quickly learn and apply new technologies and tools Experience coordinating across multiple teams to ensure stakeholders are informed, aligned, and supported, as well as managing multiple projects and shifting priorities Naturally curious with a strong interest in understanding systems, workflows, and user behavior What We Offer Competitive compensation package Robust benefits package including extended health benefits, paid-time off, Paid Parental leave, employer-matching retirement savings, etc. and company paid Employee Assistance Program Excellent opportunities for personal and career development Collaborative and supportive company culture Policy Reporter’s Core Values Excellence Value & Respect Continuous Learning Ownership & Accountability Teamwork Policy Reporter is committed to Employment Equity. Accommodations during the recruitment process are available upon request for candidates with disabilities. We use AI tools to assist with application screening and to transcribe and summarize interview responses. These tools do not make decisions; all hiring decisions are made by human reviewers.