Senior QA Manager

About the role

Build the QA function from the ground up and raise the quality bar across everything we ship. You'll define the strategy, processes, tooling, and metrics that make quality repeatable and measurable, then lead and mentor a team of QAs to execute it. This role is highly collaborative: you'll work closely with Engineering, Product, Design, and other stakeholders to embed quality from feature discovery and design all the way through release and post-release learning.

What you'll do

• Define and roll out the QA vision, strategy, and operating model (quality standards, test strategy, ownership model, and governance).
• Establish pragmatic processes for test planning, risk assessment, test execution, defect management, and release readiness.
• Select, implement, and continuously improve QA tools and frameworks (manual + automation, test management, CI/CD integration, reporting).
• Partner with Product and Engineering to define quality requirements early (acceptance criteria, testability, non-functional expectations).
• Introduce and uphold quality gates across the SDLC (design reviews, code review quality checks, test coverage expectations, release sign-off).
• Hire, onboard, and develop a high-performing QA team (manual testers, automation engineers, SDETs—depending on needs).
• Act as the primary owner of release quality and readiness, coordinating go/no-go criteria and risk-based decisions.
• Define and report on meaningful quality metrics (defect trends, escape rate, flaky test rate, cycle time, test coverage by risk).

What you'll need

• Significant experience in QA/Test leadership (e.g., Senior QA Lead, QA Manager, Test Manager) with a track record of improving quality outcomes.
• Proven success building or scaling a QA function, including processes, tooling, and team practices.
• Experience managing and mentoring QA professionals, including performance management and coaching.
• Strong understanding of the full testing spectrum: manual (exploratory, regression, usability, acceptance), automation (API/UI tests, test pyramid, CI/CD integration), and non-functional testing (performance, reliability, security awareness).
• Solid technical fluency: able to collaborate deeply with engineers, review test approaches, and influence architecture for testability.

Nice to have

• Experience introducing quality practices in fast-moving product teams (Agile/Lean environments).
• Background in SDET / automation engineering, or managing teams that include SDETs.
• Familiarity with modern tooling such as Playwright/Cypress/Selenium, Postman/Newman, REST/GraphQL testing, CI tools (GitHub Actions/GitLab/Jenkins), and test management tools (TestRail, Xray, Zephyr).
• Experience with quality in distributed systems: microservices, event-driven architectures, mobile apps, or data-heavy products.

What they offer

• Hybrid working concept with Workflex: relocate abroad for up to 30 days per year.
• Modern office in Berlin-Friedrichshain with height-adjustable desks, table tennis, and barista coffee.
• 29 + 2 vacation days, discounted Wellhub membership, and corporate benefits.
• Onboarding with welcome bag, buddy program, and team support.
• Work at a greentech unicorn shaping the solar energy transition.