QA Manager

**Job title**: QA Manager

**Reporting to**: Head of Engineering

**Location**: Cape Town

**ALL STAFF APPOINTMENTS WILL BE MADE WITH DUE CONSIDERATION OF THE COMPANY'S EE TARGETS**

**WHAT WE DO**

Lula is an innovative and human-focused FinTech company on a mission to help small businesses optimise their cash flow. Our purpose is to help SMEs manage their businesses better, faster, and more simply, so they can spend more time doing what they love.

If you're looking for a new place to call ‘home' that believes in the potential of the broader SME landscape in South Africa and a place where you'll work with awesome people - then Lula's the place for you

**We're making business banking fast, human, Lula**

**CULTURE CODE**

We embrace** C**uriosity

We win as **O**ne

We're **D**riven by Purpose

We **E**xecute with Ambition

**OVERALL PURPOSE**

We are seeking an experienced QA Engineer Manager to lead, mentor, and grow a team of talented QA engineers. In this pivotal role, you will be a hands-on leader, overseeing quality assurance for multiple product teams and ensuring the highest standards of software quality, and resilience. You'll partner closely with leadership to define and execute comprehensive QA strategies, drive process improvements, work together closely with internal QA team members and foster a culture of quality throughout the entire organization.

**Responsibilities will include**:

- Lead and Mentor: Guide and support a team of QA engineers, providing professional development, feedback, and mentorship to help them thrive in their careers.
- Strategic Planning: Collaborate with product, engineering, and other relevant stakeholders to define, implement, and align on quarterly and long-term QA strategies and goals.
- Hands-On Contribution: Actively participate in the test planning, execution, Product releases and automation efforts, providing direct support to your team, especially during critical project phases.
- Process and Operational Excellence: Drive the adoption of best practices in testing methodologies and automation. Oversee the day-to-day operations of the QA team, including resource allocation, budget management, and continuous improvement of our toolchain.
- Project Oversight: Monitor, analyse, and report on key QA metrics and project status to ensure clear communication with all stakeholders.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with developers and product managers to ensure a shared understanding of quality requirements and deliverables

**THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE'RE LOOKING FOR**
- 7+ years in Quality Assurance, with a minimum of 3 years in a leadership or management role.
- Strong background in the software development life cycle (SDLC), testing methodologies, and core QA principles.
- Proven, hands-on experience with test automation frameworks and tools such as Selenium, Python, and Playwright.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and optimize QA operations, including budget forecasting, resource planning, and the selection and maintenance of a robust QA toolchain.
- Experience integrating QA processes and automation into continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.
- The ability to analyse team data and metrics to assess performance, identify work gaps, and ensure a high standard of work quality.
- Experience in reviewing and providing feedback on test cases to ensure comprehensive coverage and accuracy.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse teams and stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.
- The ability to manage the QA needs of multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Experience working in a regulated environment (like fintech or banking) is a strong plus.

**WHO YOU ARE**
- You are a pragmatic and inspiring leader who knows how to balance the need for speed with a deep commitment to quality.
- You foster a culture of psychological safety, where your team feels empowered to raise concerns and learn from mistakes.
- You are a natural coach and mentor, passionate about developing the skills of your engineers.
- You are data-driven, using metrics not just to report, but to tell a story and drive meaningful improvements.