QA and Release Manager

Job Details

Title: Quality Assurance and Release Manager

Department: Engineering & QA

Reports to: Head of Engineering Delivery

Location: Eastern Europe (Remote), UK/Europe overlap

Full‑time position. Working hours are remote with required weekend availability.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Team Leadership: Define QA & Release strategy, team structure, tooling, coaching direct reports, ownership culture, hiring & capacity planning, performance reviews, 1:1s.
• Quality Strategy & Governance: Define QA standards, entry/exit criteria, risk‑based prioritisation, QA metrics (coverage, defect trends, cycle time, automation ROI), weekly release status and risk reports, root‑cause analysis, CSI across Release Services.
• Release Management Oversight: Own lifecycle across product and client streams, cadence and branching, sign‑off on production releases, hotfix strategy, two‑board model (AXIS Deliverables + Bug), ITIL‑aligned Release/Change/Configuration Management, SLA adherence.
• Major Client Version Upgrades: Plan & lead upgrades from one version to another across UAT and Production, upgrade roadmap, cross‑functional coordination (engineering, infrastructure, implementation, client stakeholders), cutover & rollback plans, execution, post‑upgrade validation.
• Hands‑On Release & QA Execution: Perform UAT and production deployments, gather client requirements, write & review client‑specific test plans, step into execution where needed.
• Client‑Facing Leadership: Senior QA escalation point, client‑facing requirements, planning, release communications, represent QA in senior client calls.
• Team Capability & Development: Capability roadmap, skill‑gap identification, training, develop Test Leads, Senior Release QA Engineer, Release QA Analyst, AI & Xray adoption, skills analysis, succession planning.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership: Collaborate with Engineering Delivery, Engineering Manager, Squad Leads, Product, Customer Success, Implementation, participate in AXIS Gate reviews, chair weekly QA coordination group.
• Risk Management & Governance: Identify, assess, mitigate release & quality risks, maintain QA/release documentation on Confluence, enforce processes, conduct post‑release reviews.
• L2 Investigative Support: Escalation only – handle complex client issues or multi‑system incidents, mentor team on L2 techniques (AI tools, log analysis).
• Automation Strategy: Define automation direction & investment priorities, ensure CI/CD integration, own automation ROI reporting, delegate development to Automation team and Senior Release QA Engineer.

Qualifications

• 7+ years commercial experience in software testing and QA, including SaaS and/or scaling startups.
• 3+ years in a QA Manager / Release Manager / similar leadership role managing multi‑person distributed teams.
• Proven experience leading empowered teams – setting direction, delegating ownership, developing people.
• Demonstrable experience planning and leading major version upgrades for enterprise clients across UAT and Production, including upgrade roadmap, cutover, rollback, and post‑upgrade validation.
• Hands‑on experience executing UAT and production deployments, gathering client requirements, authoring client‑specific test plans.
• Proven experience owning release management end‑to‑end (Test, UAT, Production) across multiple parallel client streams or product lines.
• Solid experience with ITIL processes for Release, Change, Configuration Management, and QA.
• Strong technical background in software development (.NET / C# preferred) – able to read code and engage credibly with engineers.
• Familiarity with Git branching strategies (release, feature, custom client, hotfix, integration) and how they map to environments.
• Experience with TeamCity, Octopus Deploy, and Bitbucket – or equivalent CI/CD tooling.
• Experience in Agile, DevOps or continuous‑flow environments with frequent releases.
• Hands‑on and directive experience with automated testing – Cypress, Playwright, Selenium, or similar.
• Understanding of API testing and validation (REST, contract testing, Postman or equivalent).
• SQL literacy for investigative support and governance.
• Proficient with Jira, Confluence, Xray, and Trello.
• Experience implementing risk management strategies, conducting post‑release reviews, and driving continuous improvement.
• Direct client‑facing experience – comfortable with senior escalations and governance‑level communications.
• Demonstrable track record of reducing production defects, improving coverage, and delivering measurable quality improvements through a team.
• Experience using AI tools (generative AI, copilots, log‑analysis assistants, LLM‑based debugging) and leading AI adoption across a QA team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to chair senior meetings.
• Relevant degree and/or certifications (Computer Science, Engineering; ITIL, ISTQB, or equivalent).

Core Competencies

• Leadership and people development.
• Strategic thinking.
• Strong communication.
• Governance mindset.
• Collaboration across global, distributed teams.
• Hands‑on execution alongside the team.
• Major upgrade planning and execution.

Preferred

• Experience with CPQ, configure‑price‑quote, pricing, or quote‑to‑cash platforms.
• Exposure to enterprise integrations (Salesforce / Dynamics CRM / SAP / ERP).
• .NET / C# / React ecosystem familiarity.
• ITIL v4 Foundation or higher certification.
• ISTQB Advanced Level or equivalent QA certification.
• Experience integrating infrastructure and middleware upgrades into release cycles.

Personal Qualities

• Empowering leader – develops people to own their domains rather than hoarding execution.
• Hands‑on – willing and able to step into execution alongside the team.
• Proactive and strategic – identifies risks early at a system level and drives structural improvements.
• Rigorous and detail‑oriented – verifies through team outputs, not by redoing their work.
• Clear communicator – status updates reflect reality, not aspiration.
• Credible leader – sets standards, enforces them consistently, leads by example.
• Calm under pressure – coordinates incident response and major upgrades through the team.
• Client‑minded – understands every release affects a real client relationship.
• Continuously learning – stays current on QA practice, automation, release engineering, and AI adoption.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At servicePath™, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and respected. We make all employment decisions based on merit, without regard to race, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Background Checks and Ethical Conduct

servicePath™ conducts background checks as part of its hiring process. We take integrity seriously; fraudulent misrepresentation, identity deception, or unauthorized subcontracting will result in withdrawal of an offer or termination.

Internal Applicants

If you are an existing employee interested in applying for this role, please submit your resume and reach out to your HR representative for a confidential discussion and guidance on the next steps.