Quality Assurance Lead (Manual and Automation)

At Umpisa Inc., our mission is to make the Philippines be known globally as a tech hub. Umpisa Inc. is a progressive technology services company that partners with select industries, clients and people to work on pioneering and industry-changing solutions via digital transformation, modern software development and venture building. We create a set of world-class and impactful products and solutions to help organizations and individuals live better lives. We offer demanding, challenging and rewarding careers in software development, product development, emerging technologies, and more for the right candidates. Essential Skills: Aligns with our values: Excellence, Integrity, Professionalism, People Success, Customer Success, Fun, Innovation and Diversity Strong communication skills Strong problem solving and analytical skills Excellent problem-solving ability Would like to work as part of a self-organizing Scrum team in a scaled agile framework Must be a self-starter and loves to collaborate with the team and client Job Summary We are looking for a QA Lead (Manual and Automation) who is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end Quality Assurance function while providing hands-on leadership across both manual and automated testing. This role drives test strategy, planning, execution, and process improvement to ensure high-quality, secure, and reliable product releases. The Senior QA Lead / QA Manager leads and mentors the QA team, strengthens automation frameworks and coverage, establishes QA standards and governance, and collaborates closely with Engineering, Product, and DevOps to embed quality across the SDLC. The role also manages resource planning, quality metrics, defect lifecycle, and continuous improvement initiatives to support scalable, efficient, and future-ready QA practices. Responsibilities and Duties Lead by example in performing mobile and web software testing, verification and validation Set the best practices and highest standards for quality management governing project deliverables and how requirements of the project will be achieved Prepare team plan for implementation and maintenance particularly of the Automated Test Suite including the DevOps pipeline Perform project and team management of QA automation projects (monolithic, frontend, microservices, API) by having full responsibility for the quality of work, overseeing day-to-day-activities, providing progress reports, and maintaining effective communication with client counterpart Perform his/her duty as the main quality gate keeper and take the full ownership of all QA activities within the agile team assigned to him/her Play a key role in ensuring appropriate standard of quality assurance implemented in all Test Phases Act as quality advocate on behalf of the Client(s) and internal stakeholders, to confirm the delivered product solution fits for purpose and meet the business requirement Closely collaborate with all other team members (scrum master, developer, business and project stakeholders) Being positive and solution-oriented towards team members and stakeholders Exercise critical, quality-oriented and skeptical thinking about the product solution Participate in the daily stand-up meeting, presents testing progress and challenges Actively acquire information from stakeholders rather than relying entirely on written specifications Work effectively to define testable user stories, and to prepare test scenarios and test cases Execute and automate test cases Accurately evaluate and report test results, test progress and product quality Responding to change quickly, including changing, adding or improving test cases Implement a well-structured approach to test defect management and incident reporting Constantly look at ways to improve processes and deliverables Plan and organize their own work Ensure effective issue escalation when there is a significant threat to delivery Communicate progress to stakeholders Keep abreast of new digital product and technology trends that may significantly affect the operations of the Client Keep up to date on training and continuous personal development plans Assist in pre-sales, post-sales and product development to win and maintain clients Align with the culture of the company Participate in company events that foster camaraderie and build rapport and teamwork Communicate regularly and effectively with Client and customers as needed Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). At least 7+ years of experience in Quality Assurance/Software Testing, with at least 3 years in a senior, lead, or manager role. Strong experience in both manual and automated testing across web, API, and/or mobile applications. Hands-on experience with test automation tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or similar. Experience designing or maintaining automation frameworks and improving automation coverage. Solid understanding of SDLC, STLC, Agile/Scrum, and CI/CD pipelines. Proficiency in test planning, test strategy, defect management, and release readiness. Experience working with test management tools (e.g., Jira, Zephyr, TestRail, Azure DevOps). Strong knowledge of functional, regression, integration, and UAT testing practices. Working knowledge of API testing (e.g., Postman, REST, JSON). Ability to lead, mentor, and develop QA engineers and coordinate testing activities across teams. Excellent analytical, documentation, and communication skills. Proven track record of driving process improvement and quality standards. Trustworthy, self-motivated, responsive and sharp Strong listening, verbal, written and presentation communication skills are essential Excellent attention to detail Strong communication skills, organization skills, time management skills Highly collaborative and able to work with clients/partners/team in person and online Industry knowledge: Banking, Insurance, Fintech, Ecommerce, Education, Real Estate, Recruitment, Energy Sector or Others With positive outlook and good disposition in life Currently residing in Metro Manila