Quality Assurance Test Lead

Job Title: Quality Assurance Lead (Manual Testing)Location: Mandaluyong City / Makati CityEmployment Type: ContractWork Schedule: Day shiftLevel: Senior / LeadExperience Required: Minimum 6-8 yearsJob Description:We are seeking an experienced QA Lead Manual Tester with a strong background in life insurance systems and processes and Finance related. The ideal candidate will be responsible for leading the QA efforts across multiple projects, ensuring the delivery of high-quality software products through manual testing practices. You will collaborate with business analysts, developers, and stakeholders to define test strategies and plans, execute test cases, and ensure product integrity.Key Responsibilities:Lead the manual testing team in planning, designing, and executing test strategies for life insurance applications.Work closely with developers, business analysts, and project managers to understand business requirements and translate them into test cases.Review and analyze system specifications and documentation to ensure completeness and testability.Create comprehensive and well-structured test plans and test cases based on functional and technical specifications.Identify, document, and track defects in a clear and timely manner using bug tracking tools (e.g., JIRA).Conduct functional, integration, regression, and UAT testing.Ensure traceability of requirements to test cases.Guide and mentor junior QA engineers, ensuring testing best practices and quality standards.Provide detailed and accurate test status updates to stakeholders.Participate in requirement and design review meetings to provide feedback from a QA perspective.Ensure compliance with regulatory and security requirements specific to the life insurance industry.Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.Minimum 8 years of experience in manual software testing, with at least 3 years in a lead or senior QA role.Proven experience in the life insurance domain – familiarity with insurance policies, underwriting, claims, policy administration, and regulatory requirements.Strong understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC).Proficient in writing and executing detailed test cases, test plans, and test scripts.Hands-on experience with bug tracking tools such as JIRA, Bugzilla, or similar.Solid understanding of test management tools (e.g., TestRail, Zephyr).Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.Strong verbal and written communication skills.Ability to work independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies is a plus.Preferred Skills (Nice to Have):Basic knowledge of SQL for data validation.Experience with automation tools is a plus (e.g., Selenium – even if not the primary focus).ISTQB Certification or equivalent is an advantage.Prior experience working with international clients or cross-functional teams.