QA Lead (Remote - European Union) at DECA Games

About DECA Games

We believe that games should be played for decades but many are abandoned even when a loyal community is screaming to keep them alive. DECA specializes in acquiring games from other developers and reinvigorating them to continue to entertain for decades. When other studios see an old game, we see a fantastic set of problems to solve and a huge opportunity.

DECA is a remote company with over 300 people in over 30 countries globally. DECA is also a part of the Embracer Group, the largest public gaming company in Europe.

About our culture

We’ve managed to maintain a small company feel with the stability and resources of a much larger one. We fully believe in the flexibility of a remote workplace. Team members are trusted to manage their time and get things done independently. We think that egos and politics need to be checked at the virtual door. That means no jerks are allowed, that no job is too small for anyone, and an openness to help and learn from each other is required. We love the challenge of working within constraints and love when we succeed as a team. Check out more about us and our values on our website (www.decagames.com).

This is a EU remote position. You can work from anywhere in the European Union in the CET timezone (9 am - 6 pm CET).

About the role

We are looking for a Quality Assurance Lead with a strong experience in Games as a Service and production operations within QA, to work with our cross discipline development teams in ensuring delivery of high quality products to our customers.

With a keen eye for detail and excellent communication skills, you will ensure that our games, features, and systems work as expected and that we deliver bug free content on time and on budget. You are responsible for spearheading all QA operations and working closely with other departments to ensure smooth operations and product success.

In this role you will have the opportunity to work with many other disciplines such as design, liveops, engineering and production, to build and test products that meet the overall business needs. This is a dynamic role with high exposure to the many aspects of game development.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for people and career management of QA Testers, mentoring them and growing their skillset.
• Ensure all projects are staffed accordingly depending on the scope and stage of the project, and make suitable changes to facilitate smooth operations, including hiring plans.
• Directing and managing testing on assigned games, ranging from mobile (iOS and Android), to PC/Mac, to console games, including: development, liveops, smoke, production, unit and regression testing, as well as any additional ad-hoc requests during both development and production phase.
• Constant communication with key stakeholders and production team to synchronize on QA requirements and risks, as well as to identify how QA can best contribute to the success of the products.
• Complete accountability and responsibility on QA sign offs to production.
• Developing test plans with a strategic selection of test methodologies in advance during the development phase and updating the entire team upon completion of test activities with clear reports.
• Creation and maintenance of written documentation pertaining to knowledge, processes, and strategies.
• Assist in backlog and defect grooming with the producers and cross department leads.
• Working with other departments leads on identifying, escalating, and improving QA practices across the project on a regular basis, accounting to changing product requirements.
• Oversee that the QA team regularly monitors community feedback to report the quality of the release to the stakeholders.

Requirements

• 3+ years leadership and management experience in video games QA.
• Prior experience working in Games as a Service.
• Experience in coordinating QA operations with the production team and other departments.
• Prior experience and ability to manage multiple games with dedicated QA testers.
• Experienced in at least one bug tracking tool.
• Ability to create detailed and clear documentation.
• Experienced people manager, able to identify and improve shortcomings of the team, providing them suitable goals for their career development.
• Experienced in resolving internal team conflicts and personnel issues.
• Fluent in English and a good communicator, both written and spoken.
• Proven ability to handle stressful situations, prioritize tasks and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills with high motivation, drive to improve, and capacity to learn.
• Able to work independently and adjust to last minute changes.
• Experience in a remote working culture.
• Fully functional PC/laptop/Mac, with stable internet connection of 50 Mbps minimum.

Nice to have

• Experience having shipped 3+ games while managing a team of 4+ testers.
• Experience with all gaming platforms as well as various video game genres (MMORPG is a plus).
• Strong knowledge of Jira and Confluence (or similar tools).
• Strong knowledge of Google Suite and MS Office.

Benefits

• Remote first company culture.
• Weekly remote Embodiment@Work breathing and workout exercises.
• Online language classes: English, German, French, Spanish etc.
• Working in a multicultural environment with people from over 30 different countries.
• Flat hierarchies with an open-door policy.