Title: Quality Assurance Lead
Location: Remote, MN
Duration: 12 months
Job Description:
Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior QA Analyst to support the Minnesota Judicial Branch in delivering quality assurance leadership and hands-on testing across multiple application initiatives. This role is critical in an environment where QA processes are still maturing, requiring a resource who can both execute testing and help establish structure, consistency, and best practices.
This is a high-impact individual contributor role requiring strong ownership, initiative, and the ability to operate independently while collaborating across development and business teams.
Key Responsibilities
Perform hands-on functional, exploratory, and regression testing across multiple applications and workflows
Develop, maintain, and execute detailed test cases and test scenarios
Create and contribute to test plans and master test plans aligned with release cycles
Identify, document, and track defects with clear, reproducible steps
Analyze application behavior and proactively identify risk areas and testing gaps
Provide recommendations on test coverage, prioritization, and risk mitigation
Support ongoing sprint and release testing cycles in Agile environments
Contribute to building and standardizing QA processes, documentation, and frameworks
Collaborate with developers, business analysts, and stakeholders to ensure application quality and stability
Provide informal guidance to junior testers when needed (non-supervisory role)
Participate in initial QA maturity assessment (first 30–45 days) to identify gaps and improvement areas
Deliverables
Executed test cases and test results documentation
Comprehensive test plans and QA documentation
Detailed defect logs with reproducible steps
Risk assessments and testing recommendations
Contributions to standardized QA processes and repeatable frameworks
Required Qualifications
8+ years of experience in software quality assurance
Strong background in hands-on testing (not just coordination)
Deep understanding of QA methodologies, SDLC, and Agile environments
Proven experience with:
Test case creation and execution
Exploratory and functional testing
Test planning and documentation
Ability to identify risk and adjust testing strategy accordingly
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to work independently and take full ownership of QA efforts
Comfortable working in unstructured or evolving QA environments
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with test automation tools/frameworks (Selenium, Cypress, etc.)
Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and automated testing integration
Knowledge of accessibility testing (WCAG standards)
Experience supporting enterprise or government systems
Background in improving or implementing QA processes and standards
Collaboration with distributed teams and stakeholders
Likely tools may include Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar (not explicitly stated but expected)
What Success Looks Like
Ability to quickly assess QA gaps within the first 30–45 days
Establishing consistency in testing practices across applications
Reducing production defects and improving release reliability
Bringing structure and repeatability to QA processes
What the JD/SOW Does NOT Say (But You NEED to Recruit for) 1. This is NOT a passive QA role
You need someone who can build structure from scratch, not just follow test scripts.
2. Must be comfortable in ambiguity
There are no fully established QA processes—this person must create order, not wait for it.
3. Strong communication is critical
They will be interacting with:
IT leadership
Developers
Business stakeholders
This is NOT a heads-down-only tester.
4. Needs a "Lead without title” mindset
Not a manager
But expected to own QA strategy + guide others
5. Risk-based testing mindset is key
Not just executing scripts—must prioritize what matters most.
6. Government environment expectations
Slower processes / more documentation
Compliance-heavy mindset
Stability over speed
7. Reliability > Automation
Automation is "nice to have,” but this is a manual-heavy, foundational QA role
