Quality Lead in Portland, Oregon - #73681 | VanderHouwen

Description

Job Id: 73681

Quality Lead
Our client is seeking an experienced Quality Lead to provide strategic quality and testing leadership across a large, complex technology program involving multiple interconnected projects. This individual will bring together technical and business stakeholders, establish consistent testing practices, and help ensure solutions are thoroughly evaluated, business-ready, and delivered with appropriate quality controls.

This role is fully remote. Applicants must be open to working PST hours.

Quality Lead Responsibilities

• Lead the overall quality and testing approach across a complex portfolio of interconnected IT projects, ensuring consistent execution and alignment with business objectives.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test strategies covering functional, integration, end-to-end, performance, and user acceptance testing.
• Coordinate testing efforts across development, QA, PMO, business, and product teams to establish a unified approach to quality throughout the project lifecycle.
• Partner with business and technical stakeholders to translate technical risks and testing results into clear business impacts, recommendations, and decisions.
• Establish and enforce testing standards, readiness criteria, quality gates, and measurable quality indicators across projects.
• Guide teams through test planning, preparation, execution, defect resolution, and release readiness activities.
• Oversee defect management and remediation processes, ensuring issues are appropriately prioritized, tracked, resolved, and validated.
• Provide quality assessments and risk-based recommendations at key program milestones, including go/no-go decisions.
• Monitor and communicate overall quality health through consistent metrics, reporting, and program-level dashboards.
• Collaborate with project leadership to incorporate testing activities, dependencies, resources, and milestones into detailed project schedules.
• Facilitate communication and alignment among technical and non-technical stakeholders, including developers, business analysts, product owners, QA leaders, and business testers.
• Evaluate existing testing processes and recommend improvements that increase coverage, efficiency, consistency, and risk mitigation.
• Support governance activities by identifying quality risks, escalating concerns through appropriate channels, and ensuring agreed-upon quality practices are followed.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to QA and testing professionals on methodologies, standards, and quality practices.
• Help ensure appropriate software release, version control, and testing governance practices are incorporated throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Quality Lead Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience leading QA, testing, or quality functions within complex, multi-project technology environments.
• Demonstrated success providing both quality leadership and project-level coordination across large, multidisciplinary initiatives.
• Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle and how quality practices should be integrated throughout each phase.
• Extensive knowledge of testing methodologies, including functional, integration, system, end-to-end, performance, and user acceptance testing.
• Experience developing or evaluating test strategies, test plans, quality standards, readiness criteria, and testing metrics at the team, project, and program levels.
• Proven ability to coordinate competing priorities and dependencies across multiple project teams and workstreams.
• Experience with defect management, issue remediation, release processes, and software version control practices.
• Proficiency with project scheduling and tracking tools, including Microsoft Project, as well as Jira or comparable project and test management platforms.
• Familiarity with test automation, CI/CD environments, and version control technologies such as Git or SVN.
• Experience working within Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery methodologies.
• Strong leadership, communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence both technical and business audiences.
• Highly organized and analytical, with strong judgment and a practical approach to identifying and mitigating quality risks.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Professional certifications such as ISTQB, PMP, CSM, or Six Sigma are preferred.
• Experience supporting technology initiatives within healthcare, financial services, or another regulated environment is a plus.

Compensation: (DOE)

VanderHouwen Contractors Enjoy Exceptional Benefit Perks!
As an eligible contract employee with VanderHouwen, you’ll have access to a full suite of benefits designed with your well-being in mind. Our comprehensive package includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, and a matching 401(k) to help secure your future.

Meet VanderHouwen
What kind of recruiter do you see yourself working with? One who prioritizes your best interest, no matter what? VanderHouwen does, and we’re in it for the long game! Our recruiters focus on YOU, building meaningful, long-term relationships while developing a deep understanding of companies’ staffing needs and workplace cultures. This approach helps us find an ideal job match that aligns with your unique career aspirations and goals.

VanderHouwen is an award-winning, Women & Diversity-Owned, WBENC certified professional staffing firm. Founded in 1987, VanderHouwen places experienced professionals across the nation! Our recruitment teams specialize in either Technology and IT, Engineering, Human Resources, or Accounting and Finance career markets. Partner with us to land your next exciting career!

VanderHouwen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. VanderHouwen does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal civil rights laws.

#LI-Remote