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Lead QA Engineer

About FreeBalance

FreeBalance is a purpose-led global technology company empowering governments to achieve transparent, accountable, and effective public financial management through its proprietary FreeBalance Accountability Suite™, a comprehensive Government Resource Planning (GRP) solution designed exclusively for the public sector. With over 40 years of experience supporting governments worldwide, FreeBalance drives digital transformation across the entire budget cycle: from policy-based budgeting and accounting to human resource management, performance measurement, treasury and receipts management… all within a scalable, unified platform that supports fiscal transparency, citizen engagement, and data-driven decision-making. Quality Assurance is an essential requirement in R&D, and FreeBalance is investing in a dedicated QA function. This role will establish, operationalize, and scale that function from the ground up.

Position Summary

The Lead QA Engineer is a senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for building the QA practice at FreeBalance. This role will be the first QA hire within R&D and will lead the establishment of QA processes, automation frameworks, tooling strategy (including AI-enabled test automation), test governance, execution standards, and quality KPIs. The Lead QA Engineer will perform hands-on testing, design and implement automation, define QA processes, and collaborate closely with the Development and the Functional Specifications teams. Over time, this role will hire, mentor, and manage a team of QA Engineers, evolving into a formal QA Manager position. This is a high-visibility role with significant ownership and long-term growth potential.

Key Responsibilities

Build and Lead the QA Function
Establish the QA function within R&D from the ground up, including processes,
frameworks, standards, templates, and governance.
Define and implement a scalable QA operating model aligned with FreeBalance’s SDLC and release cycle.
Create and maintain QA documentation, including test strategies, test plans, test cases,
and best practices.

Test Execution & Coverage
Conduct functional, integration, system, and regression testing for FreeBalance’s GRP
modules and platform components.
Ensure coverage across a broad suite of modules (budgeting, treasury, procurement,
HR, payroll, assets, inventory, workflow, security, etc.).
Validate cross-module behavior in a monolithic, highly integrated Java-based platform.

Automation Strategy & Implementation
Lead the selection, evaluation, and implementation of QA automation tools, including
modern AI-enabled test automation solutions.
Build automation frameworks for UI, backend workflows, and regression testing.
Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.
Ensure maintainability, scalability, and extensibility of the automation suite.

Process Design & Continuous Improvement
Define end-to-end QA workflows, including entry/exit criteria, gating, and release readiness.
Establish quality standards and enforce QA processes within R&D.
Drive continuous improvement of test coverage, defect detection, and release stability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Development teams during feature implementation, defect triage, and release cycles.
Collaborate with Functional Specification teams to clarify requirements and identify risks early.
Partner with the Services department to improve pre-release quality and reduce field defects

Leadership & Team Building
Provide mentoring and technical guidance to future QA team members.
Develop onboarding materials, training plans, and QA career paths.
Within 12-18 months, evolve into a QA Manager role leading a team of 3-5 engineers.

Quality Metrics & Reporting
Define and track KPIs including defect leakage, test coverage, automation coverage,and cycle time.
Introduce dashboards, data-driven insights, and quality reporting to R&D leadership.

Required Qualifications

10+ years of professional QA experience in complex enterprise or platform
environments.
5+ years of experience in government, ERP, GRP, or similarly complex domain
environments.
10+ years of experience with test automation, frameworks, and tools (UI, API, backend).
3+ years of team leadership, mentorship, or hands-on management experience.
Extensive experience testing Java-based applications, ideally monolithic architectures.
Strong experience with multi-module, workflow-driven systems.
Deep understanding of functional, system, integration, and regression testing.
Experience designing QA processes from scratch or transforming existing QA functions.
Experience with CI/CD automation and pipeline integrations.
Strong analytical and diagnostic skills in complex systems.
Experience testing across Oracle, MS SQL Server, or PostgreSQL databases (preferred but not strictly required).
Demonstrated capability to evaluate, recommend, and implement QA tools and
solutions, including modern AI-enhanced testing tools.
Familiarity with the following technologies in the FreeBalance stack:
Java, JEE, Spring Framework, Hibernate/JPA
JSF, React, Material UI
Web services (REST/SOAP)
Apache Tomcat
Reporting engines (e.g., Jasper, BIRT, Crystal)
Messaging systems (ActiveMQ)

Preferred Qualifications

Experience testing large-scale financial, public sector, or mission-critical systems.
Hands-on experience with AI-powered QA automation platforms (e.g., Mabl, Testim, Functionize, Appvance, Avo, etc.).
Experience creating dashboards or automated QA reporting.
Experience supporting defect triage, RCA, and structured release readiness processes.

Success Metrics (First Year)

Establishment of a fully functioning QA practice, including processes and documentation.
Deployment of an automation framework covering core workflows.
Measurable improvements in defect leakage and release stability.
Demonstrated adoption of QA processes across R&D.
Hiring and onboarding of 1+ additional QA resource(s) within 6 months.
Promotion into a QA Manager role with an initial team of 3-5 engineers within 12–18 months.

Interview Expectation

Candidates will be expected to present a high-level 3-6-12 month QA roadmap, outlining how they would design and implement the QA function at FreeBalance, including process, tooling, automation strategy, and quality governance.

Why This Role Matters

This is an opportunity to create and lead QA in a company whose software directly impacts public governance and financial transparency around the world. As a QA leader in R&D, you will define strategy, drive transformation, and contribute to the long-term architecture and culture of software quality at FreeBalance

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. FreeBalance is an inclusive employer dedicated to building a diverse workforce to increase the representation of the designated groups based on each country’s legislation. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective labour law throughout all stages of the recruitment process.

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Lead QA Engineer at FreeBalance – Krakow, Wisconsin

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