Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance Engineer – Manual & Automation Testing | SaaS | Remote Position Type: Full-Time, Remote Working Hours: U.S. Business Hours | Flexibility Required for Releases & Sprints About the Role At Pavago, one of our clients is hiring a Quality Assurance Engineer (QA Tester) to ensure software products are thoroughly tested, reliable, and production-ready before release. This is a hands-on QA role combining manual testing, test automation, API testing, defect management, regression testing, and release validation . You’ll serve as a critical quality gate throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), identifying bugs, validating fixes, testing edge cases, and helping prevent issues from reaching production. You’ll collaborate closely with Product and Engineering teams throughout development rather than testing only at the end of the release cycle. If you naturally look for what could break, think through edge cases others might miss, and care deeply about delivering reliable software, this role is a strong fit. What You’ll Own Test Planning & Coverage • Create and maintain: • Test plans • Test cases • Test scenarios • Acceptance criteria Define appropriate test coverage across: • New features • Integrations • Regression flows • Critical user journeys Review requirements and identify potential gaps or risks before development is completedCollaborate with Product and Engineering to ensure requirements are clear and testableIdentify edge cases and potential failure scenarios early in the development process Manual Testing – Core Responsibility • Execute: • Functional testing • Regression testing • Integration testing • UI/UX validation • Cross-browser testing • Cross-device testing Identify bugs, inconsistencies, and edge cases before releaseLog and manage defects using Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms Provide developers with clear: • Reproduction steps • Expected vs. actual behavior • Screenshots or recordings • Environment details Retest fixes and validate resolved defectsPerform regression testing across impacted functionalityEnsure critical workflows remain stable following changes Automation Testing • Build, maintain, and improve automated test scripts using: • Selenium • Cypress • Playwright Automate repetitive and high-value regression scenariosImprove automation coverage where it provides meaningful valueIntegrate automated tests into CI/CD workflows using: • GitHub Actions • Jenkins • GitLab CI Investigate failed automated testsDistinguish product defects from test-script or environment issuesMaintain reliable and useful automated test suites API & Performance Testing • Test APIs and backend functionality using Postman or similar tools • Validate: • API responses • Status codes • Data integrity • Error handling • Integration behavior Conduct performance, load, and stress testing using tools such as: • Apache JMeter • Locust Identify performance bottlenecks and reliability concernsSupport security and vulnerability testing where required Defect Tracking & Release Validation • Track bugs from initial discovery through resolution • Prioritize issues based on: • Severity • User impact • Business impact • Release risk Validate builds before production deploymentConduct regression and release-readiness testingRetest fixes before approving issues as resolvedClearly communicate critical defects and potential release risksHelp stakeholders make informed release decisions based on product quality Documentation & Quality Reporting • Maintain organized documentation for: • Test plans • Test cases • Test results • Defects • Regression suites Track quality metrics including: • Defect density • Test coverage • Pass/fail rates • Production defects Provide stakeholders with clear visibility into product qualityMaintain accurate records of testing activities and outcomesCommunicate release readiness and outstanding quality risks Engineering Collaboration • Work directly with developers to reproduce and investigate defects • Participate in: • Sprint planning • Daily standups • Retrospectives • Release discussions Collaborate with Product and Engineering throughout the SDLCRaise quality risks early rather than waiting until releaseAdvocate for quality without unnecessarily slowing down deliveryHelp improve testing practices and overall QA processes Requirements • 2+ years of professional QA or software testing experience • Strong hands-on manual testing experience • Experience with: • Functional testing • Regression testing • Defect documentation • Release validation Experience documenting and tracking defects using Jira or similar tools Familiarity with test management platforms such as: • TestRail • Zephyr Familiarity with at least one automation framework: • Selenium • Cypress • Playwright Strong understanding of: • Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) • Agile development • QA methodologies • Defect lifecycle management Strong analytical and problem-solving skillsExcellent attention to detailClear written and verbal English communicationAbility to collaborate effectively with developers and product stakeholdersAbility to work independently in a remote environmentAvailability during U.S. business hours , with flexibility around releases and sprint deadlines Nice to Have • Experience testing SaaS or enterprise software products • Strong API testing experience using: • Postman • RestAssured Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelinesFamiliarity with performance testing using: • Apache JMeter • Locust Exposure to security or vulnerability testingExperience working within compliance-heavy software environmentsFamiliarity with Git and modern engineering workflowsExperience improving automation or regression coverage Tools & Technology Jira | Azure DevOps | TestRail | Zephyr | Selenium | Cypress | Playwright | Postman | RestAssured | Apache JMeter | Locust | GitHub Actions | Jenkins | GitLab CI | Git What Makes You a Strong Fit You’ll likely thrive in this role if you: • Naturally identify edge cases others overlook • Think about how users might interact with software in unexpected ways • Write clear, structured, and repeatable test cases • Are methodical without becoming a bottleneck • Can clearly explain technical issues to developers • Understand when automation adds value and when manual testing is more effective • Take ownership of bugs through validation and resolution • Care about the overall user experience, not simply whether a test passes • Are comfortable challenging release readiness when critical risks remain • Enjoy collaborating closely with Product and Engineering teams What a Typical Day Looks Like Your day may start by reviewing new requirements and writing test cases for an upcoming feature. Throughout the day, you could execute manual tests, run regression suites, investigate failed automated tests, test APIs and integrations, and document defects you uncover. You’ll work directly with developers to reproduce issues, validate fixes, identify edge cases, and determine whether builds are ready for release. You may also update automated tests, review quality metrics, or participate in sprint and release discussions with Product and Engineering. In short: you find and help resolve problems before customers encounter them. Key Metrics for Success • High percentage of defects caught before production • Strong regression test coverage • Low number of critical production defects • Fast and accurate defect validation • Reliable automated test suites • Clear and actionable bug documentation • Efficient bug resolution turnaround • Strong API and integration test coverage • Accurate release-readiness assessments • Strong stakeholder confidence in product quality Why This Role Stands Out • Direct impact on software and release quality • Hands-on exposure to both manual and automation testing • Opportunity to work across UI, API, integrati