Quality Engineer Lead (QEL2)

The Quality Engineer Lead 2 leads a team of Quality Engineers while remaining hands-on in driving testing, automation, and quality engineering initiatives that ensure reliable, secure, and scalable software. The role establishes and advances quality strategy, champions AI-enabled testing and modern automation practices, and integrates quality throughout the software development lifecycle to improve release readiness and engineering excellence. Working closely with Product Management, Engineering, Architecture, Infrastructure, Developer Experience, and other engineering leaders, this position coaches and develops engineers, promotes technical standards and continuous improvement, and fosters a collaborative, accountable culture. Through strong technical leadership and people leadership, the Quality Engineer Lead 2 improves software quality, delivery confidence, and customer experience while supporting the organization’s product delivery goals., * Lead the adoption of AI-assisted testing, intelligent automation, and modern quality engineering practices that improve software quality, testing effectiveness, and engineering productivity.

• Establish and promote quality engineering standards for AI-assisted testing, automation, responsible AI validation, test data management, observability, and software quality.
• Guide the team’s effective use of AI-assisted testing tools, agent orchestration workflows, and prompt engineering while ensuring AI-generated testing artifacts are accurate, maintainable, and aligned with engineering standards.
• Champion engineering excellence by driving consistent quality practices, technical rigor, and continuous learning across the Quality Engineering team.

Quality Architecture & Solution Delivery

• Lead the planning and execution of manual and automated testing strategies that ensure high-quality, secure, and reliable software releases.
• Develop comprehensive test plans that address business requirements, technical risks, architectural dependencies, release timelines, and customer impact.
• Guide the team in selecting appropriate testing approaches-including functional, integration, API, regression, exploratory, performance, and automated testing-to balance coverage, maintainability, speed, and reliability.
• Contribute to complex quality engineering efforts through test automation, exploratory testing, defect investigation, debugging, and technical problem-solving as needed.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Drive improvements in testing efficiency, automation coverage, engineering processes, and software quality through AI-enabled tooling and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the development and maintenance of automated test suites, reusable testing assets, technical documentation, and quality engineering standards that improve consistency across teams.
• Monitor quality metrics, defect trends, customer feedback, and release outcomes to identify opportunities that increase software reliability, delivery confidence, and engineering effectiveness.
• Promote modern quality engineering practices, automation-first principles, and data-driven decision-making that strengthen organizational quality., * Partner with Product Management, Engineering, Architecture, Developer Experience, Infrastructure, and other cross-functional teams to integrate quality throughout the Agile software development lifecycle.
• Communicate testing progress, quality metrics, release readiness, and technical risks to stakeholders and engineering leadership, enabling informed delivery decisions.
• Participate in technical design discussions, architecture reviews, code reviews for testability, and cross-functional planning activities to promote shift-left quality practices.
• Mentor Quality Engineers by providing technical guidance, quality reviews, constructive feedback, and knowledge sharing that strengthens engineering capability across the team.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Quality Engineering team by providing regular feedback, mentoring, and opportunities for technical and professional growth.
• Delegate work based on team capacity, technical expertise, and development goals to build ownership, accountability, and overall team effectiveness.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and psychologically safe environment that encourages innovation, continuous learning, and shared ownership of product quality.
• Support talent acquisition by participating in technical interviews, evaluating candidates, and contributing to hiring decisions that strengthen the Quality Engineering organization.

This role is 100% remote eligible, with quarterly strategy meetings that are in-person.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may be asked to perform other related duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience in software testing, quality engineering, or software engineering, including technical leadership responsibilities.
• 1-3 years of experience leading or mentoring engineering teams or technical initiatives.
• Strong expertise in quality engineering, automation frameworks, AI-assisted testing, and modern testing methodologies.
• Experience leading Agile teams through planning, delivery, release readiness, and continuous improvement.
• Experience coaching engineers, conducting performance discussions, and supporting professional development.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps, observability, cloud-native applications, and software delivery practices.
• Excellent communication, leadership, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to balance technical leadership with people leadership and delivery execution.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience managing Quality Engineering teams in SaaS or enterprise software environments.
• Experience implementing organization-wide quality engineering improvements.
• Experience with cloud platforms and modern platform engineering practices.
• Advanced knowledge of AI-assisted testing, intelligent automation, and quality analytics.
• Leadership training or management certification.
• Advanced quality, Agile, cloud, or AI certifications., * Scrum Master (CSM), ISTQB, or equivalent quality engineering certification.
• Experience with AI-assisted software development or testing tools.
• Experience in SaaS, EdTech, or enterprise software development.

This role is 100% remote eligible, with quarterly strategy meetings that are in-person.

Pulled from the full job description

• Tuition reimbursement
• Pet insurance
• Parental leave
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance, * Generous Paid Time Off: 4+ weeks of vacation and 13+ paid holidays
• Parental Leave: 12 weeks fully paid for all parents
• Retirement: 401(k) with 0.5:1 company match
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Insurance: Company-paid life, short-term disability, and long-term disability, plus voluntary options including supplemental life, accident, and pet insurance

Perks:

• Volunteer Time Off: Give back through ClassLink Cares paid volunteer days
• Lifelong Learning: Tuition reimbursement for continued education
• Growth & Development: Coaching and internal programs to support career and personal growth
• Supportive Culture: A workplace that values curiosity, compassion, and continuous learning
• Connection & Community: Annual company retreats and team events with bright, fun coworkers

At ClassLink, we believe the best ideas come from bringing together diverse perspectives. We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and fostering a workplace where every team member feels valued, respected, and empowered to grow.

At ClassLink, we believe learning should be accessible, engaging, and empowering for every student, every educator, everywhere. That’s why we build secure, intuitive tools that empower more than 26 million students and educators worldwide. From simplifying access with single sign-on, to advancing equity with usage analytics, to automating secure rostering, our platform helps schools focus on what matters most: teaching and learning.

We’re not just building tools, we’re building what’s next in education. By removing barriers and enabling data-driven decisions, our solutions help educators lead with confidence and students thrive in and out of the classroom every day.

Our team is driven by purpose and grounded in three core values:

• Strive to Grow - always learning, improving, and innovating.
• Deliver Worthwhile Experiences - for our users, our partners, and each other.
• Contribute with Heart - putting people first in everything we do.

These values shape how we work, innovate, and support the communities we serve. If you’re ready to do work that makes a real difference, and grow alongside a team that values collaboration, support, and continuous improvement. ClassLink is the place for you.