QA Engineer

Job description

Work Arrangement:
Fully remote, overlapping EST working hours.

Job Type:
Full-time

Work Schedule:
40 hours per week, with core hours between 10 AM – 6 PM EST

Locations:
Remote, open to candidates globally.

About Pearl Talent

Pearl works with the top 1% of candidates from around the world and connects them with the best startups in the US and EU.

Our clients have raised over $5B in aggregate and are backed by companies like OpenAI, a16z, and Founders Fund.

They're looking for the sharpest, hungriest candidates who they can consistently promote and work with over many years.

Candidates we've hired have been flown out to the US and EU to work with their clients, and even promoted to roles that match folks onshore in the US.

Hear why we exist, what we believe in, and who we're building for:

Why Work with Us?

At Pearl, we're not just another recruiting firm—we connect you with exceptional opportunities to work alongside visionary US and EU founders.

Our focus is on placing you in roles where you can grow, make an impact, and build a long-term career.

We believe in creating environments where your potential is recognized, your voice matters, and your success is tied to meaningful work—not short-term perks.

Joining Pearl means stepping into opportunities that challenge you, support you, and set you up for lasting success.

About the Company

Our partner is a fast-growing SaaS platform operating in a complex, high-impact industry.

With backing from top-tier investors and a strong customer base that includes leading enterprises, they are reshaping a traditional market through modern technology and smarter operations.

The team combines startup agility with technical depth, offering an ambitious and collaborative environment where quality and innovation go hand in hand.

Role Overview

As a
QA Engineer (Manual & Automation)
, you will report to the QA Lead and play a critical hands-on role in both manual and automated testing.

You'll start by executing manual test cases—smoke, regression, exploratory—while gradually expanding automated test coverage.

This is a highly practical IC (Individual Contributor) role, perfect for someone who is self-driven, enjoys problem-solving, and wants to contribute to building scalable QA practices from the ground up.

You'll support the QA Lead in strategic planning and automation decisions while helping maintain release quality and stability across both back-end and front-end systems.

Key Responsibilities

QA Execution & Strategy Support

• Execute extensive manual testing across smoke, regression, and exploratory scenarios.
  
  
• Collaborate with engineering to validate new features, ensure ticket-level QA, and maintain end-to-end workflows.
  
  
• Assist the QA Lead in defining which tests to automate and contribute to automation efforts over time (both front-end and back-end).
  
  
• Support API-level, functional, and UI regression testing.
  
  
• Participate in defect triage, root cause analysis, and ongoing quality improvements.
  
  

Collaboration & Growth

• Work closely with product and engineering teams to integrate QA early in the SDLC.
  
  
• Contribute to planning and prioritization alongside the QA Lead, helping to identify gaps and capture opportunities for improvement.
  
  
• Be proactive in addressing issues, deciding whether to tackle them immediately or prioritize them on the backlog.
  
  
• Mentor future QA hires as the team grows, sharing knowledge and best practices.
  
  

Automation & CI/CD

• Gradually expand automated test coverage, including tools such as Cypress, Postman, or other common frameworks.
  
  
• Assist with building automated smoke and regression suites as part of the CI/CD process.
  
  
• Balance manual and automated testing efforts, aiming for a roughly 50/50 split over time.
  
  

Requirements

Must-Have:

• 3–5+ years of QA experience in SaaS or API-driven products.
  
  
• Hands-on experience with manual testing (functional, regression, exploratory).
  
  
• Exposure to automated testing frameworks and willingness to learn/play an active role in scaling automation.
  
  
• Experience with API testing (Postman, SOAP, REST, etc.) and front-end regression testing.
  
  
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
  
  
• Experience working in Agile development environments.
  
  

Nice-to-Have:

• Prior experience in a QA leadership or mentoring role.
  
  
• Exposure to performance, load, or security testing.
  
  
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automation tool selection.
  
  
• Knowledge of Playwright or other modern front-end automation frameworks.
  
  

Culture Fit

• Self-driven and proactive; sees gaps and knows how to fill them.
  
  
• Enjoys getting things done and is excited to contribute to building processes and frameworks from scratch.
  
  
• Comfortable balancing manual hands-on work with automated and strategic QA planning.
  
  
• Collaborative, accountable, and eager to learn from the QA Lead and team.
  
  

KPIs & Success Metrics

• Deliver reliable manual regression testing cycles from day one.
  
  
• Contribute to planning which test cases should be automated and start executing them.
  
  
• Participate in QA processes that ensure release readiness with key defects resolved pre-release.
  
  
• Provide actionable feedback to QA Lead and engineering to improve overall QA efficiency and coverage.
  
  

Benefits

Compensation Package

• Competitive Salary:
  Based on experience and skills
• Remote Work:
  Fully remote—work from anywhere
• Generous PTO:
  Ample paid time off to rest and recharge
• Direct Mentorship:
  Grow through guidance from international industry experts
• Learning & Development:
  Ongoing access to resources for professional growth
• Global Networking:
  Work and connect with professionals around the world
• Work-Life Balance:
  Flexible hours that support a healthy work-life balance

Our Recruitment Process

1. Application
2. Screening
3. Internal Top-grading Interview
4. Internal Assessments and Video Presentation
5. Client Technical Assessment
6. Client Interview(s)
7. Job Offer
8. Client Onboarding

Ready to Join Us?

If this role aligns with your skills and career goals, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to take the next step in your journey with Pearl.

Required Skill Profession

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