Job Description

At Rural Mutual Insurance, we're on the hunt for a Manager of Software Quality Engineering to lead our enterprise QA strategy, ensuring excellence across the software development lifecycle. In this key role, you'll shape testing practices, metrics, and automation strategies that bolster product reliability. You'll work closely with PMO, business stakeholders, and IT leadership to deliver top-tier solutions that meet our high standards. Your leadership will be instrumental in driving our mission to deliver exceptional value to clients. We're seeking a hands-on leader who excels at building strong teams, fostering accountability, and championing continuous improvement through data and innovation. Your contributions will have a direct impact on our success and our commitment to making a difference in the insurance industry. This position will primarily work remotely with occasional travel to support team and business needs within the state of Wisconsin. At Rural Mutual Insurance, we offer a supportive work environment, career growth opportunities, and a comprehensive compensation package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, a matching 401(k), and generous time off. If you're ready to be part of a team that values your expertise and encourages your professional growth, we invite you to apply today. Responsibilities: o Establish and govern enterprise QA standards, templates, and quality gates in Azure DevOps. o Oversee test planning and documentation to ensure alignment with business needs, accurate estimation, and traceability to acceptance criteria. o Direct teams in developing and executing manual and automated test strategies to ensure comprehensive coverage. o Integrate automated regression and smoke testing into CI/CD pipelines. o Partner with business stakeholders to lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) strategy, execution, and acceptance sign-off. o Guide automation strategy and framework selection to maximize test coverage and maintainability. o Oversee defect management and drive root cause analysis and prevention. o Monitor and communicate key quality KPIs to leadership, using insights to drive continuous improvement. o Develop and empower QA team members through coaching, goal setting, and professional growth opportunities. o Manage test environments and support production issue resolution. o Evaluate and adopt emerging testing tools and methodologies to enhance agility and accelerate delivery. o Champion a culture of quality, collaboration, and accountability across the organization. Qualifications: o Bachelor's degree in Information Systems or related field, or equivalent experience. o 7+ years of QA experience, including 3+ years in a leadership role. o Strong expertise in test design and execution (manual and automated), risk-based testing, and UAT. o Proficiency with Azure DevOps for test management and CI/CD integration; solid understanding of SDLC. o Demonstrated ability to lead and develop teams, foster collaboration, and drive continuous improvement. o Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with strong organizational abilities. o Working knowledge of SQL and data analysis for test validation; familiarity with Lean/Six Sigma preferred. o Ability to travel occasionally for business needs. o Experience in the insurance or financial services industry is a major plus. About Company: What You'll Love About Rural Mutual Insurance: We are a leading property and casualty insurance company based in Wisconsin, well known for our financial strength and longevity in the insurance industry. Our reputation in the marketplace ensures stability and opens up numerous growth opportunities for our employees. We created a welcoming place to work with friendly and professional leadership. We are known for the great care we take with our staff, our agents, and our customers. We are passionate and determined about delivering the best customer service, preserving insurance industry knowledge, and making a difference through the work that we do. We believe in a healthy work/life balance and, to that end, offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package including health, dental, life, LTD, and vision insurance as well as an employee bonus plan, matching 401(k) plan, and generous time off benefits.

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