Overview

Devolver has a requirement for a QA Manager within the Development and Production group. This position will have a specific function and provide support to other activities and functions across the Devolver wider team. This includes internal development studios, marketing team, game release process and most importantly the production team.

The role is a management one, both of data collection and deployment, and overseeing a small team of QA specialists in their support of project development. This means that the position requires significant experience due to the reporting requirements and continuous outward facing nature of the work to several parties internally and externally.

This document identifies the primary role with key relationships. Activity including management and delivery. Approach spanning methods and values. Finally, it covers the person specification.

Areas of Responsibility

• Management of the QA team - Compliance and functional QA specialists, manage and support. -Deployment of the QA team - Delivering support where needed within development teams and across Devolver production and marketing.
• Dashboard Management - Build, improve and interact with dashboards giving overviews of QA activity, submission preparation status, submission process and all associated metrics.
• QA Process Improvement - Incrementally improve Devolver QA and submission process. Support and improve development teams QA understanding, provision, and effectiveness. Improve everyone’s understanding of platform holder requirements.

Activity, Methods and Values

Management Activity

Develop an understanding of the capabilities of our development teams to implement compliance and achieve high quality within project titles. Bug management, build management to external agencies, QA strengths and weaknesses.

Manage and improve the skills and capability of the Devolver QA team as it expands. Understanding where the usual development gaps are that require the team's help, bolstering that set of capabilities over time.

Report via dashboards, in person and calls any of the team's activity that’s critical to Production, Marketing and Senior Management teams.

Manage the QA team budgeting requirements and spending, working closely with Finance.

Observe QA budgets for our 3rd party QA suppliers with the QA Co-ordinator.

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General Activity

Daily and weekly updating and management of reporting systems and dashboards. Creating reports and tracking progress of the team and its work.

Measure and track activity to build up a usable and expanding knowledge base of information regarding compliance failures and QA best practice.

Streamlining build pipelines from developers destined for external review and submission, working in conjunction with the Release Manager and QA Co-ordinator to keep everything running smoothly.

Setting up focus/feedback/beta testing for the Production group with external partners, identifying requirements.

Supporting the Release Manager and Development teams in the preparation of submission and release documentation.

Monitor weekly the deployment of the team for the greatest efficiency and the highest urgency.

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Methodology

Work directly and deeply with development teams to support and improve their schedules, quality systems and timelines.

Drive towards an on-time delivery and in budget outcome rather than ‘it will be ready when it’s ready’ approach. Meaning better up-front quality and compliance planning.

Embrace continuous improvement in the systems and structure of the team's delivery and how it supports all teams.

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Values

Foster respectful, direct, and strong relationships with Devolver departments and all developers internal or external.

Understand capability, interaction, and experience levels of the partners that the QA team supports, so as to not overpower developers.

Support the development teams QA learning to incrementally improve, at their pace.

Educate all people that interact with the QA team regarding its capabilities and range of support.

Accept feedback to improve and to expand services as the project catalogue expands.

Person Specification

Requirements

• Demonstrable experience successfully managing a small to medium sized QA team (4-25) in terms of workload, learning and development.
• Extensive experience of shipping various projects across all the current active platforms, PC, console, mobile.
• Extensive experience creating dashboards, sheets, metrics, and reports. Experience of submission management, documentation, and platform store setup.
• Experience of Jira and Atlassian products.
• Familiarity with platform holder certification requirements on various platforms.
• Familiarity with various project management methods, Agile, Waterfall.

Skills

• Proven logical approach to delivery with an understanding of supporting metrics.
• A thorough rather than fast method of working.
• Planning over reactive delivery working style.
• Desire to problem solve and overcome challenge.
• A team approach to management with a supportive focus.
• Confidence delivering reports to groups and teams.
• Always driving towards incremental improvement.

How to Apply

Please submit applications by email to qajobs@devolverdigital.com, with ‘QA Manager - Your Name’ in the subject line and include:

• A one page CV or resume
• Instead of a cover letter, please briefly tell us why do you want to work at Devolver Digital?