QA Manager - Merchant - FY27

The Takealot Group, a prominent force in South Africa's e-commerce landscape, is seeking a seasoned and strategic QA Manager to join its dynamic Merchant division. This is an opportunity to contribute to a rapidly growing, innovative company that values integrity, creativity, and a strong work ethic. If you thrive in challenging environments and are passionate about building exceptional products, this role offers a chance to make a significant impact.

About the Role

The QA Manager will play a pivotal role in ensuring the quality and reliability of Takealot's merchant-facing platforms and services. This position demands a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on involvement, aiming to foster a culture of quality that permeates across development teams and business objectives. You will be instrumental in shaping the future of quality assurance within the organisation, driving improvements and ensuring alignment with the company's ambitious growth trajectory.

This role involves leading and mentoring multiple QA teams, ensuring they operate cohesively and effectively. A key responsibility is to cultivate an environment where teams are empowered to make independent decisions while maintaining robust communication channels with product stakeholders. You will be expected to actively participate in QA processes, identifying opportunities for technical advancement and implementing superior testing methodologies.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing strategic direction and oversight to diverse QA teams working on various products.
• Facilitating strong collaboration and communication between QA teams and product stakeholders to develop a unified quality assurance strategy.
• Building a self-sustaining QA environment that empowers teams through autonomous decision-making.
• Gaining insights and driving technical enhancements through active involvement in QA processes.
• Establishing and nurturing strategic relationships with product teams across different divisions.
• Contributing to the broader Quality Assurance Community of Practice.
• Leading recruitment efforts to attract and secure top talent for the QA function.
• Enhancing development quality by formulating and implementing advanced testing processes.
• Collaborating with engineering leadership to design and manage a comprehensive automation roadmap.
• Ensuring the continuous development, execution, and maintenance of thorough test cases by your teams.
• Overseeing the creation and upkeep of sustainable and reusable test data.
• Proactively identifying testing gaps and leading collaborative efforts to resolve them.
• Maintaining stringent standards for bug identification, tracking, and resolution.
• Managing regression testing operations to ensure stability.
• Integrating feedback from production issues into the QA test base for continuous improvement.
• Strategically increasing code coverage across the technology stack.
• Developing and distributing detailed status reports based on test outcomes.
• Initiating and driving programmes to enhance the visibility of QA efforts in project progress.
• Mentoring and coaching test teams and individual engineers.

What They're Looking For

To excel in this role, candidates will possess a strong foundation in software quality assurance, coupled with significant experience in managing QA efforts. A Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma in a relevant field such as Information Systems, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Engineering is preferred, though substantial experience in lieu of a formal degree will be considered.

Essential requirements include:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in software QA within a software or technology environment, with at least 2 years in a dedicated QA management capacity.
• Alternatively, a minimum of 8 years of software QA management experience, with 4 years specifically in a QA management role, if a degree is not held.
• Demonstrated experience managing QA initiatives across multiple teams.
• A solid background in designing and implementing scalable QA processes.
• Proven experience overseeing the entire software development life cycle (SDLC) testing process.
• Hands-on expertise in both white-box (glassbox) and behaviour-driven testing methodologies.
• Proficiency in SQL and scripting, including experience with tools like Jenkins.
• Familiarity with automation frameworks and in-house integration testing tools.
• Experience with performance and security testing is considered an advantage.
• The ability to rapidly adapt to new technologies and tools.

This role is ideal for a QA leader eager to make their mark within South Africa's leading online retailer. In the South African context, QA Management roles in the tech sector often command competitive salaries, with progression typically leading to senior management or architectural positions. Employers like Takealot are often at the forefront of adopting new technologies, offering excellent opportunities for professional development and career advancement.

• Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma in Information Systems, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering and a minimum of 5 years of Software QA experience in a software/technology environment, with 2 years in a QA management role.
• If no degree, minimum of 8 years of Software QA management experience, with 4 years in a QA management role.
• Experience managing QA efforts across multiple teams.
• Strong background in designing and implementing scalable QA processes.
• Proven experience overseeing the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) testing process.
• Hands-on expertise in both glassbox and behavior-based testing methodologies.
• Proficiency in SQL and scripting, with experience in tools such as Jenkins.
• Experience with automation frameworks and in-house integration testing tools.
• Experience with performance and security testing is an advantage.
• Ability to quickly adapt to new technologies and tools.