Vice President of Quality Assurance

At ACT Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT Education Corp. team members are part of an organization dedicated to an important mission: Helping people achieve education and workplace success.  Advancing the mission internally, by helping team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and the company thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) with company contributions, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.  

We are seeking a Vice President of Quality Assurance to help us fulfill that mission.

The Vice President of Quality Assurance’s objective is to define and enforce the overall QA strategy, ensuring that it aligns with the enterprise goals and quality standards. The Vice President will serve as both a people leader and an active contributor to the team, ensuring that all QA processes, methodologies, and best practices are followed by all groups (Sales, Marketing, Operations, Product, and Technology) maintaining consistency and quality across all testing activities.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. We anticipate offering a market competitive annual salary in the range of $200,000 to $230,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. The position is incentive eligible.

Location: This is a remote position (can also be onsite or hybrid if in Iowa City, Iowa area)

A Day in the Life:

• Implement and maintain quality assurance protocols tailored to software development lifecycle.
• Monitor and review software development processes to ensure compliance with standards and regulations.
• Conduct regular audits of software and operational procedures to identify areas for improvement.
• Facilitate continuous process improvement initiatives to enhance software quality and efficiency.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure quality integration in all phases of software development.
• Provide training and support to staff on quality assurance best practices and methodologies.
• Analyze data to identify quality trends and develop strategies to address issues proactively.
• Ensure documentation of software and operational procedures is accurate, up-to-date, and accessible.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for software quality and operational efficiency.
• Lead quality review meetings to discuss findings, share feedback, and drive corrective actions.
• Promote a culture of quality and accountability throughout the organization.
• Support the Agile execution through obtaining, managing, growing, and retaining employees and contractors.
• Provide leadership for team including coaching and providing feedback to team members, set and communicate performance standards, and track individual performance and execution of goals.
• Support recognition and maintain employee moral.
• Responsible for the strategic direction and standards of the functional area, consistent with business strategies.
• Collaborates with peers to drive organizational improvement and success.
• Be an Agile coach and mentor, including supporting decentralized decision making, and developing/supporting communities of practice.
• Forecasts and manages to budget, demonstrating financial responsibility.

Role Progression

Within 1 Month:

• Comprehensive Assessment: Complete a thorough evaluation of the current QA processes, team structure, and existing quality metrics.
• Stakeholder Relationships: Establish initial relationships with key stakeholders across the organization, including development teams, product managers, and executive leadership.
• Team Integration: Begin integrating with the QA team, understanding their strengths, challenges, and immediate needs.
• Immediate Issues: Identify and address any critical quality issues or bottlenecks in the current processes.

Within 3 Months:

• Strategic Plan: Develop and present a comprehensive QA strategy aligned with the company's overall business goals.
• Process Improvements: Implement initial process improvements based on the assessment conducted in the first month.
• Team Development: Start implementing plans for team development, including training programs and potential restructuring if necessary.
• Metrics Refinement: Refine and establish new quality metrics that better align with business objectives.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Strengthen relationships with other departments and establish regular communication channels.

Within 6 Months:

• Measurable Impact: Demonstrate tangible improvements in key quality metrics, such as reduced defect rates or improved time-to-market.
• Automation Strategy: Implement or significantly advance the QA automation strategy to improve efficiency and coverage.
• Team Performance: Show improvements in team productivity and morale through implemented changes and development programs.
• Risk Management: Establish a robust risk management framework for identifying and mitigating quality-related risks.
• Innovation: Introduce new testing methodologies or tools that enhance the overall quality assurance process.
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Gather and present feedback from stakeholders showing improved satisfaction with QA processes and outcomes.
• Cost Efficiency: Demonstrate cost savings or improved resource utilization within the QA function.

About You:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive IT experience that includes: 7 years of experience in Software Development management, experience coaching, mentoring and providing feedback to team members and managing team member performance.
• Previous experience and demonstrated success leading, managing, and building teams, preferably in an Agile software development model.
• Ownership of enterprise quality assurance.
• Strong knowledge of Agile software development.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to foster an environment of empowering team members by encouraging collaboration, clear communication, creativity, learning and development, and critical thinking.
• Results-oriented and able to collaborate with team and across the organization.
• Ability to work in a rapidly transforming organization.
• Proficient knowledge of project management and organizational skills.
• Interpersonal skills to deal effectively with all business relationships.
• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience and education (Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Business, or related field of study), or a combination of both

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience forecasting and managing to budgets preferred.

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it.  By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. 

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT values diversity in people and ideas and participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

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