SQA Director

Description

Arrow International is the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of charitable gaming products and solutions. We produce and distribute a wide array of products including consumables (pull tab tickets, bingo paper and ink, etc.) as well as world class, state-of-the-art, electronic gaming products. Our products are sold, installed, and operated in numerous social and gaming venues around the world. We continue to grow at a record pace and offer this exciting career opportunity to join our team where we are focused on attracting and engaging exceptional talent, empowering colleagues to achieve fulfilling careers, and creating fun and engaging products that are second to none for our customers.

Position Summary

This position is responsible for leading the validation of Arrow products to ensure that all requirements both internal and regulatory have been met. This includes managing a team of SQA Engineers, in addition to working with cross-functional teams to accomplish the objectives of a project. The SQA Director will also be responsible for the development of defining, recommending, and gaining approval for project test strategies. This includes defining and driving “design for quality and testability” into Arrow evolving product innovation and technologies. In addition, it includes consulting with project teams, reviewing their requirements, designs and planned functionality from a quality and test perspective. It also requires developing a deep understanding of the gaming industry so that the SQA Director can ultimately support and influence business and technology strategy from a quality and test viewpoint.

Primary Roles and Responsibilities

• Overseeing product approval cycle from SQA to submission to production release in accordance with relevant regulations, requirements, and project expectations.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive quality assurance strategy aligned with the company’s goals.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing SQA team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (development, product management, and operations) to integrate quality throughout the SDLC.
• Design, implement, and maintain SQA processes, standards, and methodologies to ensure consistent quality in all software releases.
• Establish metrics and KPIs to measure software quality and team performance, and report findings to senior management.
• Conduct regular audits and assessments of the SQA processes to identify areas for improvement.
• Oversee the planning and execution of various types of testing, including functional, regression, performance, and user acceptance testing.
• Ensure that automated testing frameworks and tools are implemented and maintained effectively.
• Review and approve test plans, test cases, and test scripts to ensure comprehensive coverage and quality.
• Identify potential risks in the software development process and develop mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with project stakeholders to ensure quality risks are assessed and addressed proactively.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for quality-related issues and updates for internal and external stakeholders.
• Promote a quality-first mindset across the organization and advocate for best practices in software development and testing.
• Liaising with product teams, regulatory departments, external testing laboratories and other stakeholders.
• Managing staff in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include hiring and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising. performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Drive continuous process improvement to reduce test cycle times and escaped defects to the field.
• Define and drive “design for quality and testability” into Arrow application and technology platforms.
• Consult with project teams, review their requirements, designs and planned functionality from a quality and test perspective.
• Define and assess test (verification and validation) practices, standards, processes, and skills at the department and project level.
• Understand business drivers, quality risks, and tradeoffs with the ability to propose risk mitigation approaches to meet the business need.
• Develop and gain approval on high level test strategies.
• Drive results / define strategies for automation solutions as part of test.

Requirements

Experience and Education

• Have led multiple, simultaneous projects
• Worked on large, embedded systems
• Specialized expertise in establishing testing guidelines and providing technical advice to product development teams regarding the design and delivery of test strategies to accelerate products to market
• Engineering background or tertiary studies in electrical / mechanical/ software engineering
• Familiarity with COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) tools 
• Working knowledge of SEI/CMM, SDLCs and the technology that supports them
• Solid understanding of the art and science of testing
• Gaming industry experience preferred

Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent. Master’s degree in computer science or equivalent preferred.

Required Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in software quality assurance, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of leading successful SQA teams and delivering high-quality software products.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Position requires excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with other team members
• Strong understanding of software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall).
• Proficiency in SQA tools and automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, JUnit, TestNG).
• Familiarity with programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, JavaScript) is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Advanced time management and organizational skills
• Capable of providing input and solutions on specific or project wide issues
• Able to work and deliver in a fast paced, deadline-oriented environment
• Real-time embedded systems and/or gaming experience preferred
• Expertise with TestRails and JIRA
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Results oriented, risk taking and extensive multi-tasking ability

Vision: 

• Close vision
• Depth perception
• Ability to adjust focus
• Peripheral vision
• Ability to distinguish colors 

Physical Requirements: 

• Stand for long periods of time
• Extensive time in front of LCD’s and Electronic Gaming Machine screens
• Repetitive motion to open heavy Electronic Gaming Machine doors

Work Conditions: 

• The ability to move between projects with little notice and the ability to adapt quickly
• Overtime and weekend hours may be required to meet project schedules
• Limited travel may be required