Initiative Test Lead 

Start: January 2026

Duration: 6 months (with possibility of extension)

Work Schedule: Full-time, 3 office days per week

Languages Required: Dutch and English

Role Overview:

The Initiative Test Lead will ensure that initiatives and increments meet quality standards by embedding the QA strategy into initiative-specific test plans. This role focuses on coordination, planning, and quality assurance across multiple delivery teams, rather than hands-on testing.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement comprehensive test strategies and initiative test plans.

• Define test scope and objectives based on change impact and risk assessment, in alignment with the Initiative Owner.
• Facilitate and coordinate prerequisites for testing, including test data, automation, and environments.
• Assign tasks to relevant teams, set priorities, and monitor progress.
• Manage test results and defects in dashboards (Jira/Xray), and review with stakeholders.
• Report deviations from QA strategy and escalate when necessary.
• Conduct regular status meetings and provide updates to stakeholders.
• Act as a cross-tribe coordinator, managing relationships with Tribe Leads, Product Owners, and partners.
• Highlight risks, issues, and propose improvements to overall quality.
• Ensure execution of the initiative test plan meets QA strategy expectations.

Requirements & Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.

• Experience:
  • 5–8 years in QA/Test roles, including 2–3 years as Test Lead or QA Lead in complex environments.
  • Proven experience in enterprise-level testing coordination and risk-based testing.

Must-Have Skills:

• Strong knowledge of test strategy, planning, and risk-based testing.
• Experience with Jira/Xray (or similar tools) for defect and dashboard management and documentation sharing via Confluence.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple teams and stakeholders in large-scale, complex, and dynamic environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills (English mandatory & preferably also Dutch).
• Proactive attitude, structured approach, and ability to challenge teams constructively.

Nice-to-Have Skills:

• Telecom industry experience.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and QA metrics.
• Knowledge of automation frameworks (e.g., Playwright).
• ISTQB Advanced Test Manager or similar certification (Foundation level minimum).