Software Testing Lead

Software Testing Lead

Location: Limerick, Ireland
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience: 6+ Years
Eligibility: EU Nationals Preferred

We are seeking an experienced Software Testing Lead to own and drive quality assurance across our Manufacturing Execution System (MES) programme. The successful candidate will lead a team of testers responsible for validating complex, regulated manufacturing software environments, with a strong preference for candidates who have hands-on experience with off-the-shelf MES platforms — particularly Syncade — and an understanding of DevOps practices to support continuous testing in modern delivery pipelines.

•        Define, own, and continuously improve the overall testing strategy for MES implementations, upgrades, and integrations.

•        Lead and mentor a team of test engineers, fostering a culture of quality and continuous improvement.

•        Develop and maintain comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts for functional, regression, integration, performance, and UAT activities.

•        Collaborate closely with DevOps and development teams to integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, reducing manual effort and accelerating release cycles.

•        Act as the quality gate for MES releases, ensuring all changes meet regulatory, functional, and performance requirements before deployment.

•        Partner with business stakeholders, process owners, and validation teams to ensure test scenarios reflect real-world manufacturing processes.

•        Oversee defect management — triage, prioritisation, root cause analysis, and resolution tracking — using appropriate tooling (e.g. Azure DevOps, Jira).

•        Support computer system validation (CSV) activities in compliance with GxP regulations where applicable.

•        Produce clear, concise testing metrics and progress reports for project stakeholders and senior leadership.

•        Evaluate and implement test automation frameworks and tooling appropriate to MES environments.

•        Ensure testing environments are adequately configured and maintained to mirror production conditions.

•        Proven experience as a Testing Lead or Senior QA Engineer on complex enterprise software implementations.

•        Strong knowledge of software testing methodologies, tools, and best practices (ISTQB or equivalent preferred).

•        Experience working in or closely with Agile/DevOps delivery environments.

•        Demonstrable experience writing and executing test plans, test cases, and test scripts for large-scale enterprise systems.

•        Hands-on experience with defect and test management tools (e.g. Azure DevOps, Jira, Zephyr, qTest).

•        Ability to communicate complex quality and risk topics to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

•        Experience in regulated industries (e.g. pharmaceutical, life sciences, food & beverage, or similar) with an understanding of quality and compliance requirements.

•        Direct experience testing off-the-shelf MES platforms, ideally Syncade (Emerson) — including electronic batch records, workflow configuration, and system integrations.

•        Hands-on DevOps experience: CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions), automated testing integration, and deployment pipeline quality gates.

•        Familiarity with GxP computer system validation (CSV), GAMP 5 methodology, and regulated software lifecycle practices.

•        Experience with test automation frameworks (Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or similar).

•        Understanding of MES integrations with ERP systems (e.g. SAP) and laboratory systems (LIMS).

•        Knowledge of manufacturing processes within pharmaceutical or life sciences sectors.

•        Detail-oriented with a strong quality mindset and commitment to delivering right-first-time outcomes.

•        Proactive, organized, and able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.

•        Strong leadership and coaching skills — able to develop and motivate a testing team.

•        Collaborative, with the ability to build effective relationships across technology, operations, and quality functions.

•        Pragmatic risk-based thinker who can balance thoroughness with delivery pace.