Manual Software QA Analyst (Remote)

**Key Responsibilities** Test Planning & Design • Review business requirements, functional specifications, and user stories to design comprehensive test plans and test cases. • Define test scenarios that validate functionality, integration, regression, and end-to-end workflows. • Prepare and manage test data to support manual testing efforts. Test Execution & Defect Management • Execute manual test cases across web, mobile, and backend systems. • Identify, log, and track software defects using a defect tracking system. • Collaborate with developers and product teams to reproduce, prioritize, and resolve issues. • Perform regression testing to validate fixes and ensure existing functionality remains stable. Collaboration & Communication • Work closely with Product Owners, Business Analysts, and Developers to ensure clarity on requirements and acceptance criteria. • Participate in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, backlog grooming, and retrospectives. • Provide clear, timely, and detailed test results and quality metrics to stakeholders. User Experience & Quality Advocacy • Validate that software meets usability, accessibility, and customer experience standards. • Act as an advocate for the end user, ensuring that defects and gaps are addressed before release. • Provide feedback to improve application design, functionality, and performance. Continuous Improvement • Contribute to refining QA processes, templates, and best practices. • Stay current on industry trends and testing techniques to improve effectiveness. • Support test documentation, knowledge sharing, and cross-training within the QA team. **Qualifications** Required: • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent work experience). • 2–4 years of experience in manual software testing. • Strong knowledge of QA methodologies, tools, and best practices. • Experience with defect tracking and test management tools (e.g., Jira, Zephyr, TestRail, Azure DevOps). • Familiarity with SDLC and Agile development environments. • Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and documentation ability. Preferred: • ISTQB or other QA certification. • Experience testing across multiple platforms (web, mobile, API, desktop). • Familiarity with SQL for basic data validation and back-end testing. • Exposure to accessibility and usability testing. • Understanding of automation concepts and willingness to collaborate with automation teams.