Senior QA Specialist (Contract, Remote)

About the role

Our client, a marketing and communications agency that specializes in the Life Science and Pharma space, is looking for a Freelance Senior QA Specialist to start as soon as possible and work through 10/27. The role is remote with an anticipated workload of ~40 hours per week. The candidate must have Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) experience and agency experience; pharma experience is a nice‑to‑have but not required. Responsibilities include validating data, troubleshooting, testing complex logic, and performing QA across SFMC email journeys, websites, and banners.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of comprehensive test strategies, test plans, test cases, and test scripts based on business requirements and technical specifications.
• Perform advanced manual testing of web applications, APIs, and integrated systems to validate functionality, usability, accessibility, performance, and security.
• Design, develop, maintain, and optimize automated test frameworks and automated regression test suites.
• Collaborate with developers, product managers, designers, and project teams throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure quality is built into every release.
• Identify, document, prioritize, and communicate software defects using bug tracking tools while partnering with development teams to drive timely resolution.
• Conduct regression, integration, smoke, and end‑to‑end testing across multiple projects and releases.
• Participate in requirements reviews, technical design discussions, and code reviews to provide guidance on testability, quality risks, and best practices.
• Mentor and support junior QA team members by providing guidance on testing methodologies, automation practices, and quality standards.
• Recommend and implement improvements to QA processes, testing methodologies, and automation strategies to increase efficiency and product quality.
• Analyze testing metrics and quality trends to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Stay current on emerging QA technologies, automation tools, and industry best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in software quality assurance, with significant experience testing web applications and digital platforms.
• Proficient in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Demonstrated expertise in both manual and automated testing methodologies.
• Advanced experience with automation testing frameworks such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or equivalent.
• Strong experience testing RESTful APIs using tools such as Postman, SoapUI, or similar platforms.
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), Agile methodologies, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience with defect tracking and test management tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, or equivalent.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate across cross‑functional teams.
• Experience mentoring junior QA professionals or leading testing efforts across multiple projects.
• Experience working at a marketing or advertising agency.

Qualifications

• Experience with performance and load testing tools such as JMeter or LoadRunner.
• Experience working with version control systems such as Git.
• Knowledge of SQL, database validation, and backend testing.
• Familiarity with accessibility testing standards (WCAG) and cross‑browser/device testing.
• Experience working within the life sciences, healthcare, or FDA‑regulated environment.
• Experience integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• ISTQB, CSTE, or other relevant software testing certification preferred.
• Experience working on a pharmaceutical brand.