Our client is a healthcare provider of software suites for the Post Acute Care industry, is looking for an experienced Director of Quality Assurance to drive the maturation of the corporation's Quality Assurance department. The successful candidate will have experience in the transformation and growth of a professional software Quality Assurance organization and the processes that create efficiency, accountability, scalability and transparency in the discipline of quality assurance and software testing. The role requires substantial background in quality assurance and software testing of technically complex commercial software suites, in a dynamic software development environment, and the effective utilization of employees and contractors (on-shore and off-shore) to achieve objectives.

The first year goals will be:
Evaluate and improve the existing Quality Assurance operation including developing and hiring staff and contractors, establishing quality assurance guidelines, standards, procedures, samples, templates, best practices, tools, and frameworks.
Implement a professional quality assurance methodology within the overall software development life cycle in order to achieve corporate objectives for quality, on-time and on-budget delivery, customer satisfaction, and product delivery according to pre-determined specifications.
Create a clear communication method for keeping stakeholders informed on testing status, change management, risk mitigation, and success measurement criteria.
Mentor and guide quality assurance team leaders to support high quality test plans, testing practices and reporting mechanisms.

On-Going Responsibilities will include:
Providing clear communication to the Chief Development Officer, the Project Management Office (PMO) and all stakeholders regarding the following quality assurance initiatives:­ Proactive monitoring and measurement of the quality assurance planning and testing process to get ahead of business and technology risks that effect project timeline and budget.
Utilization of Quality Center and Portfolio Management to monitor, track progress, and communicate status.
Ensuring that significant issues are surfaced in sufficient time to react and overcome business and technology roadblocks.
Coordination of activities to identify and mitigate risks.
Conduct team meetings regularly to the status of initiatives.
Responsibility for leadership of the Quality Assurance team: ­ Provide leadership to team members to assist in successful implementation of key initiatives.
Ensure cross training and skill enhancement goals are achieved.
Assist in establishing, implementing and enforcing policies and procedures around the QA process.
Conduct performance reviews and review career development plans with all team members.
Utilizing leadership, organizational skills, and other strategies to ensure that the company's quality assurance goals and deliverables are met.­ Provide support in surfacing and promptly resolving issues that emerge.
Lead cross departmental problem resolution initiatives. 
Prepare and/or facilitate the generation of test plans, test cases and performance status reporting.
Facilitate post-mortem review sessions and lessons learned documentation.
Actively participating in and leading QA involvement in the software design and development process, product reviews, and early development of test plans and test cases. Being the corporate champion for the highest level of quality in our products and exercising the authority that goes with this position to prevent products from release that do not adhere to corporate standards.­ Establish and maintain regular contact with stakeholders and service partners to ensure adherence to corporate priorities, timelines and budget. 
Attend and participate in all required management activities.
Participate in the formulation of annual expense and capital budget allocations.
Ensure project resources are expended in accordance with estimates.
May serve as contact for management of technology contracts.
Assist in negotiations and maintain favorable relationships with software vendors and third parties.
Work to ensure on-time and on-budget deliver of technology solutions.

Top 3-5 must have skills:
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Management, or Computer Engineering, or equivalent work experience, is required.
Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in a commercial software quality assurance/testing environment with a minimum of at least 3 years in related management positions.
Experience with SDLC (PMBOK/SCRUM) strongly preferred.
Experience using a Project Portfolio Management Tool is required. Experience with @Task strongly preferred.
Experience with automated systems for defect tracking/reporting, creation of repositories for test plans and test cases, and automated testing is required. Experience with HP/Mercury Quality Center preferred.
Must have a proven track record of successfully managing a staff of quality assurance professionals (both employees and contractors) and developing and implementing modern software QA processes.
Must have a complete understanding of release management and defect tracking processes.
Strong organizational and communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment a must.

Degree Requirement (if any): Yes