Initiative Test Lead

Location: Antwerpen

As an Initiative Test Lead, you will ensure that major initiatives and increments meet high-level quality standards by embedding the overarching QA strategy into initiative-specific test plans. This role focuses on high-level coordination, planning, and quality assurance across multiple delivery teams; it is a leadership/orchestration role rather than hands-on testing.

Key Responsibilities:

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

Define test scope and objectives based on change impact and risk assessment, in alignment with the Initiative Owner.

Facilitate and coordinate testing prerequisites (test data, automation, environments).

Assign tasks to relevant teams, set priorities, and monitor daily progress.

Manage test results and defects via dashboards (Jira/Xray) and review status with stakeholders.

Report deviations from the QA strategy and escalate risks when necessary.

Conduct regular status meetings and provide transparent updates to leadership.

Act as a cross-departmental coordinator, managing relationships with Product Owners, Tribe Leads, and external partners.

Propose continuous improvements to overall quality processes.

Education & Experience:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in IT, Computer Science, or equivalent through experience.

5-8 years of experience in QA/Testing roles, including 2-3 years as a Test Lead or QA Lead in complex enterprise environments.

Proven track record in large-scale testing coordination and risk-based testing.

Technical Skills &

Competencies:

QA Expertise:
Strong knowledge of test strategy, planning, and risk assessment.

Tooling:
Proficient with Jira/Xray (or similar) for defect/dashboard management and Confluence for documentation.

Coordination:
Ability to manage multiple teams and stakeholders in a large-scale, dynamic environment.

Communication:
Excellent stakeholder management skills; proactive and able to challenge teams constructively.

Languages:

Fluency in English is mandatory; proficiency in Dutch is highly preferred.

Nice-to-Have

Skills:

Experience in the Telecom industry.

Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and QA metrics.

Knowledge of automation frameworks (e.g., Playwright).

ISTQB Advanced Test Manager certification (Foundation level is the minimum requirement).