Software Consultant, QA

Job Location (Short):
Madison, United States

Workplace Type:
Remote

Req

Octave is seeking a Software Consultant, QA to be embedded within an Agile delivery team supporting the North America Public Safety Regional Development and Integration team. This team develops and delivers interfaces and integrations between Octave’s OnCall platforms and third‑party solution providers. These mission‑critical, web‑based solutions support call‑taking, dispatch, situational awareness, records management, mobile operations, and analytics.

In this career‑level position, individuals perform complex work linked to organizational goals under minimal supervision. This role leverages extensive expertise in test automation and software development to lead the planning, development, execution, and troubleshooting of advanced automated test solutions that improve product quality and delivery outcomes.

This role partners daily with Developers, Product Owners, and Scrum Masters to ensure quality is built in throughout the delivery lifecycle. The Software Consultant, QA influences automation standards, accelerates feedback loops, and helps mature the team’s test strategy across features, integrations, and releases.

• Lead the design, implementation, and execution of automated tests for complex regression, integration, performance, and load testing needs
• Analyze failed automated tests and customer‑reported defects to expand automation coverage, reduce flakiness, and improve signal‑to‑noise in test results
• Communicate actionable test results, trends, and quality risks to stakeholders across organizational levels; recommend mitigation plans and release readiness criteria
• Partner with Product Owners and Developers to refine user stories, acceptance criteria, and test scenarios; drive shift‑left quality practices (e.g., TDD/BDD where applicable)
• Work closely with functional testers and development teams to file, size, and prioritize the automation backlog; align automation work to product and integration roadmaps
• Drive, recommend, and implement changes that enhance product quality and automated testing procedures (framework improvements, CI integration, reporting, environment stability)
• Design, execute, and maintain manual and automated tests at the story, feature, and regression levels, with emphasis on interfaces and third‑party integrations
• Use Azure Dev Ops for test management, defect tracking, and traceability; ensure test evidence supports auditability and release decisions
• Mentor peers on automation patterns, test design, and troubleshooting; contribute to standards, tooling, and best practices across QA

• 5+ years of experience in software testing/QA, including ownership of automation for complex web‑based products and integrations in an Agile environment
• Demonstrated advanced proficiency in automated testing, scripting, and test design methodologies (manual and automated)
• Ability to write and maintain robust, readable automated tests and supporting utilities; experience with Playwright (or equivalent modern frameworks) strongly preferred
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and working with build/release workflows to provide fast, reliable quality signals
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, including log review and root‑cause investigation in partnership with developers
• Proficiency with Azure Dev Ops (or similar) for work management, test case management, defect tracking, and traceability
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate test results into clear risk statements and recommendations for stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to work independently under minimal supervision, prioritize effectively, and influence cross‑functional teams through collaboration

• Experience with Public Safety, emergency response, or other mission‑critical systems (CAD/RMS/911 workflows)
• Hands‑on experience building automation frameworks and suites (Playwright preferred) and establishing patterns for reliability, maintainability, and reporting
• Experience testing APIs and integrations (REST/HTTP, message‑based patterns) including contract testing and end‑to‑end integration validation
• Experience with Azure Cloud, Kubernetes, and PaaS/SaaS architectures; familiarity with observability/logging tooling is a plus
• Working knowledge of SQL Server (SSMS and SQL scripting) and data validation approaches for troubleshooting integrations