Lead Quality Assurance (QA) Operations Analyst

Are you a seasoned quality expert who thrives on owning and driving Quality Assurance Operations strategy for mission critical software applications Kinsale Insurance is looking for a Lead Quality Assurance (QA) Operations Analyst to lead the design and execution of QAOps practices that integrate testing seamlessly into our Agile development and CI/CD pipelines ensuring high-quality reliable and scalable business solutions.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Richmond VA Kinsale Insurance Company is a leading excess and surplus (E&S) lines carrier. We provide insurance solutions for high-risk and complex property casualty and professional accounts that are not served by the standard market.

Key Responsibilities:
QAOps Leadership

• Define implement and evolve the QAOps strategy across application development teams
• Drive shift-left testing CI/CD automation and continuous quality practices
• Evolve and evangelize best practices for test data management environment strategy and persistence validation

Testing Strategy & Execution

• Lead functional component integration and end-to-end testing for custom insurance applications and services
• Oversee database persistence checks for Oracle and PostgreSQL environments
• Ensure business logic and rules are validated appropriately
• Maintain high-quality acceptance criteria traceability through Jira XRAY and markdown documentation

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Mentor QA engineers and embed quality culture within Agile teams
• Collaborate with Software Developers Product Owners and DevOps Engineers to ensure end-to-end coverage of business flows
• Champion risk-based testing approaches to prioritize critical underwriting functions

Automation & Tooling

• Drive adoption of test automation frameworks for functional API and regression testing
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to ensure rapid feedback loops
• Maintain dashboards and reporting mechanisms in Jira XRAY for test coverage pass/fail trends and defect leakage

Continuous Improvement

• Track metrics to measure and improve quality effectiveness (defect density test effectiveness regression stability)
• Foster innovation in QAOps practices including observability-driven testing and resilience validation
• Conduct retrospectives and introduce continuous improvements to QAOps processes

Required Skills & Experience

• 7 years in Quality Assurance or Software Engineering with at least 3 years in a QAOps or QA leadership role
• Strong knowledge of Agile and DevOps practices with proven experience embedding QA into CI/CD
• Expertise in functional API integration and end-to-end testing
• Hands-on experience with Jira XRAY (or equivalent test management tools)
• Strong knowledge of database persistence validation (Oracle and/or PostgreSQL preferred)
• Experience leading QA teams in underwriting or insurance systems preferred
• Proficiency with automation frameworks (e.g. Selenium Cypress Rest Assured PyTest Playwright)
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with rating engines quoting workflows or policy administration systems
• Knowledge of contract testing (e.g. Pact) and observability-driven testing
• Familiarity with GenAI tools and services
• Familiarity with cloud-based test environments and containerized execution (Docker/Kubernetes)

At Kinsale we offer the following great benefits:

• Competitive salary with performance-based bonus opportunities
• Single and Family Health Dental and Vision Insurance plans with HSA funds contributed
• Short-Term and Long-Term disability
• Life Insurance
• Matching 401(k) which starts on your first paycheck
• Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Education dollars for training and certifications
• Promotion from within the company with clear goals and developed career paths

Kinsale values strong financial responsibility. A credit check will be conducted as a part of the selection process for roles that require sound judgement trustworthiness or access to sensitive information.

Required Experience:

IC