QA Lead

Job Description:

We welcome remote candidates based in the continental United States

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies.

Merkle is seeking a QA Lead to own quality assurance strategy, execution, and oversight for a major digital platform modernization engagement. You' will lead a client QA team of four, establish testing infrastructure (Chromatic, Storybook), and drive quality across component-level, functional, accessibility, and integration testing.

This is a strategic + hands-on hybrid role : you will be leading the QA strategyand also troubleshoot failing integration tests on any given day.

Key Responsibilities:

QA Strategy & Planning

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Develop and own the QA strategy and comprehensive test plan across all Merkle workstreams as deemed appropriate fo the client project

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Define testing approach for component isolation (Storybook), visual regression (Chromatic), functional coverage, cross-browser testing, accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.2 AA), and integration testing

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Establish test environment requirements and coordinate with client engineering for setup and maintenance

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Document acceptance criteria for what passes/fails at each test level

Toolkit Setup & Configuration

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Configure and own Chromatic (visual regression) and Storybook (component testing) integration

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Set up CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions or equivalent) to automate visual regression and component testing

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Troubleshoot configuration issues (design tokens, viewport sizing, addon conflicts, etc.)

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Establish baseline snapshots and review workflows for visual changes

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Maintain and iterate on tooling as the codebase evolves

Testing Oversight & Execution

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Oversee component-level testing: design system components tested in isolation before page integration

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Oversee functional and regression testing across all page types and device classes (desktop, mobile, tablet)

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Oversee cross-browser compatibility testing against an agreed matrix (to be confirmed during kickoff)

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Oversee accessibility testing: WCAG 2.2 AA compliance validation across all delivered components and pages

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Oversee integration testing: front-end to SCAPI, front-end to AEM, and design token propagation

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Define test scope and prioritize coverage based on risk and business impact

Team Leadership & Collaboration

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Lead and mentor the client's four QA resources; direct testing activities and ensure quality standards are met

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Partner with dev team on test data preparation and environment readiness

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Communicate quality metrics, defect trends, and blockers to Merkle and client stakeholders

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Manage scope creep; push back on out-of-scope requests with clear rationale

Defect Management

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Establish defect logging, triage, and tracking process

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Triage and prioritize bugs based on severity and business impact

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Track resolution and retesting to closure

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Provide clear bug summaries (reproducible steps, root cause analysis where possible)

Initial Launch Scope

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Focus for initial deployment: home page, header, footer, navigation, plus one additional page (PDP/PLP)

- Plan for phased expansion post-launch

You Have:

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7+ years of QA / Quality Assurance Engineering experience

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2+ years in test automation or automation engineering

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Hands-on experience with visual regression testing tools (Chromatic, Percy, or similar)

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Hands-on experience setting up, configuring, or maintaining Storybook in a producti