Senior Manager, Quality Assurance (QA)

Job Description:

Company Description

We Dream. We Do. We Deliver. At Merkle, a dentsu company, we power the experience economy. Whether we’re building the next great app, running CRM at scale for global brands, delivering technology architectures that support millions of users, or providing world-class data, identity, and insights solutions, it’s all in the name of crafting experiences that set brands apart from the competition. Backed by dentsu's legacy of innovation and creativity originating in Japan, we’ve spent over 35 years helping brands build loyalty, drive growth, and connect meaningfully with their audiences. We’ve been named a global “Leader” by top industry analyst firms in categories as wide-ranging as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management. Why choose Merkle? Innovation at Our Core: As part of dentsu’s global network, Merkle pushes the boundaries of customer experience, integrating creativity, technology, and data to drive real-world impact. For over 35 years, we’ve been innovating to meet the changing needs of our clients. Global Reach with Local Expertise: With over 16,000 employees across 30+ countries, and part of a 70,000 employees’ network at dentsu, Merkle blends global insights with a deep understanding of local markets to deliver personalized, effective solutions. Collaborative Culture: At Merkle, your ideas and contributions truly matter. You’ll join a team that fosters innovation, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Together, we work on impactful international projects, making meaningful connections every step of the way.

Job Description

As a Senior Manager, QA, you lead a QA team within the capability group, combining deep domain expertise with people leadership, delivery excellence and commercial growth. You are a subject matter expert, a coach and a trusted advisor to clients and colleagues. You are accountable for the success of client engagements and for the continuous growth of your team and capability.

Domain and Delivery Leadership

• Act as the senior subject matter expert in QA, shaping quality strategy on client engagements and internal initiatives.
• Define and evolve the practice’s QA standards, methodologies and best practices, including test strategy, test automation and quality metrics.
• Oversee delivery quality across engagements: identify risks early, escalate them the day you see them, and bring options with a clear recommendation.
• Recommend scalable, cost-effective solutions and project plans for client business challenges.
• Continuously improve the practice’s service offering and delivery methods, and keep documentation current in Confluence and SharePoint.
• Represent the domain internally and externally through events, publications and communities of practice.

People Leadership

• Own the full employee lifecycle for your team: workforce planning, recruiting and hiring, onboarding and career planning, learning and development, performance management and offboarding.
• Coach and mentor team members, and build a culture that supports well-being, growth and high performance.
• Drive employee engagement and retention, and act early on wellbeing, workload and resignation-risk signals.
• Keep certifications, upskilling and capability development aligned with market trends and client needs.
• Lead the reskilling of QA engineers in AI, including AI-assisted test design, test automation and defect analysis, and responsible use of tools such as Claude and Copilot, so the team delivers higher-quality work faster.

Client and Commercial

• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, and lead the first response to client concerns, escalating the same day when needed.
• Lead or support pitches, proposals and pre-sales activities, and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities with Sales and Account Management.

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant experience in QA and software testing, including leadership of delivery teams and client-facing engagements.
• Proven record of building, developing and retaining high-performing teams.
• Strong knowledge of modern QA practices, test automation and quality engineering tools.
• Hands-on understanding of how AI can be applied to QA, such as AI-assisted test generation, automation and defect analysis, and experience leading teams to adopt it responsibly.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and consulting skills.
• Commercial awareness, with experience supporting proposals, pitches or pre-sales.
• Relevant certifications (for example ISTQB) are an advantage.

*Work visa sponsorship is not available. For local documentation (NIF, NISS), please consult Portuguese authorities.

Additional Information

Benefits and perks:

• 25 vacation days
• Enjoy 2 additional volunteering days to support your passion project
• Mental Health: Benefit from 3 extra wellness days on top of your vacation days and a Mental Health First Aider and Employee Assisstance program to support your well-being
• Health insurance (also possible for family members)
• Cutting Edge Technology & Latest IT tools
• Software-house environment
• Agile and Flexible working hours
• Hybrid working: we combine flexibility with in-person collaboration, with an expectation of 1 day per week/ 4 days per month in the office
• Digital nomad policy
• Focus on career development
• Full access to Dentsu Academy, our global online learning platform
• Beers, foosball, and ping-pong! #workhardplayhard
• Free breakfast every second Wednesday of the month
• Employee discounts
• Team & Company events
• Referral bonus program

At dentsu, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is central to our vision: "To be at the forefront of people-centered transformations that shape society."We cherish the unique talents and perspectives of all individuals, welcoming applicants regardless of gender, gender identity, nationality, religion, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability. By embracing diverse perspectives, we create meaningful change and sustainable growth for our people, clients, and society. Our hiring decisions are guided by qualifications and role-specific requirements, ensuring a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. #LI-Hybrid #LI-MERKLE Location: Lisbon Brand: Merkle Time Type: Full time Contract Type: Permanent