Program QE Lead

Category: Testing/Quality Assurance

Main location: Canada, Ontario, Toronto

Position ID:J0726-0540

Employment Type: Full Time

Position Description:

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Program Quality Engineering (QE) Lead to oversee quality assurance and quality engineering practices across large-scale, complex enterprise programs. This role is responsible for defining and executing the overall quality strategy, establishing governance frameworks, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality technology solutions that meet business objectives.

The Program QE Lead will collaborate closely with business stakeholders, product teams, technology leaders, delivery partners, and cross-functional teams to drive quality throughout the program lifecycle. The ideal candidate is a strong leader with extensive experience managing enterprise-wide QA initiatives, building high-performing teams, mitigating quality risks, and delivering successful outcomes across complex transformation programs.

This position requires excellent communication, stakeholder management, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence decision-making across multiple workstreams and organizational levels

Your future duties and responsibilities:

Quality Strategy and Governance
Lead the development and execution of end-to-end QA/QE strategies for large, complex enterprise programs.
Establish and implement quality standards, processes, governance models, and best practices across multiple projects and delivery teams.
Define quality objectives, success metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure program effectiveness.
Ensure alignment of quality initiatives with organizational goals, program objectives, and delivery timelines.
Test Planning and Execution
Develop comprehensive test strategies and plans covering:
Functional Testing
Integration Testing
Regression Testing
Performance Testing
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
API and Security Testing (where applicable)
Oversee test execution activities across multiple teams, vendors, and workstreams.
Ensure adequate test coverage and quality validation throughout the software development lifecycle.
Program Leadership and Stakeholder Management
Partner with business stakeholders, product owners, development teams, architects, operations teams, and program leadership to establish and achieve quality goals.
Serve as the primary quality advocate within the program, providing strategic guidance and recommendations.
Communicate program quality status, risks, metrics, and outcomes to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Facilitate effective collaboration among distributed and cross-functional teams.
Risk, Defect, and Release Management
Identify, assess, and mitigate quality-related risks throughout the program lifecycle.
Lead defect management processes, including prioritization, resolution tracking, and root cause analysis.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance quality processes and delivery efficiency.
Support release planning and ensure production readiness through robust quality validation and governance practices.
Team Leadership and Mentoring
Lead, mentor, and support QA managers, test leads, quality engineers, and testing teams.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
Build and maintain high-performing QA organizations capable of supporting large-scale enterprise initiatives.
Coordinate activities across internal teams, external vendors, and offshore partners as needed.
Continuous Improvement and Innovation
Promote adoption of modern testing approaches, automation frameworks, and quality engineering practices.
Identify opportunities to improve testing efficiency through automation, tooling, and process optimization.
Support integration of quality practices within Agile, Scrum, SAFe, and hybrid delivery environments.

Required qualifications to be successful in this role:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
12+ years of overall experience in Information Technology.
8+ years of experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Engineering, and/or Test Management.
5+ years leading enterprise-wide QA programs supporting large, complex initiatives.
Demonstrated success delivering quality outcomes for large-scale transformation programs involving multiple teams, stakeholders, and delivery partners.
Technical and Functional Expertise
Deep expertise in QA strategy, test management, quality governance, and software testing methodologies.
Strong experience in test planning, defect management, risk management, and release management.
Experience working with test management and collaboration tools such as:
Jira
Azure DevOps
TestRail
ALM or similar platforms
Strong understanding of Agile, Scrum, SAFe, and hybrid delivery methodologies.
Proven ability to establish quality metrics and drive data-informed decision-making.
Leadership and Communication Skills
Demonstrated experience leading distributed, cross-functional, and geographically diverse QA teams.
Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and facilitation skills.
Strong stakeholder management experience, including engagement with senior executives, business sponsors, and technology leaders.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making abilities.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience implementing and managing test automation frameworks.
Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps quality practices.
Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Understanding of performance, API, security, and non-functional testing disciplines.
Experience managing vendor relationships and offshore QA teams.
Professional certifications such as:
ISTQB
PMP (Project Management Professional)
SAFe Agilist
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Other relevant quality or program management certifications

Disclaimer : Use of the term 'engineering' in this job posting refers to the technical sense related to Information Technology (IT) and does not imply that the individual practices engineering or possesses the requisite license as prescribed by the applicable provincial or territorial engineering regulator. We are seeking individuals with expertise in IT engineering-related functions, but licensure from an engineering regulator is not a prerequisite for this position. Engineering is a regulated profession in Canada which is restricted in terms of use of titles and designation

"CGI is providing a reasonable estimate of the pay range for this role. The determination of this range includes factors such as skill set level, geographic market, experience and training, and licenses and certifications. Compensation decisions depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $95,000-$145,000. This role is an existing vacancy."

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Skills:

• Agile
• Communication
• Program Management
• SCRUM
• Stakeholder management
• Test strategy