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

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

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

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

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

Toolkit Setup & Configuration

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

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

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

• Establish baseline snapshots and review workflows for visual changes

• Maintain and iterate on tooling as the codebase evolves

Testing Oversight & Execution

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Leadership & Collaboration

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

• Partner with dev team on test data preparation and environment readiness

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

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

Defect Management

• Establish defect logging, triage, and tracking process

• Triage and prioritize bugs based on severity and business impact

• Track resolution and retesting to closure

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

Initial Launch Scope

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

• Plan for phased expansion post-launch

You Have:

• 7+ years of QA / Quality Assurance Engineering experience

• 2+ years in test automation or automation engineering

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

• Hands-on experience setting up, configuring, or maintaining Storybook in a production environment

• Accessibility testing: experience testing to WCAG 2.2 or 2.1 AA standards; familiarity with axe-core, Lighthouse, or manual audit techniques

• CI/CD troubleshooting: comfortable reading/debugging GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or equivalent pipeline configurations

• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to tailor messages for both technical and non-technical audiences

• Experience mentoring or managing 5-10 team members, or demonstrated readiness to lead

• Component-level testing: experience testing design systems, component libraries, or isolated UI elements

• Integration testing: understanding of front-end–backend contracts, API testing, and debugging integration failures

Nice-to-Have Skills:

• Agency or client services background

• Experience with SCAPI or Salesforce Commerce Cloud integrations

• Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) testing or integration experience

• Accessibility audit experience beyond automated tools

• Performance testing or monitoring experience

• Experience mentoring QA teams across time zones or distributed teams

What Success Looks Like (First 90 Days)

• QA strategy and test plan documented and approved by stakeholders

• Storybook and Chromatic configured, integrated into CI/CD, and team trained on workflows

• Test environment setup plan confirmed with client engineering

• Browser support matrix locked down

• Client's four QA resources onboarded and ramped on testing approach

• Initial component and page-level test coverage in place for first features

• Accessibility baseline established and WCAG 2.2 AA compliance approach defined

• Weekly quality metrics and defect reporting cadence established