About the role
Description
Keywords Studios is looking for a Centralized Development QA Lead to oversee quality assurance activities across assigned game projects. This role partners with Production, Development, embedded Development QA teams, and testers to establish effective validation strategies, strengthen product quality, and provide clear visibility into risks and project readiness.
The Centralized Development QA Lead manages and mentors team members supporting internal and external development studios. The centralized team provides incremental QA services that complement existing embedded Development QA teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead the validation of game content and development tools regarding usability, stability, reliability, consistency, defect prevention, and compliance with internal quality policies and industry standards.
- Provide prompt and relevant feedback to development and production teams on features, content, and deliverables.
- Identify and communicate quality-related risks early so stakeholders can make informed decisions.
- Define and improve test strategies, methodologies, and procedures according to game development workflows and production cycles.
- Coordinate priorities and delegate tasks with leads and managers of embedded Development QA teams.
- Resolve issues, optimize workflows, and identify opportunities to improve development tools and QA processes.
- Mentor team members to develop their expertise, autonomy, and consistent QA practices.
- Perform verification, smoke, and regression testing in-engine and in-game, and clearly document defects.
- Validate deliverables and changelist content before submission to main trunks or branches, including test plans and validation methodologies.
- Prepare design reviews and discussions, record meeting notes, and maintain content in Jira and Confluence.
Requirements
Qualifications
- Minimum 2 years of experience as a QA Lead.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in QA within the video game industry.
- Solid understanding of the video game industry, production environments, and development phases.
- Demonstrated skills in leadership, communication, organization, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Experience with QA workflows, test planning, regression testing, validation processes, risk assessment, and milestone support.
- Ability to communicate clearly and accurately with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Autonomy, proactivity, rigor, attention to detail, team spirit, and ability to adapt to changing priorities.
- Strong aptitude for learning technical tools, systems, and processes.
- Knowledge of major video game platforms and executable types, including debug, test, and release builds.
- Excellent mastery of PC tools, Microsoft Office, defect tracking systems, platform-specific SDKs, and debugging tools.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
Desired Qualifications
- Post-secondary degree or certificate, or equivalent experience, in a discipline related to video games.
- Basic technical knowledge of Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
- Advanced knowledge of Atlassian tools, specifically Jira and Confluence.
- Advanced gameplay skills.
- Experience creating and maintaining detailed guides.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Retirement benefits (RRSP).
- Partnerships with the STM (among others).
- Webinars, virtual social events, online training, etc.
Additional Information
- Management reserves the right to add or modify job responsibilities and requirements at any time.
- Keywords International is committed to upholding a clearly defined equal opportunity policy.
- Role Language: FR, EN
- Location: Canada, Quebec, Montreal
- Area of Work: QA Testing Services
- Service: Globalize
- Employment Type: Full-time, Contractor
- Working Pattern: Hybrid