Quality Assurance Lead

We are hiring a hybrid QA Lead for a long-term contract, (12 months .) Candidates must be able to go onsite in Adelphi, MD.

Are you ready to lead the charge in quality for a cutting-edge Data & AI platform? You'll own QA and UAT for a platform built on Databricks, delivering AI/ML solutions, BI dashboards, and high-volume data integrations. You'll work with tools like Azure Purview, Profisee, and Monte Carlo to ensure our data products meet the highest quality standards.

What you'll do

• Build and lead a QA function: define roles, processes, templates and best practices for data, BI, and automation testing.
• Develop, manage and execute test plans for:
• ETL/ELT pipelines on Databricks and other platforms
• ML model workflows (training, scoring, deployment)
• BI dashboards, self-service analytics & static reports
• APIs and real-time data integrations (internal & external)
• Perform data validations and quality checks using SQL, Python and tools like Monte Carlo and Great Expectations.
• Own functional, integration, regression and smoke testing, track defects, collaborate with development teams.
• Lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT): prepare business-aligned test scenarios, facilitate business users, manage feedback and retest cycles until production readiness.
• Drive data governance quality: leverage Azure Purview for cataloging/lineage/compliance; support Profisee for master data consistency; use observability tools for anomaly detection and data reliability.
• Operate within a SAFe Agile environment: attend PI planning, sprints, coordinate with DevOps, Data Engineers, Data Scientists and Product Owners; integrate QA into CI/CD pipelines; manage test environments and data provisioning.
• Enhance QA automation: build and maintain suites for APIs, data pipelines and quality validation; use test management/defect tools such as Azure DevOps, JIRA and TestRail; continuously improve QA tooling and processes.

What you bring

• 5 years in QA roles focused on data platforms and analytics—with direct experience building/leading a QA team in that domain.
• Demonstrated expertise testing data pipelines, BI tools, and AI/ML workflows on Databricks.
• Strong SQL and Python skills for automation and data validation.
• Experience managing UAT with business stakeholders.
• API testing and data integration validation experience (Postman, REST Assured).
• Comfortable working in a SAFe Agile environment.
• Excellent communication skills—able to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with cloud-native data platforms (Databricks strongly preferred; Azure Synapse, Snowflake or GCP BigQuery a plus).
• Knowledge of MLOps and ML/AI model testing techniques.
• Familiarity with data governance and compliance frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA).
• ISTQB or similar QA certification.

Why join us

• High-impact role: you'll lead QA for advanced AI & data solutions on a modern, Databricks-powered platform.
• Cutting-edge technologies: work with Monte Carlo, Azure Purview, Profisee and more.
• Dynamic, collaborative environment: join a high-performing cross-functional team of engineers, data scientists and business users in a SAFe Agile setting.

Salary : $100,000 - $160,000