HEAD OF QA SKILLS, EXPERIENCES, AND JOB REQUIREMENTS
Published: May 12, 2025 - The Head of QA leads quality assurance and engineering strategies that drive business value. This role requires full lifecycle oversight, test planning, and collaboration with development teams. The head ensures strong execution within pharmaceutical and sterile manufacturing environments.
Essential Hard and Soft Skills for a Resume
- GMP Compliance
- Quality Strategy
- Automation Testing
- Process Validation
- Performance Testing
- Document Control
- Test Planning
- QMS Development
- Regulatory Compliance
- Audit Management
- Team Leadership
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Talent Coaching
- Change Adaptability
- Root Cause
- Performance Improvement
- Cross-Functional
- Mentoring Support
- Communication Skills
- Problem Solving
Summary of Knowledge and Qualifications on Resume
1. BA in Industrial Technology with 9 years of Experience
- Experience in quality assurance in an aerospace company environment
- Extensive experience in developing, implementing, and continuously improving an AS9100D Quality Management System
- Experience working in an EASA Part 21J Design Organization, or international equivalent
- Familiarity with the role of Independent System Monitoring (ISM) within an approved design organization
- Experience with supplier Quality assurance, including initial and recurring audits
- Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, including configuration and change management
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Passion for aircraft and Heart’s mission
- Experience working in an aerospace start-up environment
- Formal qualification in Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent
- Demonstrated experience working with external testing services, managing the end-to-end process of RFP reviews, contract negotiations and building the structure to support varied and scaling needs
- Ability to build strong partnerships across the organization, from Development, Platform, to Publishing
- Ability to improve product development pipelines and workflows through strategic integration of QA resources
- Experience with Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)
2. BA in Business Administration with 6 years of Experience
- Previous experience in Mammalian and Cell Culture
- Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate with others
- Confident decision-maker and ability to make practical, compliant decisions
- Excellent leadership skills with an understanding of how best to utilize and deploy staff
- Advanced understanding of GMP, FDA, and EMA regulatory requirements
- Substantial relevant experience in GMP manufacturing and Quality Management of products regulated by the FDA
- Significant experience in QA management in the games industry across multiple platforms (PC/Console/Mobile), genres and live service games
- Experience managing and growing a QA team across multiple functions, projects and locations
- Ability to balance hands-on work at the ‘start up’ stage and driving big picture strategy and planning to support a scaling business
- Experience working on a diverse portfolio of products at all stages of development and live service, identifying risks and issues, mitigating and resolving them
- Technical expertise to tackle issues in partnership with Development teams, articulating the issue to diverse stakeholders for expedient resolution
- Strong technical skills and job and industry knowledge
- Strong project management abilities
- Ability to effectively communicate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences
3. BA in Quality Assurance Management with 5 years of Experience
- Experience building test automation for APIs
- Experience with GraphQL-based platforms
- Quality experience in the Life Sciences Industry
- Experience in compliance with quality standards in a regulated Molecular laboratory
- Advanced working knowledge of applicable IVD regulations
- Ability to proactively communicate consistently, clearly, and honestly
- Outstanding professionalism and leadership skills
- Ability to analyze and problem solve complex issues that impact product quality with minimal direction and make decisions or escalate concerns
- Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to share and receive information from all levels of the organization across various departments
- Effective organizational skills, proven attention to detail and accuracy
- Experience with aircraft certification programs through the entire design, development and certification lifecycle (EASA/FAA Part 23 or 25)
- Working knowledge of systems engineering principles for safety-critical systems (SAE ARP 4754/4761)
- High degree of initiative and self-motivation
4. BA in Supply Chain Management with 7 years of Experience
- Experience with both QA and QE practices
- Proven track record in ideally more than one place of creating a strategy around QA or QE and realizing that with business benefits
- Experience in pair programming with software (feature development) engineers to drive quality outcomes
- Working in test phases from unit testing to go-live (full life cycle)
- Proven to build unambiguous Test Acceptance criteria
- Ability to constructively challenge concerns and engage in transparent conversations
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment and build strong working relationships
- Ability to successfully balance and prioritize multiple ongoing projects/tasks in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships across functional areas
- Strong personal, organisational and project management skills
- Experience in pharmaceuticals with significant experience in a quality management or operational role
- Experience in Quality Assurance in a sterile manufacturing facility