Director, QA - Activision

The Director, QA at Activision oversees multiple projects and teams, acting as the primary contact for all QA matters. This role involves leading performance management, creating and refining test plans, improving QA efficiency, and driving team success. Responsibilities include managing test leads and teams, budgeting, coordinating with studios and first parties, and ensuring high-quality game releases. The director champions innovation, process improvement, and leadership development within the QA department, ensuring adherence to best practices and effective communication across all stakeholders.

Must Have

• Oversee multiple QA projects and teams.
• Serve as primary QA contact for concurrent projects.
• Lead QA performance management process.
• Create and refine QA test plans.
• Manage QA budget and test plans.
• Coordinate with Studio management and first parties.
• Ensure highest quality game releases.
• Implement QA process improvements, including AI.
• Maintain Jira cleanliness and manage regressions.
• Provide accurate test plans and workforce estimates.
• Solve productivity and personnel issues with HR.
• Build a performance management culture in QA.
• Develop and evolve QA methodologies.
• Liaise between QA and various Studios.
• Collaborate with automation team on testing initiatives.
• Communicate effectively with Development, Central Tech, Automation, and QA Leadership.
• Partner with external test teams for quality.
• Identify and present risk solutions.
• 12+ years video game industry experience.
• 4+ years leading large departmental teams.
• Comprehensive understanding of testing methodologies.
• Proficiency in test plan organization and technical requirements.
• Demonstrated people and leadership development experience.
• Experience championing performance management.
• Track record of successful test plan execution.
• Strong time-management and delegation skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office.
• Proficiency in Hansoft, Jira, DevTrack, Testrail.
• Exemplary written and verbal communication.
• Proven ability to work under rapid development cycles.
• Knowledge of games and experience with first person shooters (Single Player, Multi-Player, Co-Op).

Perks & Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance.
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching.
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave.
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games.
• Variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance.
• Relocation assistance (if required to move).

Your Platform

Founded in 1979, Activision has continuously disrupted the world of entertainment as a leader in the videogame industry. With a history of delivering iconic game changers -- like Pitfall®, Tony Hawk®, Guitar Hero®, Crash Bandicoot™, Skylanders™ and Call of Duty® -- our obsession is delighting our players around the globe. Focused and committed to innovation, we consistently deliver the most beloved, engaging and successful entertainment.

And while we have world-class franchises, infrastructure and resources, our success comes from a passionate, talented and diverse team of people producing greatness together. So, if you’re interested in our biggest priority, it’s our people.

We’re currently driving the next era for our company and community by creating amazing experiences for fans and continuing to make an inclusive place where everyone can thrive.

Join us, make history. To learn more, check us out at www.activision.com, www.activisiongamesblog.com or @Activision on Instagram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Your Mission

The QA Director is responsible for overseeing multiple projects and teams through the Quality Assurance test process. The QA Director is the primary point of contact for all QA matters on multiple concurrent projects. Additionally, the QA Director is responsible leading the performance management process; ensuring that both the testing population and management team are held accountable to the standards set by the department’s senior leadership Reporting to the Senior Director, the QA Director works closely with the various Studio leaders as well as the internal QA management team to create test plans, refine testing procedures using our internal tools while also championing innovation where possible, improve QA efficiency and help drive the success of the QA team.

This involves assigning and managing test leads and test teams, planning and managing the QA budget and test plan, coordinating with the Studio management team as well as first parties, and overseeing the entire test effort from beginning to end. The QA Director works to ensure that each project is tested in line with best company practices, and participates in overall department planning, process improvement, performance management, leadership development, and policy making.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• With the support of QA Managers and in conjunction with the Project Lead teams, oversee the entire internal QA effort at the Bloomington, MN office.
• Coordinate and oversee all QA efforts. Work directly with QA management and Studio teams, assisting on projects to ensure all testing areas are covered, that test plans are being followed, and that the collective effort of all QA for the title is working in concert.
• Ensure that games ship at the highest possible quality by putting processes in place to test all areas of the game, and by highlighting issues to the Studio Leaders. Push back against the Studios when you feel that they may be choosing not to address an issue in error.
• Work with Senior Project Leads, Project Leads, and Associate Project Leads to ensure QA provides work in progress dev testing where needed to Studio leadership.
• Ensure that first party technical requirements are properly tested and bugged.
• Identify areas of opportunities within the QA department that could be streamlined or improved upon via various process improvement methodologies, utilizing AI where applicable.
• Work with QA management to maintain the highest level of Jira cleanliness. Organize frequent regressions to clear out stale issues. Actively cull orphaned components and fields.
• Partner with the various management teams within QA, from Senior Project Leads to the Associate Project Lead levels, to identify better ways to report bugs found during testing and report back to the larger testing team so that they can be reproduced and logged.
• Create a streamlined process for allowing developers to make testing requests and a method by which those requests or tickets can be tracked in a queue.
• Provide accurate and timely test plans and workforce estimates to all stakeholders to inform decision making and budgeting.
• Work with QA management to determine the best ways that the department can support all the Studios. Determine types of testing coverage, tools that can be implemented, etc., to allow QA to meet the needs of all Studios.
• Proactively identifies and solves productivity and personnel issues, partnering with Human Resources and Employee Relations regularly to ensure policies and practices are upheld consistently.
• Leads by example. Supports and mentors site leads, to help them grow and own their own areas.
• Build a culture of performance management through every level of the QA department, emphasizing accountability, development, and building a talent bench of future managers.
• Prepare qualitative assessments and data driven tracking reports
• Help develop and evolve new and existing Quality Assurance methodologies.
• Act as the liaison between QA and the various Studios that produce our titles.
• Work directly with the Studios to improve build delivery times and efficiency.
• Work closely with the automation team to drive testing initiatives and incorporate tools into the testing process.
• Must excel at communication with the various groups within the organization, such as Development teams, Central Tech, Automation and QA Leadership.
• Partner with our external test teams to ensure quality output and best practices are maintained
• Identify and anticipate risks. Present solutions.
• Provide regular reports of key actions and risks at various levels of detail.

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

• 12+ years of applicable experience in the video game industry and at least 4 years leading a large-scale departmental team.
• Comprehensive understanding of testing methodologies, test plan organization, and technical requirements.
• Leadership and the ability to teach and impart their experience and knowledge unto others. This includes having demonstrated experience in people and leadership development.
• Analyzing a combination of performance metrics and documented feedback to champion a culture of performance management within a large population of individual contributors and leaders.
• Track record of comprehensive test plans being successfully executed leading to the timely delivery of quality projects.
• Strong time-management skills with the ability to focus on priorities, manage change and be flexible to changing requests, delegate responsibilities, and deliver against agreed deadlines.
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Proficiency in use of database and defect tracking tools, e.g. Hansoft, Jira, DevTrack. Testrail
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to work under rapid development cycles.
• Very organized.
• Open-minded personality and team-player mentality.
• Knowledgeable of our games and experience with all facets of first person shooters (Single Player, Multi-Player, Co-Op).

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.