QA Lead Analyst

About the role

Concept Plus is seeking a QA Analyst Lead to support CI/CD DevSecOps delivery for Air Force IT systems. This role leads quality engineering across multiple teams, ensuring testing, validation, and quality assurance are embedded throughout the DevSecOps pipeline to enable transparent and continuous delivery across development, security, and operations.

This position requires knowledge of Air Force IT processes and technology stack, including DevSecOps pipelines, Cloud One environments, and Oracle/Java-based systems operating across classified and unclassified DISA and cloud environments.

The QA Analyst Lead works across multiple Scrum teams and a Kanban-based Operations & Maintenance (O&M) workstream to ensure quality is continuously validated. Responsibilities include aligning quality efforts, supporting automated testing and defect management, and ensuring deliverables meet defined standards and program priorities.

What you'll do

• Lead Quality-First Culture: Champion quality and security as a shared responsibility across DevOps teams, embedding security controls and automated testing directly into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps).
• Security: Integrate Automated Security Scanning—SAST (Static), DAST (Dynamic), and SCA (Software Composition Analysis)—into build workflows to identify vulnerabilities early.
• Ensure alignment with DoD cybersecurity requirements, including STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides), RMF (Risk Management Framework), and container security.
• Coordinate quality engineering activities across multiple Scrum teams and operational workstreams
• Work with DevSecOps engineers to integrate automated IaC tests (Terraform, Ansible) to validate test environment provisioning.
• Define and implement test strategies, ensuring alignment with CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices
• Drive adoption of automated testing frameworks (unit, integration, system, regression)
• Validate release readiness, enforce quality gates, and manage the promotion of tested functionality through environments (Dev/SIT/CAT/Prod).
• Participate actively in SAFe/Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, standups, retrospectives) to identify testable requirements and clarify acceptance criteria.
• Ensure quality criteria and Definition of Done are clearly defined and consistently applied
• Oversee test planning, execution, and defect management, ensuring timely identification and resolution of issues
• Integrate testing and validation into CI/CD pipelines, enabling continuous feedback and reducing manual effort
• Collaborate with development, DevSecOps, Cloud Engineering, and security teams to ensure end-to-end quality
• Establish and maintain quality metrics, dashboards, and reporting, ensuring visibility into system health, defects, and risks
• Support backlog refinement by ensuring requirements are testable and clearly defined
• Identify gaps in test coverage, pipeline validation, and system performance, driving continuous improvement

Required Qualifications

• US Citizenship Required
• Ability to obtain and/or maintain a Secret Clearance
• DoD 8140 intermediate certification or DoD 8570 IAM Level II certifications or higher
• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Engineering, or related field.
• 5–7 years of experience leading QA or quality engineering efforts in an Agile DevSecOps environment
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated testing practices
• Experience supporting multiple teams or complex delivery environments
• Proficiency with Jira and test management tools for tracking defects, test execution, and reporting
• Experience with API, integration, and system testing methodologies
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
• Experience supporting DevSecOps / CI/CD environments
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, and Agile delivery tools
• Strong understanding of team-level execution and cross-team coordination

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Agile development teams of 20+ FTEs and be familiar with Agile methodologies.
• Experience supporting DoD or Air Force systems
• Familiarity with Cloud One environments and secure DevSecOps practices
• Experience with Oracle-based systems and Java application stacks
• Knowledge of performance and security testing tools and practices
• Experience working across classified and unclassified (DISA/cloud) environments

Concept Plus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As such, we will give your application full consideration without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.