Tokyo · Contractor · Senior (6-9 yrs)
Lead QA Engineer — Digital Bank, Tokyo
Define and embody the QA strategy of a from-scratch digital bank in Tokyo. Lead the end-to-end QA function, mentor a team of 3-6 QA engineers, interface with Product, Risk & Compliance, and the regulator.
- QA Strategy
- Test Automation
- CI/CD Quality Gates
- Playwright
- Team Leadership
ApplyPermanent contract possible · Depending on profile — Tokyo
Location requirement
You must already be living in Japan with valid work authorization. We are not sponsoring relocation or visa transfers from overseas for this role. Applications from outside Japan will not be considered.
The context
Our client is launching a new digital bank in Tokyo (joint venture between a leading Japanese FinTech and a major banking group). As Lead QA, you are the business-fluent partner to Product, Risk & Compliance and the guarantor of banking quality.
Your mission
- Owner of the end-to-end QA strategy: test pyramid, automation standards, CI/CD quality gates
- Build and mentor a QA team of 3 to 6 people (recruiting, onboarding, skill development)
- Interface with Head of Engineering, Product, Risk & Compliance, external auditors, and the regulator (JFSA)
- Define release criteria, severity (Sev1-3), traceability, and audit readiness
- Drive metrics: defect escape rate, coverage, MTTR; post-mortems and shift-left
The profile
- Currently based in Japan with valid work authorization — no relocation or visa sponsorship from overseas for this role
- Proven experience as lead QA in critical product / regulated environment
- QA strategy vision + team management + automation culture
- Banking sensitivity (KYC/AML, payments, ledger, regulatory reporting)
- Business-level Japanese essential for Risk / Compliance; fluent English
Apply
Lead QA Engineer — Digital Bank, Tokyo