QA Engineer

Job Description About the Role With our influencer marketing platform continuing its rapid growth (now surpassing 1 million collabs), we launched a dedicated QA team in 2025 to keep our development fast, scalable, and high-quality. We’re taking a modern, AI-first approach to quality assurance. By integrating cutting-edge AI tools like Claude Code and Devin, we’ve already boosted our test design efficiency by 30% and significantly reduced reliance on single individuals. Now, we’re ready to accelerate even further by building an end-to-end (E2E) automated testing framework using Playwright. We are looking for a Lead QA Engineer to steer this exciting kickoff phase. In this role, you’ll not only shape our QA strategy from the ground up, but you'll also have the opportunity to drive technical quality across our entire engineering organization! About the QA Team Location: Niigata Branch (Engineering Department) Team Structure: 1 Engineering Manager + 2 Members (as of April 2026) Work Environment: Based out of our Niigata office, we work closely every day with our Tokyo engineering team (~20 members) via Slack and Google Meet. We pride ourselves on a flat, open, and collaborative communication style. What You’ll Do As a Lead candidate for our 3-person QA team in Niigata, you’ll take ownership of defining and executing our overall quality strategy. Key Responsibilities Establish, refine, and drive modern QA processes across the board. Leverage AI (Claude Code, Devin) to build scalable workflows for test analysis, design, and command optimization. Get involved early in the product development lifecycle: crafting test plans, estimating effort, and providing input during initial feature design. Lead the adoption and expansion of E2E test automation using Playwright. Champion a strong quality-first mindset across both Frontend and Backend engineering teams. Provide technical guidance and hands-on mentorship to junior members (including establishing code review practices and leading test implementation workshops to boost team productivity). Tech Stack & Tools AI Tools: Claude Code / Devin Test Automation: Playwright Project Management: Linear Monitoring: Datadog Version Control: GitHub Infrastructure: AWS Backend: Node.js / Ruby / Go Frontend: TypeScript / React Why You’ll Love Working Here Build a Next-Gen QA Organization from Scratch Instead of just executing existing test scripts, you’ll be building something new. You’ll work in an exciting, cutting-edge environment equipped with Claude Code and Devin to design automated, AI-driven QA workflows from the ground up. High Autonomy & True Partnership You won't be treated like an outsourced tester or a downstream checkpoint. You’ll work as an equal partner alongside product engineers and PdMs. You’ll have full autonomy to shape quality strategy, provide input on product specs during early planning, and iterate quickly on a weekly cycle. Cutting-Edge Tech from Niigata Enjoy the best of both worlds—living in Niigata while building software with a modern, AI-first tech stack. It’s a rare opportunity in the regional tech scene to make a huge impact while rapidly growing your own career. Required Qualifications Hands-on experience as a QA Engineer or Test Engineer in software/Web applications (including test planning, design, and execution management). Experience collaborating closely with cross-functional team members (Product Managers, Engineers, etc.) to drive quality improvements. Business-level Japanese proficiency is required Nice to Haves Experience with E2E test automation tools (e.g., Playwright, Cypress). Experience improving QA processes, leading team initiatives, or managing technical projects. Professional experience with or a strong passion for AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot, etc.). Native-level Japanese proficiency or JLPT N1 certification is preferred