Manual QA Engineer

Manual QA Engineer Description: Clune Tech is a world-leading provider of international taxation, finance, and fulfilment services to clients in over 100 countries ranging from blue-chip financial service companies to individual investors & cross-border workers. Sprintax , part of Clune Tech , is a web-based tax return preparation software that provides a number of tax related services to non-residents in the United States. We help thousands of international visitors such as students, scholars, teachers, trainees, researchers, work and travel participants and other foreign individuals that are temporary in the United States each year with the preparation of their tax returns. About the role: The Mid-Level QA Manual Engineer is an experienced individual contributor responsible for independently planning and executing thorough manual testing across assigned product areas. The role designs and maintains high-quality test cases and regression suites, manages defect lifecycles, and collaborates closely with developers, Business Analysts and Product Owners to ensure features meet quality and acceptance standards. The Mid-Level QA Engineer works collaboratively within the development team, supports junior colleagues and contributes to improving QA processes and documentation, while building towards greater ownership and autonomy in quality matters. Responsibilities: Test analysis, design & planning Analyze business requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria for complex features and projects, ensuring they are clear, testable and complete. Define test approach, scope and priorities for assigned areas, including identification of test types (functional, regression, integration, smoke, exploratory). Design and maintain high-quality manual test cases, test suites, test data and regression packs that provide strong coverage and traceability. Provide testing effort estimates for features and projects and contribute to release planning from a QA perspective. Identify dependencies, risks and constraints relating to testing and communicate them early to the QA Team Leader and project stakeholders. Manual test execution & defect management Lead the execution of manual testing for assigned features, modules or projects, including functional, regression, integration and exploratory testing. Ensure test execution is carried out in line with agreed plans, timelines and quality standards. Record test results in a structured and traceable way, including appropriate test evidence. Log defects with clear, detailed descriptions, steps to reproduce, expected vs actual results, impact assessment and supporting artefacts. Priorities and manage defects for assigned areas, collaborating with developers to support efficient investigation and resolution. Perform thorough re-testing and targeted regression testing after fixes, verifying that changes do not introduce new issues. Quality ownership & risk management Take end-to-end quality ownership for specific product areas or workstreams, acting as the main QA contact for those areas. Proactively identify gaps in test coverage, edge cases and areas of higher risk; propose and implement additional test scenarios where needed. Monitor quality trends (e.g. recurring defects, escaped defects, high-risk modules) and propose preventative and corrective actions. Escalate significant quality or risk concerns in a timely and structured manner, including clear impact and recommendation. Collaboration, communication & leadership Act as a key QA contributor within the development team(s), actively participating in planning sessions, reviews and team discussions. Collaborate closely with developers, Business Analysts and Product Owners to clarify requirements, discuss technical constraints and agree on testability and acceptance criteria. Support and mentor Junior and mid-level QA Engineers by reviewing test cases and defect reports, providing feedback and sharing best practices. Contribute to building a strong quality culture within the team through example, constructive feedback and proactive communication. Process, documentation & continuous improvement Maintain and continuously improve QA documentation for assigned areas, including test cases, regression suites, checklists and testing guidelines. Identify opportunities to streamline QA processes, improve efficiency and increase consistency (e.g. templates, naming conventions, test data management). Provide input into the selection and effective use of QA tools (test management, defect tracking, etc.) and help optimise their usage. Contribute to root-cause analyses of critical issues and support definition and implementation of corrective and preventive measures. Share product, domain and testing knowledge through informal knowledge-sharing sessions, documentation and active participation in QA discussions. Compliance & security Follow data protection and information security policies when working with test environments and data. Ensure that testing activities comply with internal standards, procedures and any relevant external requirements. Requirements: 2–4 years of experience in software testing / quality assurance, with a strong focus on manual testing of web-based applications. Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and practical experience working in cross-functional development teams. Strong hands-on experience with functional, regression, integration and smoke testing of web-based applications. Proven ability to analyse requirements and user stories, identify ambiguities and translate them into robust test designs. Excellent defect management skills, including clear defect reporting, impact assessment and collaboration on resolution. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to think critically about risks, edge cases and user scenarios. High level of attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality work. Experience with defect tracking and test management tools (e.g. Jira plus a test case management tool). Ability to write clear, structured test cases and comprehensive test documentation. Good written and spoken English. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Good organizational and time-management skills; able to handle multiple tasks and priorities in parallel. Preferred Skills: Experience in testing data-driven or complex web applications across functional and regression cycles. Experience with API testing (using tools such as Postman, etc.) from a manual testing perspective. Working knowledge of databases and ability to write and execute basic SQL queries for data validation and test preparation. Exposure to test automation frameworks and tools, and ability to collaborate effectively with automation engineers. Experience contributing to testing activities for larger projects or releases, with growing ability to take broader ownership of assigned modules. Benefits: What’s in it for you? Flexible Working Policy with a combination of remote and office working* Multisport Cards 22 Annual Leave Days for all employees plus additional days with length of service Lifework days: ½ day each quarter to get your life work done Flex hours where you can work your 40 hours across 4.5 days Additional Health Insurance including dental and vision care Team Buildings & Parties Life Insurance Refer a Friend Bonus Discounts across various stores, theatres, restaurants Employee CSR Programme, CluneTech Cares, with one paid Volunteer Day per year CluneTech Life – corporate wellness program Monthly Food Vouchers Company Paid Trainings & Learning Accounts #OneTeam Awards and Annual Employee of the Year Awards Milestone Recognition Program Free Sports: Football, Tennis, Volleyball Employee Assistance Program Meeting Free Days – a specific no meeting day where we encourage no meetings so you (and your team) can focus on getting things done! Are you ready to join our new team and help people from all over the world? If our job offer is what you are looking for, please apply today — we want to hear from you! If you have a friend or two who may be a good fit for the position, please refer them. Thank you for taking the time to review and apply for our job. We will review all applications and invite for an interview all candidates we find to be a fit for the position. When applying for the position, you voluntarily submit your personal data and we will process it for the following purposes: selection of candidates for this position; selection of candidates for future positions occurring within the next 6 months, unless you explicitly state your disagreement; connecting with candidates in connection with the objectives of labor market selection and research; signing an employment or other type of contract. Personal data provided for these purposes will be retained for up to 6 months. You have the right to request the deletion, correction or blocking of personal data if the processing does not meet the requirements of the current legislation or exceeds the stated objectives. Division Sprintax Department Operations Locations Varna, Bulgaria Remote status Hybrid