QA Manager- Communications

Description

The Manager of Citizens’ Communications Quality Assurance team leads the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of quality assurance processes for personalized customer-facing communications across digital channels, including email, SMS, mobile applications, and real-time decisioning platforms prior to production release. This role ensures accuracy, compliance, consistency, and customer-level precision in all outbound communications, enabling Citizens to deliver high-quality, error-free customer experiences. The QA Manager will also work closely with the Communications Platform Product Owners on the development and oversight of end-to-end data and process controls contributing to the overall health of the communications platform. 

The QA Manager is responsible for overseeing a team of QA specialists, establishing testing and governance standards, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders, and driving process optimization through automation, data-driven insights, and innovation, such as introducing AI capabilities to the QA process. They will also drive continuous improvement through metrics, audits, and root-cause analysis. The ideal candidate balances strong people leadership with hands-on QA expertise and the ability to influence outcomes across marketing, technology, and compliance teams.

Primary Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop Communications Quality Assurance Specialists, fostering a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Set clear performance expectations and conduct regular feedback, coaching, and performance reviews.

• Provide guidance on complex testing scenarios, data interpretation, and prioritization of competing initiatives.

Quality Assurance Strategy & Execution

• Define and maintain QA standards, testing methodologies, and governance frameworks for personalized customer communications.

• Oversee end-to-end testing across channels to ensure correct message delivery, eligibility logic, sequencing, formatting, and personalization accuracy.

• Review and approve QA test strategies, test data, and validation results prior to deployment.

• Ensure audit-ready documentation and adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements.

Process Optimization & Automation

• Identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, and automate QA testing and data management processes.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives leveraging tools, analytics, and best practices to reduce defects and increase testing efficiency.

• Establish metrics and KPIs (e.g., defect rates, cycle time, rework) to measure QA effectiveness and report results to leadership.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Product, Technology, Data, Compliance, and Governance teams to align on requirements and testing timelines.

• Manage stakeholder review and approval workflows, ensuring governance protocols are followed consistently.

• Serve as a trusted advisor, challenging assumptions constructively and influencing decisions through clear, data-driven insights.

Platform & Data Oversight

• Provide oversight for QA activities related to decisioning platforms such as Pega (or equivalent), including test data preparation and deployment readiness.

• Ensure appropriate use of data, logic, and customer attributes to support accurate personalization.

• Stay informed of platform enhancements, tool improvements, and industry QA best practices.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to mentor and develop analytical professionals.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.

• Proven experience managing QA, testing, or analytics functions in a data-driven or digital communications environment.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; ability to synthesize insights and present results to senior stakeholders.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, Agile environment.

• Experience with decisioning platforms (e.g., Pega) is preferred but not required.

• Working knowledge of SQL and/or Python for data validation, analysis, or testing automation is highly desirable.

• Experience in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, insurance) or heavy compliance communications review.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Analytics, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field preferred.

• Equivalent professional experience may be considered in lieu of a formal degree.

• QA, Agile, or data-related certifications (e.g., ISTQB, Scrum, Pega certifications) are a plus.

Key Success Factors

• Ability to balance attention to detail with strategic thinking.

• Comfort questioning requirements and decisions while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.

• Demonstrated success improving quality outcomes through process discipline and innovation.

• Strong ownership mindset with a focus on both customer experience and operational excellence.

Hours & Work Schedule

Hours per Week: 40

Schedule: Monday–Friday

Hybrid: 4 days per week onsite, 1 day remote

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.