The Company:
Cast Iron Media, LLC is a premier sports and entertainment media solutions company, meeting the needs of its partners by connecting them with engaged fans watching live sports both at home and at the event. Cast Iron's Connected TV platform, SportStream Live™, offers a collection of live games running on popular on-demand services, and includes MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA. CrowdConnect Live™ provides national branding and experiential marketing programs across all live sports and entertainment.
The Role:
We're looking for our first dedicated QA Analyst to lay the groundwork for our quality assurance function. This isn't just a testing role; it's an opportunity to be a foundational member of our team, shaping our QA processes, tools, and culture from the ground up. You'll be instrumental in ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of our ad tech platforms and products, with the potential to grow into a leadership position and build out a full QA team around you. If you're passionate about quality, eager to make a significant impact, and ready to take on a leadership trajectory, this role is for you.
Key Responsibilities:
- Establish QA Foundations: You'll be our go-to expert for quality, responsible for designing and implementing our initial QA strategies, processes, and best practices across the entire software development lifecycle.
- Test Strategy & Execution: Develop comprehensive test plans, create detailed test cases (manual and eventually automated) for new features and existing functionalities across our web interfaces, APIs, and data pipelines. You'll execute these tests, meticulously documenting results, defects, and retest outcomes.
- Defect Management & Advocacy: Identify, reproduce, and report software defects with exceptional clarity and detail using our bug tracking system (e.g., Jira). You'll champion quality within the team, collaborating closely with product managers and developers to ensure timely and effective resolution of issues.
- Process Ownership: Drive the selection and implementation of QA tools and systems. You'll continuously refine our testing methodologies, striving for efficiency and excellence.
- Collaboration & Influence: Work hand-in-hand with product owners and developers to understand requirements, provide critical feedback, and ensure a high standard of quality is embedded from conception to release. You'll be the voice of quality in sprint planning and design discussions.
- Regression & Performance Assurance: Lead regression testing efforts to safeguard existing functionalities against new code changes. You'll also begin to explore performance and load testing needs.
- Mentorship & Growth: While initially an individual contributor, you’ll be in a prime position to define the needs for future QA hires, contribute to their onboarding, and potentially mentor them as the team expands.
- Ad Tech Domain Expertise: Develop a deep understanding of new features and enhancements in our ad tech products to effectively design and execute relevant tests and provide informed feedback.
Qualifications:
- 1-3 years of experience as a Quality Assurance Analyst, with a strong preference for experience within the ad tech, digital media, or related technology industries.
- Proven understanding of software QA methodologies, tools, and processes. You don't just follow a process; you understand why it works and how to improve it.
- Hands-on experience with manual testing techniques (functional, regression, smoke, sanity testing).
- Familiarity with bug tracking systems (e.g., Jira, Asana) and test case management tools (e.g., TestRail, Zephyr).
- Solid grasp of web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and how web applications function.
- Experience testing APIs using tools like Postman, Insomnia, or similar is highly valued.
- Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with an acute attention to detail.
- Strong communication skills (written and verbal) with the ability to articulate technical issues clearly and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Proactive, self-starting, and a natural leader with a strong desire to build something great from the ground up.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving startup environment and adapt to changing priorities.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Preferred Extras:
- Exposure to advertising technologies (e.g., DMPs, DSPs, SSPs, Ad Servers, RTB, VAST/VPAID).
- Familiarity with SQL for data validation and basic data analysis.
- Basic scripting skills (e.g., Python, JavaScript) for test automation or data manipulation – we're looking to build out automation!
- Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment.
This is a hybrid full-time position reporting to the Vice President of Software Development; must be based in the New York Metropolitan area.
At Cast Iron Media, we strive to emphasize the importance of a team-oriented culture and a company we're proud to be a part of. We maintain and build a company of passionate, energetic, and optimistic teammates who can easily engage in an environment fostering connection, collaboration, and community. We value those who care about the success of their colleagues and the whole Cast Iron Media team.