We are seeking an experienced QA Manual Test Lead / Principal QA Engineer to lead quality assurance initiatives for digital applications supporting pharmaceutical early discovery research . This role will be responsible for defining testing strategy, driving quality governance, and ensuring scientific applications are thoroughly validated before release.

The successful candidate will work closely with scientists, product owners, business analysts, software engineers, data teams, and research operations stakeholders to validate scientific workflows, data integrity, usability, integrations, and end-to-end business processes.

This is a leadership role requiring deep expertise in manual testing, risk-based quality assurance, stakeholder management, and scientific application validation.

Key Responsibilities

Define and own manual testing strategies, methodologies, test plans, quality gates, and release readiness criteria.

Establish risk-based testing approaches for scientific and research applications.

Lead requirement reviews and convert business requirements, user stories, scientific workflows, and acceptance criteria into comprehensive test scenarios and test cases.

Own testing estimates, schedules, resource planning, and quality reporting.

Drive quality governance throughout the software development lifecycle. Functional &

- System Testing

Plan and execute:

Functional Testing

System Testing

Integration Testing

Regression Testing

Exploratory Testing

End-to-End Testing

Usability Testing

Compatibility Testing

Data Validation Testing

Validate researcher workflows including:

Study and experiment setup

Sample and compound management

Assay execution and analysis

Results review

Data visualization

Scientific reporting

Search and retrieval

Collaboration workflows

Data export processes Data &

- Integration Validation

Verify data integrity across multiple platforms and systems.

Validate:

Data transformations

Scientific calculations

Unit conversions

Metadata accuracy

Data lineage

Controlled vocabularies

Scientific identifiers

Source-to-target reconciliation

Test integrations involving:

Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELN)

Scientific Data Management Systems (SDMS)

Compound Registration Platforms

Research Analytics Solutions





External Scientific Data Sources Defect Management &

- Quality Reporting

Manage defect lifecycle using Jira, Azure DevOps, HP ALM, or similar tools.

Lead defect triage sessions and quality review meetings.

Provide executive-level quality updates and release recommendations.

Track and report:

Test coverage

Test execution status

Defect leakage

Defect aging

Release risks

Quality trends Leadership &

- Mentoring

Mentor QA professionals and testing teams.

Review test artifacts and ensure adherence to quality standards.

Build reusable testing assets, regression suites, and domain-specific quality frameworks.

Promote best practices in test design, defect management, stakeholder communication, and quality engineering.

Early Discovery Research Testing

Responsibilities The selected candidate will support applications and workflows across:

Target Identification &

- Validation

Hit Identification

Hit-to-Lead Programs

Lead Optimization

Assay Development

Compound Management In Vitro Research In Vivo Research

Translational Science

You will validate solutions used by teams including:

Medicinal Chemistry

Computational Chemistry

Biology

DMPK

Toxicology

Bioinformatics

Screening Sciences

Laboratory Operations

Sample Management

Testing scope includes scientific entities such as:

Compounds

Samples

Assays

Plates

Targets

Experiments

Study Metadata

Results &

- Observations

Protocols &

- Methods Required Qualifications

Advanced English Proficiency level.

10 years of software quality assurance and testing experience.

Significant experience leading manual testing and functional QA initiatives.

Proven success delivering quality assurance for complex enterprise and business-critical platforms.

Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end testing across integrated systems.

Experience partnering with senior business, scientific, product, engineering, architecture, and data stakeholders.

Testing

Expertise

Strong expertise in:





Manual Testing

Functional Testing

Integration Testing

System Testing

Regression Testing

Exploratory Testing

End-to-End Testing

Data Validation Testing

API Validation

Usability Testing

Compatibility Testing Technical Skills

REST API validation using Postman, Swagger, or similar tools.

Strong SQL skills for data verification and defect investigation.

Experience with:

Jira

Azure DevOps

HP ALM

Zephyr

Xray qTest

Similar test management platforms

Understanding of:

Role-based access control

Authentication and authorization processes

Web applications

Batch processing

System integrations

Environment management

Application logs Quality Leadership

Risk-based testing methodologies

Release readiness assessments

Test planning workshops

Requirement walkthroughs

Root cause analysis

Quality governance frameworks

Defect prevention strategies Preferred Domain Experience

Strong preference for candidates with experience in:

Pharmaceutical Research

Biotechnology

CRO Organizations

Laboratory Informatics

Scientific Data Platforms

Preclinical Research

Translational Science

Exposure to:

ELN Platforms

LIMS Platforms

SDMS Solutions

Chromatography Data Systems (CDS)

Compound Registration Systems

Research Analytics Platforms

Bioinformatics Solutions

Scientific Visualization Tools

Knowledge of:

Chemistry &

- Biology Workflows

Assay Data Management

Scientific Metadata Standards

FAIR Data Principles

Data Lineage &

- Governance

Scientific Ontologies

Controlled Vocabularies

Nice to Have:

GxP Compliance

Computer System Validation (CSV)

Data Integrity Principles

Electronic Records &

- Audit Trails

Privacy &

- Security Regulations Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in one of the following areas:

Computer Science

Information Technology

Life Sciences

Pharmacy

Chemistry

Biology

Bioinformatics

Engineering

Related Scientific or Technical Discipline Why Join Us?

Join a high-impact team helping advance scientific innovation and drug discovery through technology. In this role, you'll partner with researchers and scientific leaders to ensure critical research applications deliver the quality, reliability, and integrity required to accelerate life-changing therapies from discovery to development.

📌 QA Manual Test Lead (Buenos Aires)
🏢 Cognizant
📍 Buenos Aires