QA/Business Analyst Job at Acceleration Academies in Chicago

Salary: $90,000-$98,000 a year

Acceleration Academies is passionate about improving student outcomes. We provide two capabilities that drive student success. Our dropout recovery and student re-engagement program (Acceleration Academies), is an innovative education partner helping young adults overcome real-life challenges to earn their high school diploma tuition-free through partnerships with state or local school districts across the country. Our technology platform (Incite®) enables data-driven teaching and learning. These offerings are both rooted in our belief that every student deserves access to the best instruction, tools and resources possible. We offer opportunities for flexible working hours as well.

Position Title: QA/Business Analyst

Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

Location: Remote, travel occasionally for meetings/trainings

Compensation: $90,000 - $98,000 

Employment Type: Full-time, at-will

Benefits: 401(k) with up to 4% company match; Flexible Paid Time Off; Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA, Life, Disability, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, & Accident insurance coverages available; Employer-paid financial wellness program; Employee referral incentives; Certification reimbursement program; Bonus opportunities

Job Responsibilities 

• Work closely with the development team to ensure products are designed and created with the highest quality standards.
• Conduct thorough testing on multiple proprietary software applications to identify defects and ensure functionality.
• Assist with managing and understanding client-requested features and enhancements, ensuring clear communication across teams.
• Document new features and development projects for future reference.
• Identify and report software defects, collaborating with cross-functional teams to resolve issues efficiently.
• Design and implement test plans to ensure software products meet performance and quality standards.
• Develop and maintain automated testing frameworks and scripts to improve testing efficiency.
• Perform regular regression testing to confirm that existing software continues to perform after updates or changes.
• Evaluate and implement new testing tools and technologies to enhance the QA process and product quality.
• Liaise with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to communicate testing progress, results, and risks.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define and support user acceptance testing (UAT), ensuring products meet both user and business requirements.
• Actively engage in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and review meetings to provide QA insights during development cycles.
• Mentor and train junior QA staff to help them improve their testing skills.
• Monitor key quality assurance metrics (e.g., defect counts, defect densities) and provide insights into product quality.
• Continuously update skills on testing methodologies and industry trends to apply best practices in QA.
  

Job Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Years of experience: 2-4 years of experience in Quality Assurance, software testing, or a related field

Background Check: Appropriate state and federal criminal history clearance

• Experience with QA processes for proprietary software applications, including manual testing and ticketing.
• Proficiency in using QA tools and methodologies, Preferably JIRA
• Knowledge of MongoDb, NodeJS, or Javascript.
• Familiarity with ticketing systems and tracking tools to manage feature requests, bugs, and testing feedback.
• Basic understanding of programming languages to assist in creating automated test scripts (if required for the role).
• Knowledge of testing frameworks and experience in documenting and analyzing test cases.
• Strong analytical skills to identify, track, and resolve software defects effectively.
• Detail-oriented with a critical eye for identifying inconsistencies and issues within software systems.
• Excellent communication skills for coordinating with development teams, reporting issues, and providing clear documentation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams (e.g., development, product management, IT) to ensure quality standards are met.
• Ability to manage multiple testing projects, track progress, and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in requirements gathering and documenting development project specifications
  

Core Competencies 

The following core competencies define what the organization requires of its employees to succeed and how we expect overall goals to be accomplished each and every day.

• Communication & Interpersonal Skills
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Quality Assurance Expertise
• Flexibility & Adaptability
• Honesty, Integrity & Reliability
• Data-Driven Decision-Making
• Problem-Solving and Attention to Detail
  

Acceleration Academies is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. It is understood that other related duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform all aspects of the position, described above satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

remote work