QA Lead & Test Data Management Specialist - Test Management

CodeNinja is a next-generation technology consulting firm specialising in AI-powered transformation, enterprise software delivery, and Quality Engineering. Headquartered in the Gulf region and operating across the MENA, South Asia, and global markets, CodeNinja partners with Tier-1 banks, government entities, and large enterprises to design, build, and run mission-critical technology programs.

With deep expertise in QA transformation, test automation, DevOps modernisation, and AI/ML engineering, CodeNinja's teams combine global delivery standards with in-market contextual knowledge — ensuring outcomes that are compliant, scalable, and commercially aligned with client objectives.

For the Client's Test Management Enablement & Automation engagement, CodeNinja brings a dedicated 12-person specialist team spanning Test Management, Automation Engineering, AI/ML, and Performance Testing — all governed under a structured 20-week program delivery framework.

About the Role

A senior onsite QA professional who owns the test management strategy and the test data management framework end-to-end. This role combines governance leadership with hands-on TDM execution — acting as the primary liaison with the client's QA team while ensuring test data integrity, traceability, and SAMA compliance across all non-production environments.

Key Responsibilities

Test Management

• Define and own the test management strategy aligned with the client's delivery and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate SIT and UAT activities across multiple application teams and environments.
• Roll out the governance framework including readiness gates, freeze protocols, and phase exit criteria.
• Implement and track the CMMI-aligned test automation maturity model across the client's teams.
• Establish and chair the weekly Technical Review Board with automation leads and DevOps engineers.
• Ensure complete requirement-to-test traceability using Jira/Xray or the client's existing test management platform.
• Monitor environment health, access control compliance, and audit-readiness of all test artefacts.

Test Data Management

• Design and implement the test data catalogue and discovery mechanism across DEV, SIT, and UAT environments.
• Define TDM governance SOPs covering data provisioning, access control, reset/refresh, conditioning, and archival.
• Align data masking and anonymisation standards with SAMA requirements and the client's data protection policies.
• Configure Jira/Xray defect workflows and requirement-to-test traceability across all in-scope applications.
• Establish data ownership models and role-based access controls for test data.
• Support test data conditioning for end-to-end and negative test scenarios.
• Audit and report on TDM compliance and data quality across testing cycles.