Role & seniority: QA Manager (IT); senior/leadership role overseeing QA strategy and delivery.

Stack/tools: Quality assurance across functional, regression, integration, performance/load, and security testing; test plans, cases, and results review; defect tracking and reporting. Proficiency with generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot) to enhance workflows.

Top 3 responsibilities

Define, maintain, and govern QA strategy, standards, and best practices; establish quality metrics/KPIs.
Oversee test planning, design, execution, reporting, and ensure comprehensive test coverage.
Lead and develop QA engineers/testers; manage workload, performance, and foster a quality-first culture; produce regular quality reporting.

Must-have skills

8+ years of Quality Analyst experience; 3+ years in leadership.
Ability to translate business requirements into technical requirements and prioritization.
Experience with multiple testing types (functional, regression, integration, performance, security) and defect lifecycle.
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and strong people leadership capabilities.
Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools to improve processes.

Nice-to-haves

Experience in performance and security testing specifics; data-driven process improvement.
Strong analytical skills for trend analysis and decision-making.

Location & work type: Hybrid role based in Springfield, IL or Plano, TX; not remote.

Full Description

This position will be hybrid out of either Springfield, IL or Plano, TX. It is not a remote position. Horace Mann is seeking an experienced and strategic Quality Assurance (QA) Manager in IT. The Quality Assurance (QA) Manager in IT is responsible for ensuring that software products, systems, and processes meet defined quality standards before release and throughout their lifecycle. The role blends technical oversight, process governance, and people leadership. Define and maintain the QA strategy, standards, and best practices. Establish quality metrics and KPIs (defect density, test coverage, escape rate, etc.). Continuously improve QA processes using retrospectives and root-cause analysis.  Oversee test planning, design, execution, and reporting for projects and releases.

 Ensure appropriate testing coverage across

Functional testing
Regression testing
Integration testing
Performance & load testing
Security testing
 Review test plans, test cases, and test results.
 Ensure defects are properly logged, prioritized, tracked, and resolved.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead, mentor, and develop QA engineers and testers.
Assign work, manage capacity, and ensure balanced workloads.
Conduct performance reviews and support skill development (manual, automation, performance, security testing).
Foster a quality-first mindset across teams.
Reporting & Metrics
Provide regular quality reports and dashboards.
Analyze trends in defects, test effectiveness, and release outcomes.
Use data to guide process improvements and investment decisions.
Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or equivalent experience.

Experience

3+ years of experience in leadership.
Proven track record of making strategic prioritization decisions that drive business value.
8+ years of Quality Analyst experience.
Skills & Competencies

Technical & Business Expertise: . Ability to translate business requirements into technical requirements and development prioritization. Proficiency in leveraging generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar to enhance development workflows.

Pay Range

$99,100.00 - $146,050.00
Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.
Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two Springfield, Illinois, teachers who saw a need for quality, affordable auto insurance for teachers. Since then, we’ve broadened our mission to helping all educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successful tomorrow. And with our broadened mission has come corporate growth: We serve more than 4,100 school districts nationwide, we’re publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: HMN) and we have more than $12 billion in assets.