QA Engineer
StableVerifying software quality through structured testing across the delivery lifecycle
QA Engineer Salary
United Kingdom
£30,000 – £60,000
United States
$60,000 – $105,000
Varies by location, sector, and experience. Last updated: 2025.
What Is a QA Engineer?
A QA Engineer designs and executes tests to verify that software behaves correctly, performs reliably, and meets the requirements it was built to satisfy. The role sits within software delivery teams and works alongside developers, product managers, and designers throughout the development lifecycle — not just at the end of it. Modern QA Engineers are active participants in defining acceptance criteria, identifying edge cases early, and building the automated test suites that protect software quality at pace.
The discipline has evolved significantly. QA Engineers today are expected to combine manual testing judgement with automation skills — writing test scripts, maintaining CI/CD-integrated test pipelines, and using tools like Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright alongside structured exploratory testing techniques. The role is a strong entry point into a software engineering career and a well-established stepping stone into test automation engineering, development, or DevOps for those who want to move further into technical roles.
What Does a QA Engineer Do?
- Write and execute test plans, test cases, and exploratory sessions covering new features and bug fixes
- Define and review acceptance criteria with product managers and developers during sprint planning and backlog refinement
- Identify, document, and track defects with clear reproduction steps, severity ratings, and supporting evidence
- Build and maintain automated test suites for regression and smoke testing across the core product surface
- Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to catch regressions before changes reach production environments
- Assess risk and prioritise testing effort based on feature complexity, change scope, and business impact
QA Engineer Skills
Hard Skills
- Functional Testing
- Regression Testing
- Test Planning
- Acceptance Criteria Definition
- Bug Reporting
- Exploratory Testing
- Unit Testing
- User Acceptance Testing
- Performance Testing
- Agile Methodology
Soft Skills
- Analytical ThinkingIdentifying edge cases early
- Attention to DetailCatching defects before release
- CollaborationEmbedded within delivery teams
- CommunicationArticulating defects to developers
- Methodical ApproachStructuring repeatable test coverage
- OwnershipMaintaining quality across the sprint
QA Engineer Tools & Software
How to Become a QA Engineer
Typical Route
QA Engineering does not require a specific degree, and most US job descriptions state no mandatory qualification. Where candidates hold degrees, Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Information Technology are the most common disciplines. Community colleges and four-year state universities both produce viable QA candidates — programs at Oregon State and Arizona State include software testing modules within broader computing curricula. Candidates from mathematics or science backgrounds who develop programming skills are regularly hired into junior QA roles.
Alternative Route
ISTQB Foundation Level is the most widely recognised entry credential in QA and appears frequently in US job descriptions; ASTQB is the US national board administering the exam. For automation-focused roles, self-study in Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright supported by a public GitHub portfolio of working test suites is a strong entry signal. The Ministry of Testing community provides structured learning paths used by US practitioners. Bootcamp providers including Fullstack Academy and Codecademy Pro cover test automation within software engineering tracks.
A Day in the Life of a QA Engineer
Morning
Afternoon
QA Engineer Career Path
Junior QA / Manual Tester
0–2 yrs
QA Engineer
2–4 yrs
Senior QA Engineer
4–6 yrs
Test Automation Engineer / QA Lead
6–7 yrs
Head of QA / SDET / Software Engineer
7+ yrs
QA Engineer Job Outlook
QA Engineering is a consistent hiring area across software delivery teams. Demand is steady — every organisation shipping software needs quality assurance capability. QA Engineers who develop strong automation skills alongside manual testing judgement are in the strongest market position. The role is also a well-established entry point into broader software engineering careers for those who want to progress toward development or DevOps.