QA Manager- Communications

The Manager of Citizens’ Communications Quality Assurance team leads the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of quality assurance processes for personalized customer-facing communications across digital channels, including email, SMS, mobile applications, and real-time decisioning platforms prior to production release. This role ensures accuracy, compliance, consistency, and customer-level precision in all outbound communications, enabling Citizens to deliver high-quality, error-free customer experiences. The QA Manager will also work closely with the Communications Platform Product Owners on the development and oversight of end-to-end data and process controls contributing to the overall health of the communications platform. 

The QA Manager is responsible for overseeing a team of QA specialists, establishing testing and governance standards, partnering with cross-functional stakeholders, and driving process optimization through automation, data-driven insights, and innovation, such as introducing AI capabilities to the QA process. They will also drive continuous improvement through metrics, audits, and root-cause analysis. The ideal candidate balances strong people leadership with hands-on QA expertise and the ability to influence outcomes across marketing, technology, and compliance teams.

Primary Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop Communications Quality Assurance Specialists, fostering a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Set clear performance expectations and conduct regular feedback, coaching, and performance reviews.

• Provide guidance on complex testing scenarios, data interpretation, and prioritization of competing initiatives.

Quality Assurance Strategy & Execution

• Define and maintain QA standards, testing methodologies, and governance frameworks for personalized customer communications.

• Oversee end-to-end testing across channels to ensure correct message delivery, eligibility logic, sequencing, formatting, and personalization accuracy.

• Review and approve QA test strategies, test data, and validation results prior to deployment.

• Ensure audit-ready documentation and adherence to internal controls and regulatory requirements.

Process Optimization & Automation

• Identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, and automate QA testing and data management processes.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives leveraging tools, analytics, and best practices to reduce defects and increase testing efficiency.

• Establish metrics and KPIs (e.g., defect rates, cycle time, rework) to measure QA effectiveness and report results to leadership.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Product, Technology, Data, Compliance, and Governance teams to align on requirements and testing timelines.

• Manage stakeholder review and approval workflows, ensuring governance protocols are followed consistently.

• Serve as a trusted advisor, challenging assumptions constructively and influencing decisions through clear, data-driven insights.

Platform & Data Oversight

• Provide oversight for QA activities related to decisioning platforms such as Pega (or equivalent), including test data preparation and deployment readiness.

• Ensure appropriate use of data, logic, and customer attributes to support accurate personalization.

• Stay informed of platform enhancements, tool improvements, and industry QA best practices.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to mentor and develop analytical professionals.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.

• Proven experience managing QA, testing, or analytics functions in a data-driven or digital communications environment.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerP