Customer request
We were approached by a large European company that develops medical systems for automating diagnostics and managing medical data. The client developed products for clinics and medical centers around the world, so the quality and safety of the software were critical. The main task was to find an experienced QA lead who would be able not only to lead the team, but also to dive deep into testing processes, and most importantly, would be ready to relocate to one of the European countries (Germany or the Netherlands).
- Experience in managing a team of 5-10 people;
- Experience working with high-load systems and testing them (Java, Selenium, Appium);
- Knowledge of CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab CI) and experience working with databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL);
- Experience in developing and implementing automated test scenarios;
- English at the B2+ level;
- Understanding data protection standards (GDPR), preferably in the context of medical systems;
- Readiness to relocate to Europe and adapt to working in an international environment.
- Will be a plus: Understanding medical information systems testing standards (ISO 13485, HIPAA);
Difficulties encountered
- The difficulty of finding a QA lead with management experience and technical expertise.
The main challenge was that the client needed not just a QA engineer, but a team leader who could manage both people and processes. The candidate had to combine strong technical skills, especially in the field of test automation, with leadership skills and strategic management experience. Finding a balance between technical and managerial skills is not an easy task, especially in the narrow field of medical information systems. - Testing high-load medical systems.
Unlike standard high-load projects, medical systems require strict data quality and security standards. Mistakes here can have serious consequences for patients' health. Many candidates, even experienced ones, did not have sufficient knowledge in the medical field, and the client's lax requirements for compliance with standards (for example, ISO 13485) significantly narrowed the pool of candidates. - Relocation requirement.
The candidate had to move to Germany or the Netherlands, which immediately limited the range of specialists. Despite the popularity of working in Europe, not all experienced candidates, especially those in leading positions, were interested in moving, as their current job often provided comfortable remote work conditions or was tied to their country of residence. - High competition for QA leads.
In Europe, there was high competition for lead-level specialists, especially in such popular areas as testing high-load systems. Many QA leads have already worked on successful projects and have not considered changing jobs. Those who were on the market often received offers with better terms or from companies that were willing to offer remote work, which gave them more flexibility. - Tight deadlines and additional filters. In addition to the above difficulties, the client set a tight deadline for filling the vacancy — only three months. Also, at the time we entered the process, the client already had a large stop-list of more than 150 candidates who had previously been considered by other agencies or who the client was looking for on his own. This required us to be more creative in our search and expand our geography.
Recruitment process
After a detailed discussion of all requirements with the client, we decided to focus on a targeted search for candidates with experience in the medical field, as well as in related fields or in systems with high loads (for example, testing complex systems for financial institutions that also apply high security and load requirements). We have stepped up our work on platforms such as LinkedIn, Stack Overflow, GitHub Jobs, as well as specialized Telegram channels.
At the same time, we screened candidates for their readiness to relocate to Europe, offering personalized adaptation programs for their families, as well as providing additional advice on visa and legalization issues.
We decided to focus on passive candidates who were attracted to potentially interesting projects and career opportunities in Europe. Realizing that many specialists in leading positions are not looking for an active job change, our recruiters made individual offers to interest candidates. We also used non-traditional search channels, such as participation in specialized webinars and meetings for QA engineers, which helped expand our contact base.
The result of our work
After a month of active search, we found a candidate working in Russia who had experience testing high-load healthcare systems. He was a QA lead at a company developing a platform for managing medical data, and his experience was ideally suited to the client's requirements. Despite the initial passion of the search, our recruiter managed to interest the candidate in the possibility of relocation to Europe and career growth in an international company.
The candidate understood three technical interviews, during which he confirmed his skills in managing a team and developing automated tests. After successfully completing all the stages, the client made him an offer, which was accepted a few days later. The candidate moved to Germany two months later, successfully completing the relocation process.
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