Life as a QA manager at NextGen

We sat down with Catherine, an industry veteran in QA, to learn what keeps her and her team busy. For Catherine, being a QA Manager isn’t just about finding what’s broken; it’s about being the glue that keeps the development cycle moving. Her goal is simple: enable her team to do their best work by clearing roadblocks and ensuring every daily assignment is crystal clear.

What does a typical day look like for you? It’s a mix of strategy and support. I act as a central point of contact, tracking results for stakeholders and reviewing testing standards. I’m constantly in the loop on new customers and technology changes, leveraging my experience to connect the right people with the right expertise so the team stays unblocked. Keeping an eye out on what’s next is also crucially important.

What is the QA team currently working on that excites you?

• Open Banking: We’re diving deep into Open Banking, automating financial data collection to simplify lending.
• AI innovation: We’re also investigating how to use AI for testing to continuously expand our coverage.
• The goal: We aren’t just following scripts; we’re continually innovating and looking for opportunities to streamline our practices.

What are your biggest challenges and how do you solve them? Time pressure is the classic QA hurdle. We tackle this through:

• Early visibility: Meeting with developers early to understand complexity before the code even reaches us.
• Automation: We rely heavily on automation for regression tests.
• Collaboration: Working directly with Architects to ensure testability is baked into our products from day one.

How would you describe the culture and career growth here? We are a highly social, help-first team. We collaborate across every group from BAs to Devs. Growth isn’t one-size-fits-all; you can specialise as a Subject Matter Expert, lead a team or even transition into Project Management. In fact, many of our current leaders across NextGen started right here in the Test Team.

What mindset helps someone truly thrive in QA? You need to be a proactive learner. Because our product is constantly evolving, adaptability and communication are essential. We value people who:

1. Are curious about the business
2. Manage their time well
3. Are not afraid to ask for help early