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Registration: 04.07.2025
Ekaterina Kokoulina
Specialization: Head of QA
— I build QA departments from scratch and improve existing testing processes.
— I motivate teams, establish effective communication with
developers, business, and clients, and promote a strong quality culture.
— I’ve led teams of 20+ people, including distributed international teams.
— I have over 12 years in IT and nearly 8 years in management.
— I’ve hired and onboarded QA engineers, built testing and automation strategies, reduced production bugs by 20%, and improved team efficiency by 25–30%.
— Worked with clients from the US, Canada, and Europe, supported UAT, and managed direct communication.
— I quickly understand the product, identify risks, suggest practical solutions, and bring structure fast.
— I’m result-oriented and believe that quality is not just a QA function — it’s part of the company culture.
— I build QA departments from scratch and improve existing testing processes.
— I motivate teams, establish effective communication with
developers, business, and clients, and promote a strong quality culture.
— I’ve led teams of 20+ people, including distributed international teams.
— I have over 12 years in IT and nearly 8 years in management.
— I’ve hired and onboarded QA engineers, built testing and automation strategies, reduced production bugs by 20%, and improved team efficiency by 25–30%.
— Worked with clients from the US, Canada, and Europe, supported UAT, and managed direct communication.
— I quickly understand the product, identify risks, suggest practical solutions, and bring structure fast.
— I’m result-oriented and believe that quality is not just a QA function — it’s part of the company culture.
Skills
QA Strategy Development
Test Process Optimization
Test Planning
Documentation
CI/CD
UAT Coordination
Team Management & Development
Cross-functional Communication
Stakeholder Engagement
Crisis Management
Presales Support
Client Presentations
Manual Testing
Requirement Analysis
Team Leadership
People Management
Crisis & Conflict Resolution
Work experience
Head of QA
10.2024 - 02.2025 |Small&Skif
QA, Test Planning, CI/CD, UAT
● Built the QA department from scratch, including hiring, onboarding, grading system, and motivation programs.
● Developed and implemented a QA strategy aligned with the company’s business goals and product development plans.
● Optimized testing processes, increasing team efficiency and product quality.
● Initiated automation efforts (including regression and performance testing) and integrated automated tests into the CI/CD pipeline.
● Managed priorities and resources effectively under tight deadlines and time constraints.
● Coordinated cross-functional collaboration with technical teams to ensure transparency and alignment of QA processes.
● Introduced QA best practices and contributed to process standardization across the company.
● Established clear communication channels between QA, development, product management, and business stakeholders.
● Designed and implemented temporary solutions during crisis situations to mitigate production risks.
● Developed and introduced a quality metrics and reporting system for stakeholders.
● Shaped the strategic vision for QA and fostered a company-wide culture of quality.
● Mentored QA specialists, organized internal training sessions, and encouraged continuous learning and knowledge sharing within the team.
QA Manager
05.2016 - 02.2024 |Netcracker
QA, Test Planning, CI/CD, UAT
● Managed QA teams in distributed international projects.
● Developed and implemented testing strategies (including regression, integration, and UAT), ensuring test coverage aligned with business goals and stakeholder requirements.
● Participated in release management and coordinated UAT preparation.
● Designed and introduced quality metrics; facilitated retrospectives and performance reviews.
● Analyzed requirements for testability and completeness; participated in project documentation reviews.
● Built and developed QA teams: addressed skill gaps, enhanced both technical and soft skills, established mentoring practices, and maintained high team motivation.
● Planned team resources and optimized QA engineers’ workloads under tight deadlines.
● Participated in hiring for QA teams and in selecting and training students for the Netcracker QA educational program.
● Worked closely with international clients (USA, Canada, Europe), providing reports, gathering requirements, and supporting customer-side UAT.
● Supported other QA Leads in adopting and scaling QA best practices across the company.
● Identified QA process inefficiencies and led continuous improvements.
● Created detailed test plans and test scenarios for each release.
● Evaluated requirements for testability and collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure test readiness.
● Collaborated with clients (USA, Canada, Europe) on requirement analysis, risk assessment, release planning, UAT support, and production validation.
● Actively participated in presales: prepared presentations, pilots, and communicated with international stakeholders.
● Led the implementation of test automation (developed by the team) to improve QA efficiency.
● Integrated QA practices into CI/CD workflows in collaboration with development teams.
● Promoted knowledge sharing, mentored colleagues, and conducted team training sessions to boost performance.
Senior QA Engineer
10.2014 - 05.2016 |Netcracker
QA, Test Planning, CI/CD, UAT
● Spent 1.5 months in the US as the sole company representative, assisting end users and ensuring smooth project delivery.
● Prepared comprehensive test status reports for management and clients, highlighting project progress and quality metrics.
● Led the QA team in the US for 4 months as QA Lead, ensuring software quality met client expectations.
● Supervised testing of new and existing features, maintaining quality standards and meeting project deadlines.
● Participated in project planning and risk assessment, identifying and mitigating testing issues at early stages.
QA Engineer
10.2012 - 10.2014 |Netcracker
System Testing, Regression Testing, Integration Testing
● Performed system, regression, and integration testing to ensure all components met quality standards.
● Analyzed business and system requirements, creating detailed functional test cases to ensure full coverage.
● Participated in hiring, contributing to the selection of qualified candidates for the QA team.
● Spent over 2 months in the US as an on-site test lead, supporting the client during User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and ensuring a smooth transition to production.
● Managed a team of 5+ QA engineers, coordinating efforts to meet deadlines and maintain testing quality. Prioritized defects during UAT, working closely with the development team to ensure timely resolution.
● Mentored junior QA engineers, enhancing their skills and improving overall team performance.
Educational background
Applied Mathematics (Masters Degree)
Till 2013
Tolyatti State University
Languages
EnglishAdvancedRussianAdvanced