Senior QA - Quality Coach (Digital Bank in Tokyo)

Japan, Tokyo Hybrid (remote + office) Testing / QA Freelance

LOCATION REQUIREMENT
You must already be living in Japan with valid work authorization. We are not sponsoring relocation or visa transfers from overseas for this role. Applications from outside Japan will not be considered.

TIMING, SAID PLAINLY
We are building the shortlist now for the next opening on this team. There is no fixed start date yet. If the profile below sounds like you, it is still worth a conversation: we would rather know you before the seat reopens than after.

CONTEXT
Our client is building a new digital bank in Tokyo, backed by established players in Japanese finance. Several Scrum teams deliver in parallel, and the QA function is still setting the practices that will have to hold once the bank grows.

THE ROLE: COACHING QUALITY ACROSS TEAMS
The QA lead has been clear about who they want next: a senior with real experience in quality coaching, who has driven quality improvements across several teams and not only inside one squad. Test automation is owned by a separate, dedicated team, so a profile built mainly around automation is not the fit here.
• Coach developers and product owners so the teams own quality themselves: story and acceptance criteria reviews, testability, a Definition of Done that actually means something.
• Drive improvements across teams: a shared test strategy by level (unit, API, integration, E2E), shift-left habits, a few quality metrics the teams really look at.
• Bring risk-based thinking into planning. Identify the key risks from business impact and likelihood of failure, and prioritise from there.
• Stay close to the work. You can still write a test plan from scratch and review someone else's test cases.

WORKING SETUP
Two days a week on site in Tokyo. Contractor through Abbeal, or a permanent contract with Abbeal if you prefer.

PROFILE
• Currently based in Japan with valid work authorization (no relocation or visa sponsorship for this role).
• Senior in QA, with a track record in quality coaching, quality enablement or a QA lead role spanning several teams. Tell us what you changed, and across how many teams.
• A solid grasp of JSTQB / ISTQB concepts. Certification is a plus; real command of the concepts is what counts.
• Day-to-day experience in Scrum or other agile teams, working with developers and product owners.
• A solid foundation in computer science.
• Banking or another regulated domain is welcome, not required.

LANGUAGE
English inside the teams, and Japanese to work with the product owners and read requirements written in Japanese. JLPT N2 or higher is required, this is not negotiable on the client side. If you hold a JLPT certificate, keep the certificate number at hand.

PROCESS
Two interviews on the client side: a first round with a senior QA engineer, then a round with the QA manager that switches to Japanese partway through. We prepare you for both in detail, because we know the questions that get asked.

Hybrid (remote + office)

Country / Region

Japan

Prefecture (State)

Tokyo

Location (Address)

Minato-ku

1-23-5 Higashi-Azabu