We are looking for a dedicated **Lead Functional Tester** to join the team as a **Verification \& Validation (V\&V) technical lead**. You will own the overall V\&V strategy and the evidence that platform deliverables work — leading installation, upgrade, and regression testing of the platform on clean clusters, driving the shift from manual checks toward repeatable, automated quality gates, and guiding a small group of QA engineers in day\-to\-day execution. **Responsibilities** * Define and own the V\&V strategy, test approach, and acceptance criteria for the platform and its components * Lead and mentor a team of functional testers: plan work, review test artifacts, coach on debugging techniques, and grow the team's technical depth * Spin up clean Kubernetes environments, orchestrate execution of the platform installer (single\-node and HA profiles, interactive and silent modes), and ensure full health verification of every pod/service * Oversee installation, upgrade, rollback, regression, and integration testing of the platform and its Helm\-packaged components * Drive troubleshooting of complex deployment failures using kubectl, logs, and events; set standards for Helm chart installation, debugging, and cleanup * Validate and formalize GitOps\-driven deployments (Git\-versioned configs reconciled through Flux), including upgrade, rollback, and backup/restore flows * Establish config check and post\-install smoke test standards; define what "working" looks like for each deliverable across the team * Own test plans, test cases, defect lifecycle, and regression suites for installer/CLI changes; ensure traceability and coverage * Lead the design and rollout of automated post\-deployment health checks and pipeline\-integrated quality gates * Produce and sign off on test evidence suitable for a regulated (medical device / healthcare) environment with formal validation and change control * Represent QA in architecture, release, and planning discussions; participate in daily stand\-ups and sprint ceremonies with a distributed, North America\-based scrum team * Interface directly with engineering leads, product owners, and stakeholders to align quality objectives with delivery milestones **Requirements** * 5\+ years of experience in QA, including prior experience leading or coordinating a QA team or V\&V workstream * Strong background in installation, upgrade, regression, and integration testing of complex, distributed products * Deep hands\-on experience with Kubernetes and installing/operating Helm charts * Proven ability to debug non\-trivial deployments and establish team\-wide practices for Helm release/chart management * Expertise in functional testing of containerized products, Docker, and Linux shell * Strong V\&V mindset — ability to design end\-to\-end test strategies and produce clear, traceable, audit\-ready test evidence * Experience mentoring engineers, reviewing test deliverables, and driving quality standards across a team * Clear, concise communication in English (B2\+ level); comfortable working asynchronously with distributed stakeholders * Flexibility to work within US Eastern (ET) business hours **Nice to have** * Experience designing GitOps\-based validation workflows with FluxCD * Familiarity with AWS (EC2, ECR, VPC, IAM) and on\-prem/virtualized setups (VMware vSphere, Proxmox) * Knowledge of Terraform, Ansible, and infrastructure testing tools (Terratest, InSpec, or equivalent) * Hands\-on competency in test automation/scripting (Bash, Python) and CI (Jenkins), with experience setting automation direction for a team * Prior work in regulated or compliance\-sensitive environments (healthcare, medical devices) and basic Java stack knowledge **We offer** * International projects with top brands * Work with global teams of highly skilled, diverse peers * Healthcare benefits * Employee financial programs * Paid time off and sick leave * Upskilling, reskilling and certification courses * Unlimited access to the LinkedIn Learning library and 22,000\+ courses * Global career opportunities * Volunteer and community involvement opportunities * EPAM Employee Groups * Award\-winning culture recognized by Glassdoor, Newsweek and LinkedIn *EPAM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.*