Select your current position

Pick a role and level — we'll show the growth path, skills and gap analysis.

Development path

Junior

0-2 years

Current

Responsibility: Testing by test cases. Writing bug reports. Regression testing. Smoke testing. Learning the product.

Key skills:

E2E Testing Need
Security Testing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Middle

2-5 years

Next

Responsibility: Writing test cases and checklists. Exploratory testing. API testing (Postman). Acceptance testing. Working with TMS.

Key skills:

E2E Testing Need
Security Testing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Senior

5-8 years

Responsibility: Project test strategy. Risk-based testing. Security testing basics. Mentoring. Quality process analysis.

Key skills:

AI Test Generation Need
ChatGPT / Claude Need
Code Review Need
Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
ELK Stack Need
Git Advanced Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
GitHub Copilot Need
GraphQL Design Need
OWASP & Application Security Need
PostgreSQL Need
REST API Design Need
Security Testing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Webhooks & Integrations Need
Documentation as Code Need
API Documentation Need
Integration Testing Need
Code Quality & Refactoring Need
Mobile Testing Need
API Versioning Strategies Need
Structured Logging Need
Data Structures Need
API Testing Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Lead / Staff

7-12 years

Responsibility: QA processes for team/department. Quality metrics. Coordination with product and development. Testing prioritization.

Key skills:

AI Test Generation Need
ChatGPT / Claude Need
Code Review Need
Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
ELK Stack Need
Git Advanced Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
GitHub Copilot Need
GraphQL Design Need
OWASP & Application Security Need
PostgreSQL Need
REST API Design Need
Security Testing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Webhooks & Integrations Need
Documentation as Code Need
API Documentation Need
Integration Testing Need
Code Quality & Refactoring Need
Mobile Testing Need
API Versioning Strategies Need
Structured Logging Need
Data Structures Need
API Testing Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Principal

10+ years

Responsibility: Quality culture. Company QA strategy. Balancing manual/automation. Process improvement.

Key skills:

AI Test Generation Need
ChatGPT / Claude Need
Code Review Need
Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
ELK Stack Need
Git Advanced Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
GitHub Copilot Need
GraphQL Design Need
OWASP & Application Security Need
PostgreSQL Need
REST API Design Need
Security Testing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Webhooks & Integrations Need
Documentation as Code Need
API Documentation Need
Integration Testing Need
Code Quality & Refactoring Need
Mobile Testing Need
API Versioning Strategies Need
Structured Logging Need
Data Structures Need
API Testing Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Gap analysis: skills to develop

To reach the next level you'll need to develop:

E2E Testing

Independently designs comprehensive E2E test suites: risk-based test prioritization, cross-browser/cross-device test matrices, and data-driven scenario design. Creates E2E test strategies that balance coverage with execution time. Implements exploratory testing techniques alongside scripted E2E scenarios. Collaborates with automation engineers on E2E test automation priorities.

Security Testing

Independently conducts manual security testing: exploratory security testing sessions, authentication/authorization bypass attempts, and input validation boundary testing. Creates comprehensive security test plans covering OWASP guidelines. Collaborates with pentest team on vulnerability verification. Implements security-focused test design techniques.

TDD & BDD

Independently writes comprehensive BDD scenarios: complex multi-step workflows with scenario outlines, data-driven scenarios for parameterized testing, and background sections for shared preconditions. Collaborates with developers to align BDD scenarios with implementation. Reviews BDD scenarios from team members for clarity and completeness.

Unit Testing

Independently applies unit testing knowledge in QA work: interprets test coverage gaps to focus manual testing, reviews unit test results for regression detection, coordinates manual and automated test coverage. Integrates test result analysis into defect reporting workflow.

Integration Testing

Independently designs comprehensive integration test plans covering multi-system workflows and data migration scenarios. Applies structured test design techniques for complex cross-module interactions. Documents integration test matrices and tracks coverage across system boundaries.

Mobile Testing

Independently develops comprehensive mobile test plans with structured device matrices and exploratory testing charters. Applies test design techniques for usability, gesture navigation, and responsive layout validation. Integrates manual test results and device coverage reports into CI/CD workflows.

Accessibility Testing

Independently designs and executes manual accessibility test plans covering WCAG 2.1 success criteria across web applications. Tests complex interaction patterns with screen readers including dynamic content updates, modal focus trapping, and form error announcement. Performs cross-browser and cross-device accessibility testing, documenting findings with severity ratings and remediation guidance for development teams.

Test Pyramid & Strategy

Independently evaluates test coverage across pyramid levels and identifies where manual testing adds the most value. Designs exploratory testing sessions targeting gaps that automation cannot effectively cover. Collaborates with developers to shift testing left and reduce reliance on expensive E2E tests.

Test Data Management

Independently designs comprehensive test data sets covering edge cases and boundary conditions. Creates reusable data templates for regression testing. Manages test data repositories and coordinates data preparation across multiple testing environments.

Test Environment Management

Independently manages multiple test environments for different testing phases. Coordinates environment scheduling across QA team members to prevent conflicts. Maintains environment configuration documentation and handles environment refresh cycles between test iterations.

Career transitions

Possible career trajectories for the <strong>QA Engineer (Manual)</strong> role

📈 Growth 1

Where you can grow from this role

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