QA Engineer (Manual)
Ensuring software quality through manual and exploratory testing
QA Engineer (Manual) is a role in the QA Engineering family. It has 46 skills across 5 levels (from Junior to Principal). 110 skills are mandatory. Key domains: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Database Management.
Technology Stack
Focus by Level
Testing by test cases. Writing bug reports. Regression testing. Smoke testing. Learning the product.
Writing test cases and checklists. Exploratory testing. API testing (Postman). Acceptance testing. Working with TMS.
Project test strategy. Risk-based testing. Security testing basics. Mentoring. Quality process analysis.
QA processes for team/department. Quality metrics. Coordination with product and development. Testing prioritization.
Quality culture. Company QA strategy. Balancing manual/automation. Process improvement.
Skill Matrix
46 skills × 5 levels. Click on a cell for details.
AI-Assisted Development
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | A | W | A | E | E |
| Cursor IDE | A | W | A | E | E |
| ChatGPT / Claude | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prompt Engineering for Code | A | W | A | E | — |
| AI Test Generation | A | W | A | E | E |
API & Integration
6 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST API Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| GraphQL Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| Webhooks & Integrations | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Versioning Strategies | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Documentation | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
Architecture & System Design
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Design Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
Backend Development
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redis | A | W | A | E | E |
Cloud & Infrastructure
4 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kubernetes Core | A | W | A | E | E |
| AWS | A | W | A | E | E |
| Network Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
Database Management
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | A | W | A | E | E |
DevOps & CI/CD
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions / GitLab CI | A | W | A | E | E |
Observability & Monitoring
4 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Logging | A | W | A | E | E |
| ELK Stack | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prometheus & Grafana | A | W | A | E | E |
| OpenTelemetry | A | W | A | E | E |
Programming Fundamentals
8 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms & Complexity | A | W | A | E | E |
| Data Structures | A | W | A | E | E |
| OOP & SOLID Principles | A | W | A | E | E |
| Design Patterns | A | W | A | E | E |
| Multithreading | A | W | A | E | E |
| Async Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Quality & Refactoring | A | W | A | E | E |
| Type Safety & Type Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
Security
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP & Application Security | A | W | A | E | E |
| Secure Coding Practices | A | W | A | E | E |
Testing & QA
10 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Pyramid & Strategy | A | W | A | E | E |
| TDD & BDD | A | W | A | E | E |
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Integration Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| E2E Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Accessibility Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Mobile Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Security Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Test Data Management | A | W | A | E | E |
| Test Environment Management | A | W | A | E | E |
Version Control & Collaboration
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git Advanced | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Review | A | W | A | E | E |
| Documentation as Code | A | W | A | E | E |
FAQ
What skills are needed for the QA Engineer (Manual) role?
The QA Engineer (Manual) role requires 46 skills, of which 110 are mandatory. Skills are distributed across 5 levels: from Junior to Principal. See full matrix.
How to advance to the next level in the QA Engineer (Manual) role?
Use the Grade Calculator to assess your current level and get personalized recommendations. The system will show which skills need to be developed for the next level.
What tech stack is used in the QA Engineer (Manual) role?
The stack includes 5 technologies at different levels. JIRA/YouTrack, TestRail/Qase, Chrome DevTools, Postman basics, Charles Proxy basics, JIRA/YouTrack, TestRail/Qase, Postman advanced, Charles Proxy/Fiddler, SQL basics, REST API understanding, SQL, API testing, Security testing basics, Performance testing basics, Test management, Analytics...
How does the community define requirements for the QA Engineer (Manual) role?
Role requirements are shaped by the community through a proposal system. Any member can suggest changes that go through voting and expert review.