Balsam Brands is a multi-brand eCommerce retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. Based in Silicon Valley, the company operates market-leading website such as www.BalsamHill.com. We strive for excellence in everything we do and have been honored to receive the following awards as a result:

• Forbes: America’s Best Small Companies (2016)
• Inc. 5000: America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• San Francisco Business Times: Fast 100 – Fastest Growing Bay Area Companies (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Silicon Valley Business Journal: 75 Fastest Growing Private Companies (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

The company’s outward focus on building trusted consumer brands along with its internal focus on excellence and being a great place to work have propelled it to consistent, rapid growth.

In 2021, Balsam International, our Regional Operating Headquarters in the Philippines, received the Great Place To Work recognition which is a testament to the People First culture that we have built over the years. Functioning remotely since 2010, our team of hard-working, passionate professionals contributes significantly to the company's success. Team members in the Philippines get a company-issued laptop on their first day and enjoy full employee benefits including mandatories (SSS, PAG-IBIG, PhilHealth), 13th month pay, healthcare coverage +2 dependents, internet subsidy (after regularization), continuous learning benefits, access to counseling sessions, paid time off (including volunteer days and holiday breaks). The meal subsidies, company trips and other perks are just the cherry on top of the long-term work-from-home setup.

Balsam International is looking for a Software QA Engineer who will be responsible for doing software testing and Quality Assurance. You must be hardworking and trustworthy, with keen attention to detail. You must have excellent time management skills and proactive communication practices. The level of the position that will be offered will be subject to the results of the recruitment process.

What you'll be doing:

• Write, review and execute BDD test cases
• Collaborate with teammates during mind mapping/requirements traceability sessions
• Review business requirements, acceptance criteria, technical designs to provide timely and meaningful feedback
• Raise defects with detailed information and replication steps including screenshots or recordings as proof
• Collaborate with teammates to establish internal processes and best practices for Software Quality Assurance, with internal teams (e.g. Developers, Product Managers) and with cross-functional teams in the U.S., Philippines, and India, to identify or refine system requirements
• Perform thorough regression tests, white or black box testing of new and existing functionalities
• Review and collate test execution results and report them to the project teams
• Attend live deployments and monitor deployment status after performing sanity testing
• Automate manual test scripts using Cucumber for Java
• Conduct code reviews on teammates' pull requests
• Plan automated suites to support project teams during regression testing

Other Responsibilities:

• Participate in agile ceremonies like scrum meetings, sprint planning, project retrospectives and provide personal inputs and updates
• Document test estimations, strategy, and scope in the test plan and coordinate it with the project team including the developers and stakeholders
• Assess the scope of regression testing and create test suites in Zephyr for JIRA
• Propose and implement process improvements that could benefit not just the QA team, but the project team as well

What we're looking for:

• Minimum of 1-year experience as a Software QA Engineer or similar role, with automation testing
• Must have experience in using Selenium Webdriver for Java (or other similar technologies)
• Must have experience in working in any Database related projects (SQL, Oracle, etc.)
• Must have experience in using APIs and how to control them
• Must have experience writing test plans, test reports, and test cases
• Must have knowledge of software QA concepts and methodology
• Must have strong analytical and problem-solving skills
•  Must be able to communicate and collaborate within the team
• Must have a high proficiency in the English language. Excellent written English is required.
• Must have strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Must be comfortable in working through a task via electronic means (email, chat, and task management applications)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or relevant industry is a plus

Location: The Software QA Engineer position is a long-term remote working position for Balsam International Unlimited Philippine ROHQ in Manila. Team members in the Philippines are located within Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan or certain parts of Laguna only (Biñan, Cabuyao, Calamba, Los Baños, San Pedro and Santa Rosa).

Our must haves:

• Must attend occasional in-person meetings depending on the status of the pandemic. For 2022, all in-person gatherings in Balsam are suspended until further notice.
• Must have a fast, reliable DSL, Fiber, or Broadband connection (not mobile or broadband stick) as the primary internet connection with a minimum actual speed of 10MBPS.
• Must have a back-up internet connection of the same speed, if primary connection becomes spotty.

Note: An online assessment will also be part of the recruitment process

Status: Full Time 

Hardware Provision: Company-issued laptop will be provided on the first day.

What we offer team members:

• Government-mandated Benefits (SSS, PAG-IBIG, PhilHealth)
• 13th Month Pay
• Paid Leaves. We use time off to rest, go on vacation, or just sleep in! Our paid time off is flexible to our needs.
• Internet Subsidy. With internet allowance, we are set up for success.
• Healthcare Coverage (+ 2 dependents). We worry less about rising medical costs with flexible quality healthcare benefits.
• Maternity, Paternity, and Solo Parent Benefit. We make sure parents are supported while they navigate work and family life.
• Continuous Learning and Professional Development Benefit. Our professional and personal development are fully supported. Whether it be online courses, workshops or books!
• Mental Health Support. We manage work and life's challenges through Mental Health Day breaks, 24/7 professional counselling, and curated webinars.
• Company Incentive. An additional cash-based perk for all our Brandits based on company's performance.
• Meeting & Team Building Allowance. Happy tummies make our meetings more fun and productive!
• Shutdown Week. We can spend more time on things that matter with an additional one week paid time off on top of paid leaves.
• Volunteer Time Off. With two paid days off, we are able to volunteer for advocacies we believe in.
• Bereavement Leave. We get additional paid leaves when a loved one passes to grieve and provide immediate support to our families.