QA Specialist (Education Platforms)

QA Specialist (Education Platforms)

• 32 to 40 hours
• €4791 - €6845

You're the one who spots what others miss. You're the one who reports a bug before it makes it to production, but you also help the Technical Product Manager understand why something went wrong. As a QA Specialist at SURF, you don't work in a corner you're right in the middle of the team, bridging the gap between developers and product, and making a visible contribution to services used daily by thousands of people in education.

Where you will work

SURF is the IT cooperative for Dutch education and research institutions. Together with them, we work on digital services and complex innovation challenges to improve the quality of education and research.

Within our Accessible and Open Education & Research (AOER) unit, we collaborate with institutions to develop smart solutions for flexible education, digital learning materials, and the sharing of educational data. As a QA Specialist, you'll play your part in this effort.

The team you will join

You'll be joining the development team: a relatively new and growing team of platform engineers, developers, and designers. We have an open atmosphere and help each other out whenever needed. As part of this team, you'll be assigned to the product teams for Publinova, SURFsharekit, and edusources. You'll also work closely with the Content Exchange Platform (the platform on which these services run) within the unit.

For us, quality isn't an afterthought-it's woven into every sprint. You'll be the one to monitor it, ask questions about it, and make it visible. And you won't be alone in this: you'll work closely with Technical Product Managers (TPMs) and serve as the bridge between them and the developers.

What you will do

You'll be employed full-time as a QA Specialist and responsible for quality assurance for Publinova, SURFsharekit, and edusources. That means you'll not only perform testing but also contribute ideas on how we can improve our processes.

Preparation per sprint:

• Reviewing acceptance criteria and testable user stories
• Setting up the test environment and test data
• Coordinating with the team on scope and priorities

QA support during sprints:

• Conducting acceptance and regression tests
• Verifying implementations against acceptance criteria
• Reporting findings and identifying risks early on
• Providing early feedback during sprint execution to ensure quality

Ongoing support:

• Analyzing reported bugs and service desk requests
• Coordinating with external development partners on the content and scheduling of fixes
• Advising on quality improvements for existing and new functionality
• Strategic quality assurance at the process level

Your skills and experience

We're looking for candidates with experience and/or knowledge in the following areas:

• Test execution in an Agile/Scrum environment, preferably based on existing test documentation and acceptance criteria
• Experience with SQL for database analysis
• Experience with API testing tools
• Reporting findings in a way that is understandable to both developers and non-technical stakeholders

In addition to technical skills, we're also looking for someone who:

• Is a strong communicator and switches effortlessly between developers, TPMs, and the service desk
• Is sociable and a team player you're a true connector, not just a go-between
• Can maintain an overview of multiple services simultaneously without compromising quality
• Is curious, constructively critical, and proactive about identifying areas for improvement
• Communicates effectively in both Dutch and English

It's a plus if you:

• Have experience with regression testing on larger platforms or across multiple services simultaneously
• Have experience with end-to-end or integration testing across multiple services or platforms
• Have an affinity for social or education-related issues
• Have experience with test automation or are interested in pursuing it to further your professional development

SURF takes pleasure in doing its recruitment itself; acquisition is therefore not appreciated.

Applying for a job at SURF

This is what you can expect

Apply

After submitting your application, you will immediately receive a confirmation e-mail.

Response

After the the closing date, you will receive a response from our recruitment team.

First interview

We invite you to our office, because we want to get to know you.

Second interview

We invite you again for an interview with others who also want to get to know you.

Assessment

We may ask you to do an assignment (assessment).

Are you the right person?

Then you will receive a salary offer from one of our HR advisors.

Welcome to SURF!

You join onboarding activities with other new colleagues.

Location Moreelsepark 48, 3511 EP, Utrecht Degree HBO+/WO Employment Fixed term with permanent employment intention Salary €4791 - €6845 Hours per week 32 to 40 hours Deadline 09 August 2026 Substantive questions

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