Hire a QA engineer. First shortlist in 4 days.
PassRidge sends a first shortlist for a QA hire in a median of 4 working days. Every candidate has completed a role-specific assignment that we review, and pay is shown before you interview. Permanent placement costs 15-22% of first-year pay, paid after the start date.
Reply within one working day. Candidates stay anonymous until they agree to an introduction. No fee if you do not hire.
Fifteen QA roles, one process.
Pick the role to see its shortlist time, a cost calculator, an example profile and a job description you can copy. We hire QA only, so every recruiter knows the work.
Hire a Manual QA Tester
Exploratory, regression and acceptance testing on web and mobile products.
Hire a QA Automation Engineer
Builds and maintains UI and API test suites that run in CI on every commit.
Hire an SDET
Software engineer who owns test infrastructure, tooling and quality gates.
Hire a QA Lead / Manager
Sets test strategy, runs the QA team and reports quality risk to the business.
Hire a Mobile QA Engineer
Tests native and cross-platform apps on real devices, with and without automation.
Hire a Performance Test Engineer
Models load, finds bottlenecks and signs off capacity before peak traffic.
Hire a Security / Penetration Tester
Attacks applications before someone else does, then helps fix what breaks.
Hire a Game QA Tester
Plays builds on PC, console and mobile to find bugs before players do.
Hire an Accessibility Tester
Audits products against WCAG 2.2 with assistive technology and automation.
Hire a Business / Test Analyst
Turns requirements into test conditions and runs user acceptance with the business.
Hire a Data / ETL QA Engineer
Validates pipelines, warehouses and reports so the numbers can be trusted.
Hire a Localization QA Tester
Checks translated products for language, layout and cultural fit in-market.
Hire an AI / LLM Evaluation QA
Evaluates model outputs, writes rubrics and builds regression sets for AI features.
Hire a Release / DevOps Engineer
Owns pipelines, environments and release trains that ship quality on schedule.
Hire a Technical Writer (QA / Docs)
Writes the test documentation, runbooks and API docs engineers actually use.
Four ways to add a QA engineer.
The same candidate pool, different contracts. Choose by how long you need the person and who should employ them.
Permanent hire
A one-time placement fee after the start date. The engineer joins your payroll.
PricingContract
An engineer on a fixed term, billed monthly at pay rate plus 22%.
PricingOutsourced team
Augmentation, a dedicated team, project work or managed QA from one hourly rate.
ModelsFlex capacity
Vetted testers for 3-4 hours a day on a scoped task, for one to three weeks.
PricingPermanent fee: 15-22% of first-year pay by level, due after the start date, with a replacement search if the hire leaves or is dismissed for performance within 90 days. Contract: pay rate plus 22%. This is a clause in the client agreement.
How long each role takes.
Working days from a complete brief to up to three profiles with assignment results. Common roles are faster because the pool is deep; rare combinations take longer, and we say so on the first call.
The figures are medians for our recent searches. A brief with a clear stack and pay range shortens any search.
Six stages from brief to start.
Candidates are screened for evidence, not keywords. We do not publish pass rates, because they depend on the role and the market more than on us. The stages are the same for every role; only the technical assignment changes.
Brief
A 15-minute call or the request form: role, level, stack, time zone, budget range. We tell you the same day whether the range fits the market.
Source
We search our network of QA professionals by stack and evidence, not keyword. Recruiters who have tested software read the profiles.
Technical assignment
Each candidate completes a short, role-specific assignment. We review the output ourselves, and you get the results with the profile.
Recruiter interview
Motivation, availability, pay expectations and right to work are confirmed, and the candidate agrees to the introduction.
Shortlist
Up to three profiles, anonymised until the candidate consents, each with assignment results, expected pay and notice period.
Offer and start
We coordinate interviews, references and the offer. For contract roles we handle onboarding and contracts. The fee is due after the start date.
A profile is more than a CV.
Each role page shows an anonymised example profile. These four parts are in every one.
Assignment results
The reviewed output of the role-specific exercise, not a self-rated skill list.
Evidence from past work
Three concrete facts about products, volumes and outcomes, confirmed in the recruiter interview.
Pay expectation and notice
What the candidate expects to earn and when they can start, so budget fit is known before you meet.
Consent to introduction
Identity and employer stay anonymised until the candidate agrees to be introduced.
What a mid-level hire costs, by role.
United States figures at mid level. Pay is the market median we publish on the salary pages; no rate here is below it. Other levels, countries and the full calculator are on each role page.
| Role | Shortlist | Median pay | Placement fee | Contract, per hour | Outsourced, Poland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA Tester | 3 days | $82k | $14,760 | $67 | $38/h |
| QA Automation Engineer | 4 days | $120k | $21,600 | $98 | $43/h |
| SDET | 5 days | $130k | $23,400 | $106 | $47/h |
| QA Lead / Manager | 6 days | $110k | $19,800 | $90 | $40/h |
| Mobile QA Engineer | 4 days | $110k | $19,800 | $90 | $38/h |
| Performance Test Engineer | 6 days | $150k | $27,000 | $122 | $54/h |
| Security / Penetration Tester | 7 days | $180k | $32,400 | $147 | $65/h |
| Game QA Tester | 3 days | $66k | $11,880 | $54 | $38/h |
| Accessibility Tester | 5 days | $98k | $17,640 | $80 | $38/h |
| Business / Test Analyst | 4 days | $89k | $16,020 | $73 | $38/h |
| Data / ETL QA Engineer | 6 days | $100k | $18,000 | $82 | $38/h |
| Localization QA Tester | 3 days | $48k | $8,640 | $40 | $38/h |
| AI / LLM Evaluation QA | 5 days | $100k | $18,000 | $82 | $38/h |
| Release / DevOps Engineer | 5 days | $140k | $25,200 | $114 | $52/h |
| Technical Writer (QA / Docs) | 4 days | $90k | $16,200 | $74 | $38/h |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Median pay is gross a year. The fee is the mid-level placement fee (15-22% across levels). Contract is what you pay PassRidge per hour, including the engineer's pay rate and our 22% fee. Outsourced is staff augmentation delivered from Poland, per hour. Estimates for planning, not a quote.
Hiring questions.
How fast can you send a first shortlist?
The median is 4 working days from a complete brief. Core roles such as manual testers and automation engineers are usually faster. Rare combinations, such as a performance engineer with a regulated-industry background, take longer, and we say so on the first call.
How much does it cost to hire a QA engineer through PassRidge?
Permanent placement is a one-time fee of 15% (junior) to 22% (lead) of first-year base salary, paid after the hire starts. Contract engineers are billed at the pay rate plus 22%. There is no retainer and no fee if you do not hire.
What if the hire does not work out?
If a permanent hire leaves, or is dismissed for performance, within 90 days of starting, we run a replacement search at no extra fee. This is a clause in the client agreement, not a marketing promise.
Do you only send CVs?
No. Every shortlisted candidate has completed a role-specific technical assignment that we review, and a recruiter who has worked in testing has spoken to them. You get the assignment results with the profile.
Can I hire outside my country?
Yes. We recruit in 53 countries. For permanent hires abroad we can act as employer of record where you have no local entity. Contract engineers invoice through our local entity.
Which roles do you cover?
Fifteen QA roles, from manual testers and SDETs to security testers, accessibility auditors and AI evaluators. We do not place general software developers or IT support roles.