QA jobs in Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena has around 915,000 residents and sits in Colombia. For QA hiring it is a Tier C market. There is no listing based here today, while Colombia has 35 open QA roles. The country's busiest listing hub is Bogotá with 14 roles. A mid-level QA Automation Engineer earns about COP 160M gross a year here, set from the national median with a pay index of 80.
Index vs Bogotá = 100. 20% below Bogotá. Estimated from tier, not measured.
Open QA roles near Cartagena
There is no listing based in Cartagena today. The nearest hub with openings is Bogotá, and Colombia has 35 open QA roles. Remote roles can be done from Cartagena.
Intermediate Test Engineer (Hybrid Manual & Automation)
Visual Quality Assurance
Senior Quality Engineer (Civil)
QA Engineer (Automation and AI tooling)
Business Analyst / QA Tester
Middle Automation QA
What is hiring in Colombia
Cartagena has too few listings for a reliable mix, so this uses all 35 roles in Colombia.
- Manual QA Tester14 40%
- QA Automation Engineer11 31%
- Business / Test Analyst4 11%
- SDET3 9%
- AI / LLM Evaluation QA3 9%
Pay in Cartagena
Mid-level gross pay in COP, from the Colombia median with a pay index of 80.
| Role | P10 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA Tester | COP 87M | COP 110M | COP 130M |
| QA Automation Engineer | COP 130M | COP 160M | COP 190M |
| SDET | COP 140M | COP 170M | COP 210M |
| QA Lead / Manager | COP 120M | COP 140M | COP 170M |
Country figures: Colombia salary snapshot · QA Automation Engineer pay in Colombia.
Working hours from Cartagena
Cartagena is on UTC-5. A 09:00-17:00 day here shares 7 h with US East (09:00-16:00 local), 7 h with US East, 6 h with US West, 2 h with London and 1 h with Central Europe.
Cartagena keeps UTC-5 all year, but its US and European clients change their clocks twice a year. Europe moves its clocks on 25 Oct 2026 and the US on 1 Nov 2026. For that week US East and London overlap 4 h on a 09:00-17:00 day, against 3 h today.
Cartagena as a QA market
A Tier C city is an emerging market. We list it so remote and nearby roles are easy to find.
Cartagena has about 915,000 residents (city-proper estimate, GeoNames). It is the 5th largest of the 5 Colombia cities we list.
Population: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). City-proper figures are not comparable across countries.
Employers in Colombia hire QA mostly in AI / ML, SaaS, Fintech. Listings name Playwright, Selenium, Cypress most often. 20 of 35 Colombia roles are remote.
A growing nearshore QA market with US-friendly time zones, mostly in Bogota and Medellin.
Hiring in Colombia
- Contracts
- Employment contract, Fixed-term contract, Service contract (prestacion de servicios)
- Notice
- Notice depends on contract type. Check the labour code for the current figures.
- Paid leave
- Statutory minimum is 15 working days.
- Working week
- The legal week has been phased down in stages toward 42 hours. Confirm the current figure.
Typical values only. Full hiring guide for Colombia. Flex work from Colombia is open: how Flex works.
QA roles in Cartagena: jobs and pay
Open a role for local openings and the pay by level in Cartagena.
Manual QA Tester
Mid-level median COP 120M
QA Automation Engineer
Mid-level median COP 180M
SDET
Mid-level median COP 190M
QA Lead / Manager
Mid-level median COP 160M
Mobile QA Engineer
Mid-level median COP 150M
Performance Test Engineer
Mid-level median COP 210M
Security / Penetration Tester
Mid-level median COP 260M
Game QA Tester
Mid-level median COP 96M
Accessibility Tester
Mid-level median COP 140M
Business / Test Analyst
Mid-level median COP 130M
Data / ETL QA Engineer
Mid-level median COP 150M
Localization QA Tester
Mid-level median COP 70M
AI / LLM Evaluation QA
Mid-level median COP 150M
Release / DevOps Engineer
Mid-level median COP 210M
Technical Writer (QA / Docs)
Mid-level median COP 130M
QA jobs in Cartagena: FAQ
How much does a QA automation engineer earn in Cartagena?
A mid-level QA Automation Engineer in Cartagena earns about COP 160M gross a year, with a p10 to p90 band of COP 130M to COP 190M. Junior roles start near COP 120M and senior roles reach COP 200M. This applies a pay index of 80 (anchor city = 100) to the Colombia median.
How many QA jobs are open in Cartagena?
There is no listing based in Cartagena today, but Colombia has 35 open QA roles, mostly in Bogotá. Remote roles in the same time zone are open to candidates here.
How much time-zone overlap does Cartagena have with US and European teams?
On a 09:00-17:00 day in Cartagena (UTC-5), the overlap is 7 h with US East, 6 h with US West, 2 h with London and 1 h with Central Europe. Cartagena keeps UTC-5 all year, but its US and European clients change their clocks twice a year.
What does it cost to live in Cartagena compared with Bogotá?
Our approximate cost-of-living index for Cartagena is 78 against Bogotá at 100, and the pay index is 80. Both are tier-based estimates, not measured prices.
Which industries hire QA testers in Colombia?
In Colombia listings, the most common industries are AI / ML, SaaS, Fintech. The tools named most often are Playwright, Selenium, Cypress.
How big is Cartagena and how does it rank as a QA talent pool?
Cartagena has about 915,000 residents (city-proper estimate, GeoNames). It is the 5th largest of the 5 Colombia cities we list. Population alone does not set pay: the pay index of 80 comes from the city tier, and the 0 local listings show how much QA hiring is visible today. Remote roles in the same time zone widen the pool for candidates here.
What notice period and paid leave should I expect in Colombia?
Notice depends on contract type. Check the labour code for the current figures. Statutory minimum is 15 working days. These are typical values, not legal advice.