Chris James

Test Program Manager and Software Quality Engineering leader with 15+ years building and governing enterprise test organizations. Led and coached a 70+ person global team across four countries, owning test strategy, end-to-end coverage, and Agile delivery. Streamlined test processes to win first-submission approval on 90% of project submissions and built a telemetry-driven test automation strategy that helped optimize testing resources.

Drove security audit compliance ahead of schedule, mitigating risk through cross-functional governance.

Test Lead - Experis, Amazon Game Studios – New World

(2021 - 2026-05)

• Led and educated a 70+ person global Software Quality Engineering organization across the US, Canada, Turkey, and Poland, driving workforce planning, staffing, and test strategy standards.
• Established test processes, communication cadence, and quality standards for a new vendor team, aligning delivery with the client’s Quality Engineering expectations within an Agile framework.
• For AI I used Claude to develop work on our automated customer support center which helped reduce calls by 35%
• Directed daily test execution and responsibilities for 70+ TA and STE direct reports, maintaining clear governance and accountability across the program.
• Promoted career growth through ongoing touchpoints focused on each team member’s skills and aspirations, building Software Quality Engineering capability.
• Led the Experis New World console test team, owning test delivery and quality engineering for the console platform.
• Expanded the team through staffing and interviews, assessing project fit and experience to optimize business results and culture fit.
• Authored and delivered weekly status reports covering risks and progress, strengthening program governance and stakeholder visibility.
• Supported TAs and STEs on advanced technical issues and team management, resolving escalations to keep test delivery on track and mitigate risk.
• Identified gaps in end-to-end testing coverage through product specification reviews, directing additional functional testing to areas of need.
• Improved test efficiency through research and analysis, informing Software Quality Engineering process improvements.

Test Lead - Insight Global, Xbox Game Studios – Mojang Studios / 343 Studios

(2019 - 2021)

• Developed the end-to-end test strategy and plan for character design / AI, adapting existing test processes to support project growth.
• Bridged software engineering and cross-functional teams by translating business requirements into actionable test deliverables across application development efforts.
• Improved budget forecasting and workforce planning by gathering telemetry metrics from previous legacy titles to project testing time and resources.
• Authored bug metrics projections for fixed rates, giving stakeholders confidence in delivery and early visibility into risk.
• Owned testing of the microtransaction storefront with several production partners, supporting their adoption and future DLC.
• Led Daily Scrum and Retrospectives within an Agile framework, establishing a governance cadence and continuous improvement across my teams.

Technical Program Manager - DLI, Windows Devices Group – Security Operations

(2016 - 2018)

• Spearheaded the Remediation Program for WDG Security Operations, establishing program governance and repeatable security testing processes.
• Drove knowledge transfer between Engineering and Business Development by aligning business requirements and technical understanding across both teams.
• Partnered with Security Assurance and Pentest to streamline the exception process for all discovered vulnerabilities, reducing risk.
• Collaborated with Security Assurance and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) to improve how Risk Register items were ingested, strengthening risk mitigation.
• Drove audit documentation and findings across WDG, delivering compliance ahead of schedule and achieving 30% documentation knowledge sharing across the team.
• Led integration of penetration testing lifecycle management into existing efforts with Security Assurance, Security Operations, and GRC.
• Identified remediation gaps across WDG InfoSec for new and existing projects, and established consistent processes for web application scanning, aging events, and vulnerability escalation paths.
• Analyzed, compiled, and presented scorecard metrics and Power BI reporting from product group reviews to service leadership across all remediation efforts.
• Collaborated with Production and Design teams to keep feedback-loop improvements consistent, improving management insight.
• Supervised partner contracts to confirm milestones and commitments were met, supporting vendor governance while maintaining positive working relationships.

Software Design Engineer in Test - Microsoft Studios

(2011 - 2015)

• Led test and associate production efforts on multiple titles across console, mobile, and PC, delivering Software Quality Engineering from concept to launch.
• Led transition readiness planning and handoff of several titles to the support sustainment team, documenting processes and running knowledge transfer sessions to confirm continuity with no service disruption.
• Created the BVT and UAT for the Windows and Xbox titles
• Helped build several satellite testing teams in the US and Europe, supporting staffing and distributed test capacity.
• Served as Xbox Security champion for Xbox releases, owning security testing readiness.
• Formed production roadmaps spanning multiple teams across all development milestones.
• Owned testing, launch, and post-release application support for live services.
• Spearheaded hardware deliverables for Windows and Surface devices.
• Created a unified test strategy and a communication cadence to upper management and vendor teams, standardizing quality engineering and governance.
• Fostered cross-group collaboration among Production, Developers, Design, Usability, and Engineering through consistent communication and technical guidance to internal and external teams.

Software Test Engineer - Microsoft Games Test Organization

(2008 - 2010)

• Developed a “golden path” test strategy that combined telemetry, UX studies, and test automation into a reusable template that maximized use of testing resources.
• Streamlined testing and production processes while maintaining cost efficiency, achieving first-submission approval on 90% of all test plans.
• Coordinated multiple teams across certification, launch, DLC, and post-launch support.
• Published a white paper on cost efficiency among internal test studios.
• Structured testing efforts to coordinate, track, and simplify testing and costs, then advised other studios on those practices.