QA Tester

QA Tester

AI-Native Platform | Planning Pod | Raleigh, NC | In-person, full-time

About Planning Pod
Planning Pod is the operating system for the events industry. More than 1,200 event venues and planners run their bookings, clients, contracts, payments, and day-to-day operations on our platform. We have a proven product, a loyal customer base, and a profitable business.
We are now building an AI-native version of Planning Pod, designed from the ground up around what large language models make possible. Backed by our own cash flow and by Kirra Capital, we have the speed and ambition of a startup paired with an existing customer base, deep domain knowledge, and the runway to build the right product. We plan to roll this new platform out to our existing customers over the next 6 months.

About the Role
This role runs manual testing on our new AI-native platform, working directly with our QA Engineer and the development team. You will help us catch bugs before customers do, contribute to our growing regression suite, and grow into more senior QA responsibilities over time.
We expect this role to do more than test against requirements. You are the first user, advocating for our customer base, catching bugs and edge cases that others miss, and adding your own experience to the roadmap. You will also start learning automated testing on the job, mentored by our QA Engineer.

Who Should Apply
This role is based in our Raleigh, NC office, full-time, in-person. We are building together, in the same room, and that matters to us. Do not apply unless you are willing and excited to come to the office every day you are working. We expect to move quickly and make mistakes, and you should be willing to take that same perspective, staying focused on results instead of process. We do not want egos. We take our work seriously but not ourselves. We believe work should be fun, engaging, and a key part of your life. Do not apply if you are looking for a paycheck or an easy 9-to-5. This role is for people who want to build something impactful and are willing to invest their time and energy into it.

Our Requirements
• 1-3 years of software QA experience, or a strong track record showing organization and attention to detail
• Excellent writing and verbal communication
• Strong critical reasoning and detailed organization
• Strong attention to detail
• Interest in learning automated testing and testing AI-driven features
• Driven, high-energy, positive, and optimistic
• Based in Raleigh, NC (or willing to relocate) and excited to work in-person, full-time, with the team

Your Responsibilities
• Perform manual testing of new features
• Contribute to our regression suite as it grows
• Start learning automated testing with Playwright (or bring existing experience with Cypress, Selenium, or similar)
• Test AI features, including LLM outputs, agent workflows, and prompt behavior
• Participate in agile development sprints
• Investigate and troubleshoot bugs alongside engineers
• Support release testing and rollout validation for our existing 1,200+ customers

Why Planning Pod
• You will help launch a new AI-native platform to 1,200+ existing paying customers
• You will work directly with the CTO, the engineering team, and the CEO from day one
• Real end-to-end ownership from your first week
• Startup pace with the backing of a profitable business and Kirra Capital as an investor
• Competitive salary + performance incentives
• Healthcare, 401K match, and 15 vacation days growing to 20 with tenure
• A clear path to grow into a QA Engineer role as the team and platform scale