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Irja Straus · Quality Engineering

I find what your product isn’t telling you.

Fifteen-plus years of testing software and machines: SaaS platforms, robots, AI systems, healthcare applications, and the assumptions risks in between.

Work with me → Invite me to speak →

§ About

I’m a quality engineering leader from Zagreb, Croatia. Over the past fifteen years I’ve been a tester, business analyst, product manager, and engineering manager. That adventure in product management showed me what quality looks like from the business side of the table, a view most testers never get.

I’ve built and directed testing strategy across very different worlds: a global CPaaS leader, a robotics startup, AI-powered computer vision, and safety-critical systems. My approach is context-driven and risk-based: the right strategy for your product, not the one from someone else’s playbook.

These days I test where software meets bare metal. I lead an engineering services team that verifies and validates electronic components and systems: chargers, battery management systems, and safety-critical controls. When a bug can weigh a few tons and move, you learn a different kind of respect for testing.

§ Speaking

I speak internationally about testing, quality strategy, and dealing with unpredictable systems, and people. A selection of stages:

  • Flag of GermanyAgile Testing DaysPotsdam, Germany
  • Flag of the European UnionEuroSTARAcross Europe
  • Flag of the United StatesCASTUnited States
  • Flag of the United KingdomTestBashUnited Kingdom
  • Flag of the NetherlandsTest Automation DaysNetherlands

Also on stage

Flag of the United StatesConTEST · New York Flag of HungaryHUSTEF · Hungary Flag of SpainExpoQA · Spain Flag of CroatiaSEETEST, .debug & WebCamp · Croatia Flag of SlovakiaSanaeBEER.EX · Slovakia

Program Committee: Agile Testing Days 2026, UCAAT 2026

Contributor: Exploratory Testing Academy with Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Testival meetup.

Mentor: EuroSTAR Rising Star Award; Peer Advisor for Rapid Software Testing with James Bach.

§ Writing

linkedin.com/in/irjastraus

Notes from the field

I write about testing, quality strategy, and dealing with unpredictable systems: stories from real experience and projects. Follow along on LinkedIn.

§ Contact

Let’s talk about your quality problem.

Email irja.straus@gmail.com or connect on LinkedIn.