QA Analyst – Expression of Interest – ILM San Francisco (Project Hire)

Job Position(s): QA Analyst - Expression of Interest - ILM San Francisco (Project Hire)

Disney’s Industrial Light and Magic is accepting expressions of interest for a QA Analyst role based in San Francisco, CA. This position sits within ILM’s Interactive division, which develops immersive experiences across VR, AR, and location-based platforms, and the QA Analyst is responsible for executing test plans, logging defects, and verifying software quality across each build cycle. It suits a tester with a background in game industry QA who wants their work feeding into immersive entertainment production rather than traditional console titles.

About the Role

ILM’s Interactive team has shipped projects including Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series and the Oscar-winning CARNE y ARENA, and this QA Analyst role supports that same production pipeline. Day-to-day work involves manual build verification, regression testing, and coordinating defect reports directly with engineers and designers inside the VFX pipeline. This is a project hire position, meaning it is not currently open, but ILM is building a pool of candidates to contact when the role becomes active.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute manual build verification, regression testing, and general performance testing across immersive experience builds at each production stage.
• Document and report software defects and product deficiencies using JIRA or equivalent bug-tracking tools, maintaining clear records for the development team.
• Work directly alongside engineers and designers to support game-play and game-balance analysis throughout the production workflow.
• Assist in refining test procedures and test plans as project requirements evolve across the immersive entertainment development cycle.
• Test and verify the quality of internal software tools used within the interactive production pipeline.
• Evaluate existing QA processes and propose practical improvements that maintain product quality across PC, console, and mobile platforms.

What You Bring

• 3 or more years of experience as a QA Analyst, Compatibility Technician, or Development Tester within the game industry or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience testing PC and console platforms including PlayStation and Xbox, as well as mobile platforms on iOS and Android.
• Strong working knowledge of JIRA or a comparable bug and issue tracking system used in professional software development.
• Ability to follow rigorous quality assurance processes independently, without close supervision, while maintaining consistent output.
• Experience testing VR hardware, mobile devices, or network connectivity is a significant plus.
• Prior work with Unreal Engine in a QA or development tester capacity is advantageous.

Why This Role

ILM has a production track record in immersive entertainment that few studios can match, and a QA Analyst here contributes directly to projects that reach award consideration and wide audience release. The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $60,800 to $81,500 per year, with bonus and long-term incentive units potentially included alongside a full benefits package. Because this is an expression of interest, submitting now puts your resume in front of the team before the role formally opens.

Submit your expression of interest for the QA Analyst role at ILM and position yourself ahead of the field when Disney activates this hire.