Adam Cardoza

About Adam Cardoza

I\'ve moved from individual contributor to department head across gaming, consulting, and privacy technology by solving the human problems many people avoids. Work isn\'t always fun, but I build QA teams where people want to show up because they like who they\'re working with. Teams of independent superstars who approach problems like detectives and help development ship better software as fully integrated team members instead of just being there to block releases.I\'m a fearless advocate for my teams. I build fierce loyalty by fighting for people when it matters, sharing credit when they shine, and serving as their firewall against organizational chaos. When leadership needs a reality check about process or fairness, I\'m comfortable saying what needs saying. Former colleagues still reach out years later looking for my perspective on problems they\'re facing or seeking early impressions on new software they\'re developing. They value my eye for quality and user experience even when we\'re no longer working together. My network spans industries because people remember working with someone who delivered results while treating them like actual people, not resources.As an individual contributor, I\'ve been exploring AI as a collaborative tool rather than a crutch—building custom solutions like hotline testing tools and JIRA metrics scrapers by working with AI the same way I\'d work with any other team member. It\'s about leveraging technology to solve problems, not replacing human judgment.If someone sent you my way, they know I don\'t just manage QA—I solve the human problems that make quality possible in the first place. I\'ve spent the last 15+ years evolving from finding bugs to leading the people who find them and the best opportunities come through relationships with people who\'ve seen how I work.Who is Adam when he\'s not making your product explode? In his spare time, Adam is the drummer/vocalist for DnA\'s Evolution (dnasevolution.com) with three albums including 2024\'s \"Curious of Nothing,\" a pro wrestling journalist for PWInsider.com with 400+ published articles over nearly a decade, and a published board game author (only one. Bonus points if you find it in your FLGS.). He\'s also a proud rat dad who believes the best conversations happen when people can be their whole selves, and with Adam, you absolutely get a whole self.

Experience

1. Head of Quality Assurance

   Cloaked

   May 2022 — Present · US

   Overseeing the growth of an internal QA group to (at present) 6 team members across Cloaked\'s comprehensive privacy platform—web dashboard, mobile apps, desktop extensions, and multiple customer-facing websites. Managing quality assurance for password management, data deletion services, email/phone routing, call screening, and identity monitoring features where bugs don\'t just create bad user experiences—they can expose personal information.Serving triple duty as QA manager, individual contributor on critical initiatives (currently forCallGuard AI call screening), and release manager for iOS, Android, and Extension deployments. Builtcustom AI-powered tools using Cursor to solve operational challenges: automated hotline testingsystem that validates customer phone numbers every 8 hours, and JIRA metrics scraper that replacedexpensive third-party analytics tools while providing deeper insights into team performance andrelease velocity.Transformed department from \"lob-it-over-the-wall\" testing to a more fully integrated development partnership. Focus on developing independent decision-makers rather than following rigid bug quantity metrics, coaching team members as they navigate different project management styles across simultaneous initiatives. Oversee third-party automation vendor relationships while maintaining hands-on involvement in high-stakes privacy and security testing.TLDR: QA STUFF. MANAGER STUFF. GOBLIN WRANGLING. CAT HERDING. CLOWN KICKING. GASLIGHT MITIGATION THERAPY.

Education

• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

  none, English - Film/Drama

  1999 — 2002

Skills

• Game Development
• Video Games
• Gameplay
• Unity
• Confluence
• Game Design
• Agile Project Management
• Iterative Design
• Jira
• Bugzilla
• Computer Games
• Paper Prototyping
• Xbox 360
• Mmo
• Perforce
• Game Mechanics
• Quality Assurance
• C#
• Mobile Games
• Rapid Prototyping
• Casual Games
• Scripting Languages
• Scripting