Software Development Virtual Assistant
Software Development Virtual Assistant (Engineering Operations Support)
A Software Development Virtual Assistant is embedded support staff for engineering delivery. A Software Development Virtual Assistant owns backlog health, ceremony support, QA coordination, release readiness, and documentation. A Software Development Virtual Assistant does not write production code by default, and engineers retain implementation and code ownership.
What a Software Development Virtual Assistant does
A Software Development Virtual Assistant improves software delivery by removing delivery friction. A Software Development Virtual Assistant reduces ticket ambiguity, stabilizes sprint cadence, and standardizes release artifacts.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant creates cleaner tickets and clearer acceptance criteria.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant runs reliable sprint ceremonies and follow-ups.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant coordinates QA, UAT, and release readiness.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant maintains documentation, handoffs, and release notes
What is a Software Development Virtual Assistant?
A Software Development Virtual Assistant is a remote professional hired to support the software development lifecycle without taking code ownership. A Software Development Virtual Assistant collaborates with product and engineering teams to keep work items clear, testable, and shippable.
Software Development Virtual Assistant scope
- In scope: backlog hygiene, sprint support, QA/UAT coordination, release readiness, documentation, stakeholder updates.
- Out of scope: building features in production code, owning architecture decisions, and being the on-call engineer.
Role Summary: Who Owns What
Product and leadership own
- roadmap and scope decisions
- requirements and acceptance criteria
- release approvals and stakeholder direction
Engineers own
- architecture, code, reviews, and deployments
- debugging and technical troubleshooting
- security and engineering standards
Your Software Development Virtual Assistant owns
- backlog health and workflow hygiene
- Agile ceremony support and delivery coordination
- QA coordination and release readiness routines
- documentation, change logs, and operational reporting
Engineering Delivery Coordination and Agile Support
This role keeps work unblocked and ready for engineers by maintaining backlog health and ceremony discipline.
Backlog health and Definition of Ready
- Converts inputs into clean tickets with scope, acceptance criteria, and Definition of Done
- Maintains the Definition of Ready standards to prevent developer idle time
- Tracks dependencies across product, design, engineering, and QA
- Keeps naming conventions, templates, and status fields consistent
Agile ceremony support
- prepares sprint planning by validating ticket readiness and sequencing
- captures standup notes, blockers, and action items
- maintains sprint dashboards for reliable status visibility
- sends weekly progress updates so engineers are not interrupted for status
Decision logs and escalation
- maintains decision logs so scope changes stay traceable
- escalates risks early when requirements drift, or dependencies slip
- highlights trade-offs and impacts so delivery timelines remain realistic
QA Coordination, Release Readiness, and Change Control
This role standardises quality routines and releases artifacts so shipping becomes repeatable.
QA workflow coordination
- coordinates QA cycles, regression checks, and verification steps
- manages bug intake and triage so issues do not live in chat threads
- converts feedback into developer-ready tickets with reproduction steps
- tracks fixes through verification and closure against acceptance criteria
UAT schedules and stakeholder validation
- organises UAT schedules, access, and test instructions
- structures stakeholder feedback into clear issues and priorities
- ensures validated issues are logged with severity and expected behaviour
Release readiness and rollout coordination
- maintains release checklists, go-live gates, and rollback notes
- prepares release notes and change summaries for support, sales, and operations
- tracks post-release validation and follow-up tasks so nothing is left unfinished
Documentation, Knowledge Base, and Operational Reporting
This role turns delivery into a system that scales beyond the people currently in the room.
Documentation that reduces repeat questions
- keeps specs, scope updates, and requirements notes current
- maintains runbooks and SOPs for recurring tasks and incidents
- updates internal knowledge base articles for support handoffs
- standardises templates so tickets and documents stay consistent
Traceability and reporting
- maintains change logs linking releases to tickets and decisions
- tracks cycle time, blocked work, backlog age, and recurring bottlenecks
- maintains a single source of truth for what shipped, what is next, and what is at risk
Benefits of hiring a Software Development Virtual Assistant
A Software Development Virtual Assistant reduces delivery overhead and increases team throughput.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant reduces admin load and meeting churn.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant improves sprint predictability and handoffs.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant increases release consistency with repeatable checklists.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant improves quality by enforcing QA and UAT routines.
- A Software Development Virtual Assistant scales delivery support without adding full-time headcount.
How You Protect Your Team
Role-Based Access Control
You set access using least privilege. Permissions match the tasks required, with clear ownership and auditable workflows where your tools support it.
SDLC boundaries that prevent scope drift
You keep scope clean by anchoring the role to delivery operations. Engineering decisions, architecture, and code ownership stay with your technical team.
Change control discipline
You keep work traceable by logging changes through documented tickets, checklists, and release artifacts. Updates stay reviewable and easy to audit.
Tools This Role Can Support
Most engineering teams run this workflow inside:
- Jira, Linear, Asana, ClickUp, Trello
- Notion, Confluence, Google Workspace
- Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom
- GitHub or GitLab for issue linking, PR coordination, and release notes
- Bug trackers and test management tools used by your team
Who This Role Is Best For
This role fits when you need stronger delivery operations without adding a full senior delivery hire:
- Product teams with strong direction but inconsistent follow-through
- Engineering teams are losing time to admin work, status updates, and scattered requirements
- Startups are increasing their release cadence and needing stronger change control
- Teams with recurring QA bottlenecks, unclear tickets, or messy handoffs
- Agencies that need cleaner client communication and delivery rhythm
What You Measure
You focus on controllable operational outcomes that correlate with faster, cleaner delivery.
Backlog health
- Higher percentage of tickets meeting the Definition of Ready
- Fewer blockers caused by missing requirements or unclear acceptance criteria
Delivery flow
- More stable sprint completion with less carryover
- Reduced cycle time driven by fewer interruptions and clearer dependencies
Quality and release discipline
- Faster bug triage and verification
- Fewer repeat defects caused by unclear requirements
- Release notes and readiness artifacts delivered on cadence
Documentation and traceability
- Up-to-date runbooks and SOPs
- Change logs are maintained so decisions and releases are auditable
How We Select Candidates for Engineering Operations Roles
Workflow discipline
We screen for people who can keep systems clean under cadence and maintain standards.
Technical communication
We test for clear written English, accurate issue descriptions, and developer-ready ticket writing.
Tool comfort
Candidates must be comfortable operating inside delivery tools and documentation systems.
Reliability and escalation habits
We prioritise consistent follow-through and proactive escalation over busywork.
Pricing
Choose between 2 simple and affordable options:.
$400 monthly fee*
*Recurring monthly fee on top of salary
Hire your VA through us
We invoice you once a month – VA salary and everything else included.
$1999
One time recruitment fee
Hire your VA directly
You hire your VA directly and pay them a salary like any other employee.