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Beta Testing Jobs in Des Moines, IA (NOW HIRING)

Beta Testing information

See Des Moines, IA salary details

$5

$40

$66

How much do beta testing jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for beta testing in Des Moines, IA is $40.52, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $31.20 and $47.84 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is beta testing?

Beta testers are individuals or groups who use a product, such as software or hardware, before its official release to the public. Their main role is to identify bugs, usability issues, and provide feedback to the development team. Beta testing helps ensure that the product is stable, user-friendly, and meets the needs of its target audience. The feedback from beta testers is invaluable in improving the final version of the product.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a beta tester, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Beta Tester, you need strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a good understanding of software or hardware products, often supported by experience in quality assurance or product testing. Familiarity with bug tracking tools, test case management systems, and common operating systems is typically required. Excellent communication, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to provide clear, constructive feedback are valuable soft skills in this role. These skills ensure effective identification and reporting of issues, ultimately helping to improve product quality before public release.

What are some common challenges faced by beta testers, and how can they effectively communicate issues to the development team?

Beta testers often encounter challenges such as unclear bug reproduction steps, incomplete documentation, or rapidly changing software builds. To overcome these, it's important to provide detailed, structured feedback—describing the issue, steps to reproduce, environment details, and potential impact. Effective testers also use bug-tracking tools and maintain open communication with developers, ensuring that their insights lead to actionable improvements before product launch.

What is the difference between Beta Testing vs Quality Assurance Tester?

AspectBeta TestingQuality Assurance Tester
Primary FocusEnd-user testing to identify issues before releaseSystematic testing to ensure product quality and compliance
Work EnvironmentReal-world user environment, often involving external testersControlled testing environments within development teams
Required SkillsBasic technical knowledge, communication skills, user feedbackTesting methodologies, attention to detail, scripting skills
Industry UsageSoftware, gaming, app developmentSoftware development, hardware, systems engineering

While both roles focus on testing, Beta Testing involves real users identifying issues before product launch, whereas Quality Assurance Testers conduct systematic, internal testing to ensure quality standards are met throughout development.

How do you become a beta tester?

To become a beta tester, you typically sign up through the company's website or beta testing platforms, providing basic information about your device and usage habits. Some roles may require technical skills or familiarity with testing tools, and testers often need to follow specific instructions and provide feedback during the testing period.

Is beta testing a good career?

Beta testing is a role that involves evaluating software or products before release to identify bugs and improve quality. It can be a good entry point into the tech industry, requiring attention to detail and familiarity with testing tools, but it often offers limited long-term career growth without additional skills or certifications. Many beta testers transition into quality assurance or software development roles over time.

What are popular job titles related to Beta Testing jobs in Des Moines, IA?

For Beta Testing jobs in Des Moines, IA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Beta Testing job openings in Des Moines, IA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $84,282 per year, or $40.5 per hour.

Product Owner (Truss Software)

ITW Alpine

Des Moines, IA • On-site

Full-time

PTO

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

Job Description:

ITW Description:

Founded in 1912, ITW (NYSE: ITW) is a global industrial company centered on a differentiated and proprietary business model. The company’s seven industry-leading segments leverage the ITW Business Model to generate solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer-focused solutions are required. ITW’s more than 45,000 dedicated colleagues around the world thrive in our decentralized, entrepreneurial culture. In 2025, the company achieved revenues of $16 billion, with roughly half coming from outside North America. To learn more, please visit www.itw.com.

Division Description:

Alpine, an ITW company, is a leading provider of industry solutions and increased business productivity for component manufacturers helping design and manufacture the highest quality roof, floor and wall components. Our comprehensive product suite includes software, engineering services, connector plates, equipment and premier cold-formed steel truss system.

Job Description:

In Alpine’s Agile software development environment, the Product Owner (PO) is the key role to ensure product priorities and product roadmaps are executed. The PO develops and executes on a vision for the product and is responsible for translating that vision to actions for the scrum teams. The PO collaborates with internal stakeholders including Product Management, Marketing, Support, Operations, and Engineering to ensure that business, quality, and functional goals are met with each product release. The PO is responsible for the design, usability, quality, and delivery of a product or feature. The PO is the key decision maker on priorities and works to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned at each stage of the development lifecycle. The PO understands both the technical and business side of the product release and is ultimately responsible for representing the end user’s needs.

Core Responsibilities:

  • Roadmap Execution & Delivery

    • Own execution of the product roadmap established by Product Manager for a specific focus area or product line

    • Translate strategic direction from Product Managers into clear, actionable development plans

    • Partner with Development Managers to manage sprint planning, backlog prioritization, and release scope

  • Customer-Back Innovation (CBI)

    • Apply ITW’s Customer-Back Innovation (CBI) framework to identify and prioritize customer pain points

    • Translate insights into product requirements and features

    • Validate concepts directly with users and iterate based on feedback

  • Backlog & Requirements Management

    • Create and maintain clear, concise user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria

    • Ensure the backlog remains prioritized, refined, and ahead of development needs

    • Collaborate with UX/UI teams to align designs with user needs and business objectives

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

    • Work closely with Product Management, Engineering, QA, Development, and UI/UX Design teams on a daily basis

    • Facilitate agile events (standups, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives)

    • Coordinate with support and implementation teams to ensure successful releases

  • Domain & Industry Expertise

    • Develop subject matter expertise in component manufacturing workflows

    • Gain hands-on understanding of how customers use Alpine tools (e.g., design software, manufacturing software, and manufacturing equipment)

    • Observe real-world usage to inform product decisions

  • Quality & Delivery Assurance

    • Ensure delivered features meet acceptance criteria and customer expectations

    • Support user acceptance testing (UAT), documentation, and release readiness

    • Oversee beta trials with customers to validate product value and usability

  • Communication & Advocacy

    • Communicate progress, risks, and dependencies to the organization by presenting at monthly CBI gate meetings

    • Advocate for the customer within development teams

    • Maintain transparency into sprint outcomes, priorities, and roadmap progress

Key Competencies:

  • Customer Focus – Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships.

  • Communication – Strong ability to communicate vision and strategy to a variety of stakeholders including customers, leadership, and the development teams.

  • Business Savvy – As the key decision maker for the project, the Product Owner must use understanding of the market, customer, and business to make sound decisions

  • Team Player – The Product Owner is committed to the team and works with the team collaboratively to deliver value to our customers.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Marketing, or a comparable discipline; an MBA is a plus

  • 4+ years’ experience working as a Product Owner or similar role with a development team

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) is preferred

  • Software Product strategy and management experience with demonstrated value delivery

  • Experience with complex customer environments and/or relevant industry experience

  • Experience leading software product development in an Agile environment leveraging frameworks such as Scrum and SAFe

  • Strong team/project management, communication, and presentation skills

  • Self-motivated, energetic and can work both autonomously and as part of the team

  • Ability to be flexible and adaptable in a changing environment

  • Up to 25% travel

Compensation Information:

$80,000 - $125,000 (high level of experience)

This compensation range is provided as a reasonable estimate of the current salary range for this role. Compensation depends on relevant experience and/or education, specific skills, market level, other job-related factors, geographic location, and other factors as applicable by law. In addition, our benefits include paid vacation, sick, holiday, and parental leave. For more details, visit our Benefits page.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 


As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 


All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.