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Hire proven ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) professionals in Munich, matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.

CTFL holders understand test fundamentals, defect reporting, test design techniques, and the quality risks behind software delivery. Ideal for manual testing, test analysis, and early QA work in product and project teams. Get fast, precise matches with vetted freelancers in Munich.

About the certification

What CTFL means

The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) is the best-known entry certification for software testing. It shows that a person understands the language of testing, basic quality concepts, and how test work fits into the software lifecycle. Companies usually look for CTFL when they need a freelancer who can join a QA team quickly and work with a shared testing mindset.

Core skills

  • Test principles, objectives, and terminology
  • Test design techniques for creating useful test cases
  • Defect reporting and basic test documentation
  • Risk-based thinking and test prioritization
  • Test execution across manual QA work
  • Cooperation with developers, analysts, and product owners

Typical profiles

CTFL is common among manual testers, QA analysts, test coordinators, and consultants who support delivery teams. It is also a good fit for business analysts, developers, and product specialists who want a solid testing foundation. In Munich, it often matters in international teams where English is the working language, but local German communication may also help on-site or hybrid projects.

Where it adds value

CTFL is useful when quality needs structure, not just ad hoc checks. It helps in web and mobile releases, enterprise software rollouts, test preparation for agile teams, and regression testing around frequent changes. A freelancer with this certification can usually step into day-to-day test work, write clearer cases, and explain defects in a way that supports faster fixes.

What it tells you

For a company, CTFL signals a shared baseline, not deep specialization. It tells you the freelancer knows how to plan simple tests, recognize common risks, and work with documented processes. That makes the certification especially helpful when you need dependable support for test execution, coordination, or quality control on time-sensitive projects.

Common search names

You may also see this certification listed as ISTQB Foundation Level or simply CTFL. Older job posts and CVs sometimes refer to the ISTQB tester certificate in a more general way, but the current official name is the one to look for. When hiring in Munich, this can help you filter profiles that are ready for structured QA work without long onboarding.

Meet FRATCH ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)

Peter Jetter

Principal Management Consultant, Business Coach & Business Trainer

Gauting

Last position:

external SPC & SAFe Trainer, Scrum Master at Siemens Energy

support SAFe adoption at team, ART and Portfolio level with consulting, coaching and training. Establish hierarchical enterprise backlog and Kanban Systems integrating portfolio, value stream and team level. Make e2e value stream flow across organisational boundaries visible and measurable. Teach "stop starting, start finishing" and Limit WiP.

Peter Jetter

Ljubomir Obrenovic

Senior Test Automation Engineer | QA Engineer

München

Last position:

Senior Software Test Engineer at Keil KTM GmbH

Temporary employment

  • System black-box integration tests (BBIT, IVVQ): Execution of regression, release, acceptance, and compliance tests for safety-critical brake control units in the rail industry
  • Software test application & integration: Runtime configuration of software components and libraries, validation of interfaces, configuration dependencies, and component interactions
  • Test automation (FEAT framework): Co-development and further development of an automated test framework for test execution, reporting, and result analysis
  • Functional safety (SiL4, FuSi): Ensuring compliance with safety requirements, traceability and coverage, as well as standards compliance according to EN50126/28/29
  • Test automation for communication components: Configuration and validation of fieldbus (CAN) and Ethernet-based TCMS data communication interfaces (TRDP and CIP)
  • Requirements analysis & shift-left (PTC Windchill ALM): Analysis of software and system artifacts to identify gaps, ambiguities, and redundancies early in the SDLC
  • Test design & test case development: Derivation of test conditions, coverage strategies, and implementation of data-driven test cases (DDT), including reusable test data fixtures
  • CI/CD & automation (Python, PowerShell, Jenkins, SVN): Automation of build, test, and HIL deployment processes as well as integration into CI/CD pipelines
  • Test data & configuration management (XML): Maintenance and adaptation of XML test vectors and system configurations with automated integration into test environments
  • Non-functional testing: Execution of performance and load tests to assess stability and system behavior
  • Agile development & defect management (JIRA, Confluence): Participation in Scrum teams, test coordination, review of test artifacts, as well as defect tracking and root-cause analysis
  • Error analysis & debugging (CANoe, CANalyzer): Analysis of errors and message flows across multiple system layers (application to bus)
  • Model-based analysis (UML, Enterprise Architect): Specification of SUT/SOW and support for systematic test control
  • Process & test documentation: Creation of integration and test documentation according to internal quality and certification requirements
Ljubomir Obrenovic

Martin Petermann

Business Analyst and Test Manager

München

Last position:

Business Analyst and Test Manager at ProSiebenSat.1 Tech & Services GmbH

  • Analysis of affected business processes, taking numerous stakeholders into account
  • Interface analysis, architecture and system design
  • Mediating and coordinating different subprojects and interface partners
  • Creating epics and user stories, maintaining the backlog, workshops and review presentations
  • Implementation support between business departments and development
  • Test management including strategy and approach definition
  • Test case definition, execution and approval
  • Cross-team organization of integration and acceptance tests
  • Support for test environments
  • Technologies and tools: Java, Angular, Kubectl, REST, AWS SNS/SQS, Kafka, S4/HANA, Bruno
Martin Petermann

Ambartsum Poghosiani

Program Lead – Performance & Quality Engineering

München

Last position:

Program Lead – Performance & Quality Engineering at Accenture

  • Led performance engineering strategy for MS Dynamics 365 retail transformation
  • Coordinated 25+ engineers across multiple delivery streams
  • Identified and resolved system bottlenecks, reducing critical performance issues by 40% pre-go-live
  • Delivered executive performance dashboards enabling data-driven release decisions
Ambartsum Poghosiani

Jonathan Moreau

On-Site Coordinator

Munich

Last position:

On-Site Coordinator at Freelance

  • Customer interface and relationship management
  • Requirements management and work coordination
  • Technical and functional support focusing on automotive Ethernet
Jonathan Moreau

Sven Hummel

Process Architect (Symbio, Signavio)

Munich

Last position:

Process Architect (Symbio, Signavio) at IT service provider for an international premium automaker

  • Analyzing, aligning and modeling business processes (BPMN 2.0) for the 'The New Retail' program in the areas of invoicing, tax, customs and accounting
  • Tracking user stories and their impact on processes
  • Point of contact for preparing the tool migration from Symbio to Signavio for the mentioned areas
  • Power user after the introduction of Signavio, point of contact and coach for other process modelers
Sven Hummel

Martin Moser

Test Automation for Stock Trading Software

Neuried

Last position:

Test automation for trading software at Martin Moser IT Consulting GmbH

  • Set up GUI test framework for testers and developers to easily create GUI tests
  • Implemented automated GUI tests with QF-Test for stock trading software and PDF file comparisons
  • Created comparison runs between different versions

Used technologies: QF-Test, Java, Jython

Martin Moser

Johannes Engel

E2E Test Manager / Technical Project Lead

Unterföhring

Last position:

E2E Test Manager / Technical Project Lead at Sky Media GmbH

  • Iterative test planning

  • Providing test infrastructure

  • Resource planning

  • Test design

  • Coordination of test teams

  • Defect management

  • Release management

  • Project planning

  • Cohort planning

  • Test planning

  • Test execution

  • Trial test planning

  • Rollout

  • Business analysis

  • Requirements engineering

  • Change management

  • E2E test coordination

Johannes Engel

Christoph Becker

Test Manager

Munich

Last position:

Test Manager at TÜV Süd AG

  • Corporate merger of TÜV Süd AutoPlus GmbH and TÜV Süd AutoPartner GmbH (ensuring the functionality of all production and billing processes within the scope of the merger)
  • Creation of the test strategy to ensure the functional integrity of existing business processes after the merger
  • Definition of test goals, test types and test phases (e.g., functional tests, integration tests, end-to-end tests, regression tests)
  • Identification of critical business processes and derivation of appropriate test data and test cases
  • Planning of the test environment and ensuring the availability of required test systems and test data
  • Close collaboration with IT departments, business units and external service providers
  • Execution of acceptance tests with the business units to ensure system stability before go-live.
Christoph Becker

Ivan Atanasov

Module Lead ML KH (Project Manager / Test Manager)

München

Last position:

Module Lead ML KH (Project Manager / Test Manager) at BMW AG

  • Overall responsibility for the quality of module KH
  • Technical leadership and coordination of a module lead team
  • Analysis of design models and alignment of technical requirements
  • Preparation of risk analyses and presentations, and presenting them to decision-makers
  • Test management, development, coordination and approval of current test cases and their prioritization for test events
  • Test planning for different test phases
  • Coordination of test phases with other departments to ensure relevant aspects of business operations
  • Prioritization of handling existing bugs/tickets
  • Tracking and validation of the quality of problem management
  • Consistency checks, planning, prioritization and sorting of tickets
  • Preparation and coordination of required test data
  • Tracking ALM (QC) processes and their implementation at module level
  • Collaboration with interface partners for bug fixes
  • Ensuring effective communication within the team and with interface partners
  • Coordination of tasks when processing tickets in ML KH
  • Tracking, assignment and clarification of bug-fix scheduling
  • Close collaboration and management of suppliers (at module level), the development department, and external partners
  • Planning, development, execution and evaluation of functional tests
  • Conducting functional end-to-end tests
  • Weekly reports on current test and defect status to management committees
  • Planning and executing performance and load tests to ensure that SOA applications meet expected performance and scalability requirements
  • Developing test strategies and test plans for SOA-based applications
  • Defining test objectives and criteria to ensure services meet requirements
  • Integration of test automation
Ivan Atanasov

Reza Saljooghi

Senior Development Engineer Driver Assistance Systems (Product Owner)

Munich

Last position:

Senior Development Engineer Driver Assistance Systems (Product Owner) at BMW Group (Contracted through Advanced Engineering GmbH)

  • Developed lateral-safety steering functions across two service packs, serving as Product Owner for SP-2021 and Function Developer for SP-2025
  • Defined and maintained system requirements, coordinated validation and testing, and ensured seamless integration into series vehicles across 29 BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce models
  • Drove a 62.5% reduction in Lane Keeping Assistant PPH (Problems Per Hundred) count from 9.6 (2023) to 3.6 (2025) in the US-IQS (Initial Quality Study) by enhancing function performance, contributing to a 7-position improvement in BMW’s overall brand ranking
  • Managed collaboration with two main suppliers, resolving technical challenges and securing on-time milestones
  • Delivered safety functions that supported multiple NCAP programs (EuroNCAP, ChinaNCAP, KoreaNCAP, JapanNCAP), with all models meeting or exceeding targets
Reza Saljooghi

Cosmin Iliuta

Senior Test Manager – Freelance Contractor

Munich

Last position:

Senior Test Manager – Freelance Contractor at CARIAD SE

  • Development and implementation of test strategies and test plans based on ISO-29119-2/3 for Porsche and Audi ISO-26262 compliant projects (functional, integration, system & regression tests).
  • Leading cross-functional teams across multiple locations, including resource planning, coordination, and milestone tracking.
  • Responsibility for defect management, root cause analyses, and process improvements to improve quality and efficiency.
  • Technical analysis of test results and creation of structured test reports and KPIs for stakeholders.
  • Reviewing specifications and architecture to validate test readiness and requirement compliance.
  • Controlling & monitoring test progress using appropriate metrics.
  • Communicating evaluated test results as input for function approvals to function project owners.
  • Practical vehicle testing, ECU flashing, and troubleshooting – on-board diagnostics and live tracing.

Applied qualifications:

  • SW requirements analysis
  • Jira X-Ray
  • SOME-IP
  • ViWI
  • Confluence
  • Defect management – KPM
  • ODIS
  • E-SYS
  • Agile methodologies
Cosmin Iliuta

Youssef Ahmed Rawy Baghdady

Test Automation Engineer

Munich

Last position:

Test Automation Engineer at IAV GmbH

  • Executed standard/complex test cases using ECU-test and Python, improving test throughput by 30%.
  • Performed validation and execution of ECU test cases on HiL benches for ADAS to ensure functional quality before release.
  • Worked closely with customers to align test activities with project requirements and provide regular validation updates.
  • Coordinated with subcontractors to track defects, ensure timely issue resolution, and maintain test quality.
  • Ensured testbench stability and maintenance before executing test plans, identifying and resolving issues proactively.
  • Developed Python-based automation scripts for reporting and workflow automation.
  • Managed test issues and documentation via Jira in coordination with QA and development teams.
  • Used CANPE for measuring signals of CAN, FlexRay, Ethernet, and IP using Vector CAN tools.
Youssef Ahmed Rawy Baghdady

Meryem Gündoğdu

Test Manager-SPOT

Munich

Last position:

Test Manager-SPOT at EON

  • Overall process definition, planning, training, tools, effective execution, and progress and quality measurement of test activities at the release level
  • Defining and improving the test process
  • Scheduling of releases
  • Coordinating alignment with release management for test setup and data provisioning
  • Coordinating migration test planning for Westnetz, Mitnetz, and EON Grid
  • Monitoring test progress, audit-proof documentation, progress tracking via defects, OSS reports, and incidents
  • Designing and coordinating potential test automation

IT environment: Jira Zephyr, Confluence, SIGMA, PowerBI

Meryem Gündoğdu

Isa Gündogdu

SAP Test Lead Europe

München

Last position:

SAP Test Lead Europe at Daiichi Sankyo

  • Transformation project to S/4HANA
  • Test management and coordination of functional tests for SAP
  • Preparation and support of tests (SIT 1+2, MOCK 1+2, UAT) as part of the SAP S/4HANA rollout (SD, MM, FI/CO, MD)
  • Creation of test strategies, test plans, and test cases to ensure system quality
  • Monitoring and compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) as well as ensuring the timely delivery of agreed performance indicators
  • Coordination of the approach with test managers from other regions (US, JP)
  • Planning of European test activities in the SAP implementation project in cooperation with test managers from the supplier
  • Coordination of interdisciplinary business and technical test teams in Europe
  • Business collaboration with global implementation partners
  • Use of Tricentis qTest and ValGenesis as test management tools (for validation-relevant processes)
  • Training functional consultants in testing and test tools
  • Creation and evaluation of change requests, including effort estimation, prioritization, and tracking
  • Reporting on test progress
Isa Gündogdu

Discover over 15,000 top freelancers

ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) statistics

Typical experience

20 years

Average project duration

2.8 years

Certifications per freelancer

6

Top business areas

Quality Assurance, Information Technology, Product Development

Top industries

Automotive, Information Technology, Banking and Finance

Most common languages

German, English, French

Bachelor's degree or higher

95%

Master's degree or higher

75%

Doctorate

5%

Salary / Daily Rate Distribution

0 4 8 12 16
<€480 €480-640 €640-800 €800-960 €960-1120 €1120+

The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers holding this certification are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.

Average rates for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) & Seniority distribution

Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.

1000
750
500
250
Rate comparison chart
Daily rate avg. 793 €

The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.

1000
750
500
250
Rate comparison chart
Median rate 800 €

The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.

Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for clear information? Everything important about FRATCH is here

ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) certifies that a person understands the basics of software testing, common terminology, and core test techniques. It is meant to show a shared foundation for QA work, not a deep specialty in one tool or industry. For companies, it often means the freelancer can join structured test work and communicate clearly with developers and analysts.

The CTFL is the entry point in the ISTQB path. It focuses on fundamentals such as test design, defect handling, and risk awareness, while advanced certifications move into more specific roles, methods, or domains. If you need someone to build the testing foundation, CTFL is the level to look for; if you need niche expertise, you may want a higher or more specialized ISTQB certificate.

The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level is a strong fit for manual testers, QA analysts, and consultants who work on software quality. It is also useful for developers, business analysts, and product people who want to understand testing better. For freelancers, it can support credibility when applying for QA roles in mixed teams.

You do not need a long testing career to start with CTFL. A good candidate usually has enough project exposure to understand software delivery, basic defect handling, and why careful test planning matters. The exam content is broad but practical, so preparation normally means studying the syllabus, learning the terminology, and practicing how to apply the concepts.

The ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level is generally treated as a stable foundation certificate, and it is not usually associated with frequent renewal in the way some other credentials are. That said, holders should keep an eye on current ISTQB guidance and syllabus updates. For companies, the more important question is whether the freelancer stays current with modern test practice and the tools used in your team.

CTFL is valuable in projects where testing needs structure and clear communication, such as web apps, mobile releases, enterprise software changes, and regression-heavy delivery. It is especially useful when several people share test responsibilities and need the same vocabulary. In Munich, that can be a good fit for international product teams, consulting assignments, and hybrid delivery setups.

For many roles, ISTQB Foundation Level is a solid baseline but not the full answer. Experienced QA freelancers often combine it with hands-on expertise in test automation, domain knowledge, or a more advanced ISTQB path. If you are hiring, CTFL tells you the person knows the basics; you still need to check the tools, project type, and depth of practical experience.

You will often see CTFL, ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level, or ISTQB Foundation Level. Some older profiles may say only ISTQB tester certification, but the official current name is clearer. When screening freelancers, it helps to match the acronym and the full title so you do not miss suitable QA candidates.

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FRATCH CEO

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