Software Quality Assurance Specialist

Job Summary:

The Systems Testing/QA Specialist is responsible for planning, organizing, and executing comprehensive testing efforts for large-scale enterprise IT systems. This role involves developing and implementing test strategies, managing both manual and automated testing processes, and ensuring compliance with quality assurance standards including accessibility and security requirements. The specialist collaborates with development, business, and project teams to validate system functionality, performance, and integration, contributing to the delivery of high-quality software solutions. Responsibilities:

• Advise on testing strategy, test plans, selection of testing tools, and resource identification.
• Plan and organize testing efforts for GUI and non-GUI environments including system integration, specialized, and user acceptance testing.
• Develop test plans, scripts, and cases; execute functional, integration, system, regression, and performance tests.
• Identify, document, and track defects using tools such as ALM, JIRA, Bugzilla, and Azure DevOps.
• Collaborate with developers to reproduce and resolve issues.
• Develop and maintain automated test scripts using tools like Micro Focus UFT, Selenium, TestComplete, or Postman.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Conduct performance, stress, and load testing to ensure system scalability and reliability.
• Ensure compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA) and related standards.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
• Maintain detailed documentation of test results, coverage, and quality metrics.
• Provide input for user manuals and release notes.
• Ensure testing processes comply with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

Required Skills:

• 10+ years of experience in software testing within enterprise-level IT environments and large-scale systems.
• Hands-on experience with manual and automated testing tools and frameworks.
• Proficiency in creating and maintaining test strategies, test cases, scripts, and test reports.
• Experience with test automation tools such as Selenium and Postman for API testing.
• Experience with performance testing tools like JMeter and LoadRunner.
• Strong knowledge of defect tracking tools such as JIRA and Azure DevOps.
• Deep understanding of Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall testing methodologies.
• Knowledge of cloud technologies including Azure and AWS.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and integration tools like Jenkins, Git, or GitLab.
• Strong database knowledge including SQL and Oracle.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet aggressive timelines.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in at least one programming language.
• Knowledge of information retrieval packages.
• Understanding of testing methods in object-oriented environments.
• Knowledge of Information Management principles, policies, and practices.
• Experience with Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) application testing.
• Experience coding automated test scripts to produce sets of automated test cases.
• Experience with security testing and collaboration with security specialists.
• Experience developing and managing robust test data strategies.
• Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python, JavaScript, or Bash.

Rated Criteria:

• Core Skills and Experience 40%
• Technical Skills and Experience 35%
• Soft Skills 20%
• Public Sector Experience 5%

Total: 100 Points Deliverables:

• Comprehensive test strategies, plans, scripts, and cases.
• Manual and automated test executions and reports.
• Defect documentation and tracking records.
• Performance and load testing results and analysis.
• Test automation scripts integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
• Documentation of test coverage, quality metrics, and compliance adherence.
• Input for user manuals and release notes.

Must Haves:

• 10+ years of software testing experience in enterprise-level IT environments.
• Hands-on experience with manual and automated testing tools and frameworks.
• Proven ability to create and maintain test strategies, cases, scripts, and reports.
• Experience with Selenium or Postman for API test automation.
• Experience with performance testing tools such as JMeter or LoadRunner.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms like Azure and AWS.

Public Sector Experience:

Preferred