QA Lead Functional Testing

The QA FUNCTIONAL TEST LEAD is responsible for leading a small team to perform application testing as well as production support issues for various projects for our hugely popular client company. The position supports new quality assurance programs and processes in alignment with QA strategy that includes providing feedback on artifact quality developed during requirements and analysis phases within IS projects as well as performing test execution and assisting with product metrics reporting for both project and support related activities.

The QA Technical Lead is responsible for quality and test related process execution with high impact to the business. This includes providing feedback on artifacts developed during requirements and analysis phase within client projects; authoring test plans and test cases; and performing test execution for both project and support related activities.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

- Create QA Task List.
- Set up metrics and reporting structure for project.
- Develop or oversee the development of test activities estimates, resource plans, costs, benefits, and timelines for projects.
- Complete risk and impact assessment for requests and ensure quality and a timely delivery of all projects.
- Identify training needs.
- Identify test environment needs.
- Define and create a defect tracking process/procedure.
- Create test plan.
- Perform and/or oversee test case development.
- Manage the day-to-day activities of a group of testers to complete project and support related activities.
- Ensure Test Case reviews with stakeholders are being held as appropriate.
- Verify proper configuration of tools.
- Formally accept application for testing.
- Coordinate test execution.
- Conduct Defect Triage meetings as appropriate.
- Update project list activities for Project Management
- Develop, track, analyze, and communicate test-related metrics to project stakeholders.
- Keep Management, Project Managers and stakeholders informed of current state of quality and test progress against pilot/production readiness criteria.
- Ensure completion of all deliverables within schedule, budget and quality constraints.
- Formally certify application for pilot.
- Monitor pilot.
- Root cause analysis.
- Perform functional manual application testing, quality assurance.
- Assess quality and test process maturity level and assist in defining strategy to implement best practices.
- Ensure that projects follow prescribed software development life cycle standards.
- Provide leadership to quality engineers, with complete responsibility and accountability for delivery of project tasks assigned to the QA team.
- Identify and lead implementation of software quality metrics that results in improvement initiatives.
- Develop and maintain good relationships with project team.
- Manage test services for support activity and works with release management to assure product release quality.
- Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, reduce support, decrease turnaround times, and streamline work processes.
- Provide coaching, education, and career development for QA team.
- Continuously work to increase technical knowledge through self-study and classroom training.
- Identify test automation opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness of test services. Define test automation strategy and framework.
- Drive selection of testing tools to support test efficiency and effectiveness objectives. Insure that test tools are consistently used across enterprise.

REQUIREMENTS:

- Bachelor's degree in IS or related equivalent work experience in an Information Systems position and 3-5 years of experience in job duties
- Experience in discipline of functional testing
- Understanding of regression testing techniques
- Experience in waterfall project management and development methodologies
- Understands focus of various testing types: black/White Box, unit, integration, system, user acceptance, etc.
- Project management knowledge: tasks, activities, duration vs. effort, time reporting
- Effort/duration estimation: estimating models, coverage (ie, specialized testing, support, etc.)
- Understanding of solution architecture to testing
- Understanding of requirements to testing
- Ability to effectively and frequently interact with Business Analysts, Technical Leads, and Architects
- Ability to analyze and specify test environment requirements
- Understanding of release management procedures
- Experience managing testing effort to typical project constraints: budget, schedule, environment, etc.
- Ability to identify QA training needs
- Ability to establish and drive requirements testability and traceability
- Ability to articulate gaps found in requirements and escalates associated risks
- Experience conducting/facilitating/driving quality risk analyses
- Ability to estimate work based on quality risk
- Experience documenting detailed test plans
- Strong test case modelling/design experience
- Effective at verbally validating planned test scenarios with technical and business stakeholders
- Ability to synchronize test design activities with development design activities
- Ability to prioritize and manage test case creation based on risk
- Experience mentoring to other QA team on test artifacts: concise, appropriate detail, standards-based, etc.
- Ability to identify critical test artifacts from repository for unique purposes (ie, smoke test, regression, etc.)
- Ability to apply metrics-based decision making for test phase entrance and exit
- Drives test execution: prioritization, communication, pacing
- Experience coordinating software build deployments to test environment, including planning, prioritization, content, and results
- Ability to prioritize testing by relative risk
- Ability to establish regression testing target areas based on previous results and risk
- Ability to track and articulate defect trend data
- Familiarity with commercial defect tracking tools
- Understanding of standard defect life cycle models
- Ability to articulate software quality metrics concepts, value, purpose, processes, etc.
- Ability to articulate test progress succinctly in terms of quality, progress, risks, schedule, budget, issues, actions, etc.
- Root cause analysis skills
- Experience defining scope for test automation, script design and development a plus

Estimated duration of this contract position is 6 months with possible extension based on performance.