Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide project leadership, business and technical expertise for the planning, conduct and execution of tests for all changes to the enterprise and corporate applications and related systems and processes. To provide test automation and application-testing expertise to ensure all systems meet
functional specifications before being promoted into production and to ensure the integrity and reliability of databases and recommend modification to application testing activities.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Within the Enterprise Applications Branch, Central Agencies I&IT Cluster (CAC), which provides IT services including quality assurance and business support for changes/upgrades, the job requires:
1. Project leading the planning and implementation of the Integration and Regression Phase of the systems development lifecycle for the testing of all changes to the enterprise and corporate applications and related systems and processes; including preparing project plans, determining and developing technical requirements, resources estimates, determining schedules, monitoring activities, providing status reports and project control.
2. Project leading strategies and enhanced usage of test automation tools including defining technical requirements for test automation tools, designing test automation techniques and identifying/resolving defects in test automation setup.
3. Providing specialized technical and business expertise and advice on all aspects of application testing to operations staff, business analysts, system designers and developers to ensure product stability and quality and ensure related applications systems requirements are met. Identifying, defining and designing all test scripts and test cases and expected results.
4. Coordinating and working with external service providers responsible for conducting testing projects for applications that support clusters and client ministry enterprise and corporate applications and related business systems and process including interface with other system and change management projects including providing leadership and direction on ministry methodologies and information regarding the latest version of internal systems.
5. Determining quality of application changes and providing expertise and direction on findings to systems analysts and programmers before implementation and ensuring deadlines are met.
6. Presenting test results findings to project owners (e.g. business leads, systems analysts) responsible for defining the business requirements and systems designs.
7. Leading and/or conducting the research and analysis of innovative opportunities, applications and process improvements related to the testing of information systems and making recommendations to the Manager for the design, development and implementation of new, enhanced, or customized application testing tools and methods to optimize client's systems, programs and services. Determining and developing technical methods, practices, techniques and tools for use in systems testing.
8. As a member of the Testing Services team, participates in team decision-making processes including project estimates, deadlines, and standards development related to testing processes.

Knowledge :

Job requires:
- application development methodologies, techniques and methods; structured analysis and design methodology, the systems development cycle and data modeling techniques; structured testing tools and methodology and test automation techniques to plan and project lead the planning and implementation of testing in support of the systems development Lifecycle
- to provide technical expertise and advice on all aspects of application testing to operation staff, business analysts, system designers and developers for the complex and specialized enterprise and corporate systems applications maintained and supported by the branch (e.g. CCPay)
- current and emerging technology and industry standards and trends specifically as they relate to relational databases and three-tier architecture t, as well as operating systems, databases, network protocols, and data transformation to lead and/or conduct the research and analysis of innovative
opportunities to test changes to applications introduced by the branch through the use of test automation tools, and to lead the installation, configuration of operating systems, software and provision of troubleshooting
- current and emerging technology and industry standards and trends specifically as they relate to automated testing including Rational Functional Tester, TFS and similar test automation tools to conduct the research and analysis of innovative opportunities to test changes to applications introduced by the branch
- project management methodology and technique to plan and lead multiple testing projects and to prepare project plans, determine technical requirements and monitor activities
- industry standard programming concepts, languages to code and test automated testing scripts
- object migration process and version control to ensure system changes are properly available to the test environments
- database query process to select test data and ensure database integrity
- computer room operations procedures to lead the Operators through the execution of batch testing
- data backup and restore process to allow recovery of testing environments.

Skills :

Job requires:
- analytical skills to identify, define and design all test scripts and test cases
- analytical skills to determine technical requirements for the planning and implementation of testing projects
- analytical and evaluating skills to assess testing outcome and ensure product stability and quality
- problem solving skills to ensure testing requirements and methodologies are followed in all stages of testing processes; in isolating new behaviours of systems and determining expectations of new behaviours
- problem solving skills to identify and resolve defects in the test automation set up.
- research and analytical skills to research and analyse innovative opportunities, applications and process improvements related to the testing of human resources information systems including enhanced usage of test automation tools for productivity gains with the operating environment
Job requires:
- oral communication and consultative skills to provide specialized technical expertise and business advice on all aspects of application testing to operations staff, business analysts, system designers and developers
- oral communication and negotiation skills to plan and lead external service providers responsible for conducting testing projects
- oral communication and presentation skills to present complex test results findings to project owners (e.g. business leads, systems analysts) responsible for defining the business requirements and systems designs.
- written communication skills to develop technical methods, practices, techniques and tools for use in systems testing
- written communication skills to document and report complex findings from testing projects to project owners
- written communication skills to document complex test automation environments.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working within application development methodologies, techniques and methods and testing techniques. Job exercises latitude in decision-making by: planning, designing, leading and executing testing of all changes to the OPS Human Resources, payroll and related systems and processes; in determining technical requirements, resource and cost estimates of projects as well as the technical requirements for test automation tools; in determining project schedules and in ensuring product stability and quality. Job provides specialized expertise in systems testing and the usage of test automation tools, and their relationship to the human resource and payroll business regarding systems change requirements. Job requires making recommendations to the Manager for quality and stability of application changes before implementation; the design, development and implementation of new, enhanced, or customized application testing tools and methods and test automation techniques. Job participates in team decision-making processes including project estimates, deadlines, and standards development related to testing processes. Job refers to the Manager, with recommendations for their resolution, such matters as: systems meeting their functional specifications before being promoted into production.