System Testing/QA Specialist

Role Overview

The Systems Testing / QA Specialist is responsible for planning, designing, executing, and managing end-to-end testing activities for large-scale enterprise systems. The role ensures that applications meet functional, non-functional, and regulatory requirements through structured testing strategies, automation, and quality assurance practices. The specialist will collaborate closely with developers, business analysts, project managers, and stakeholders to ensure high-quality software delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Test Strategy & Planning

• Define and advise on overall testing strategy and test plans
  
• Select appropriate testing tools and frameworks
  
• Identify testing resources and effort required for projects
  
• Plan and coordinate testing activities for large and complex systems (GUI and non-GUI)
  

Test Design & Execution

• Develop detailed test plans, test cases, and test scripts
  
• Execute functional, integration, system, regression, and user acceptance testing (UAT)
  
• Perform specialized testing including stress, load, and performance testing
  
• Validate system behavior under various conditions
  

Defect Management & Collaboration

• Identify, document, and track defects using tools such as JIRA, ALM, Azure DevOps, or Bugzilla
  
• Collaborate with developers to reproduce, analyze, and resolve issues
  
• Work closely with project teams across all SDLC phases
  

Test Automation & CI/CD

• Develop and maintain automated test scripts using tools such as Selenium, UFT, TestComplete, or Postman
  
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines
  
• Support continuous testing and deployment processes
  

Performance & Data Testing

• Conduct performance, load, and stress testing using tools such as JMeter or LoadRunner
  
• Analyze system performance bottlenecks and scalability issues
  
• Validate data integrity, consistency, and accuracy across systems and databases
  
• Support data migration and transformation testing
  

Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure adherence to QA standards, SDLC methodologies, and regulatory requirements
  
• Perform AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) compliance testing
  
• Maintain detailed test documentation, coverage reports, and quality metrics
  
• Contribute to user manuals and release documentation
  

Agile Participation

• Participate in Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives
  
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall environments
  

Requirements

Required Skills & Qualifications

Core Experience

• 10+ years of experience in software testing in enterprise IT environments
  
• Strong experience in manual and automated testing frameworks
  
• Expertise in test strategy development and execution
  
• Hands-on experience with AODA compliance testing
  
• Experience in end-to-end testing of complex systems
  

Testing & Tools Expertise

• Test automation: Selenium, Postman, UFT, TestComplete, or similar
  
• Performance testing: JMeter, LoadRunner, or equivalent
  
• Defect tracking tools: JIRA, Azure DevOps, ALM, Bugzilla
  
• Test management tools: TestRail, Zephyr (preferred)
  
• Strong knowledge of functional, integration, regression, and UAT testing
  

Technical Skills

• Strong SQL and database testing skills (Oracle, SQL Server, etc.)
  
• Understanding of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS)
  
• Knowledge of CI/CD tools (Jenkins, Git, GitLab)
  
• Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, JavaScript, Bash)
  

Methodologies

• Strong understanding of SDLC
  
• Experience with Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall methodologies
  
• Knowledge of structured QA methodologies and best practices
  

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
  
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  
• Ability to work effectively in large, cross-functional teams
  
• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage deadlines under pressure
  
• Adaptability in fast-paced and changing environments
  

Desirable Skills

• Programming experience in at least one language
  
• Experience testing COTS applications
  
• Knowledge of object-oriented testing approaches
  
• Experience in information management principles
  
• Experience designing and managing test data strategies