Senior Functional QA Engineer - AVP (Belfast)

As a Senior QA Analyst, you will be an integral part of our agile delivery team, driving the development and execution of high-quality functional testing in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. You will work closely with product owners, developers, and other stakeholders to ensure that our applications meet both functional and non-functional requirements. Your expertise in Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), agile methodologies, and deep understanding of functional domains will be key to ensuring the success of our projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Agile QA Practices
  • Actively participate in all Agile ceremonies, including backlog grooming, sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
  • Collaborate with Product Owners and development teams to understand project requirements and define comprehensive test strategies.
  • Develop, execute, and maintain test plans, test cases, and test scripts aligned with Agile methodologies.
• Functional Domain Expertise
  • Leverage in-depth knowledge of financial products and services to design effective test scenarios.
  • Ensure test coverage for functional and non-functional requirements, focusing on areas such as trade processing, confirmation, settlement, and margin.
  • Conduct thorough root cause analysis for defects and implement preventative measures to enhance production stability.
• Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
  • Implement and advocate for BDD practices within the QA process.
  • Provide test scenarios and maintain automated test scripts using BDD tools such as Cucumber, ensuring efficient regression testing and maximum test coverage.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to write clear and concise Gherkin scenarios that accurately reflect business requirements.
• Team Collaboration
  • Foster a collaborative environment by working closely with developers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
  • Mentor junior QA team members, providing guidance and support to enhance their professional growth.
  • Communicate effectively with global teams, demonstrating strong attention to detail and the ability to organize and prioritize work effectively.

Qualifications

• Experience
  • Hands-on experience in software quality assurance, with a focus on Agile methodologies.
  • Proven experience in leading User Acceptance Testing (UAT) cycles for business-critical applications.
  • Strong financial product knowledge, with a distinct advantage in derivatives.
• Technical Skills
  • Proficiency in test automation tools and frameworks, particularly those supporting BDD such as Cucumber.
  • Solid understanding of UNIX, shell scripting, and SQL.
  • Understanding of microservices architecture and test requirements.
  • Experience with test management and defect tracking tools, with the ability to generate and interpret associated reports.
• Soft Skills
  • Self-motivated individual with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
  • Demonstrated ability to work both independently and within global teams.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a keen attention to detail.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to multi-task and prioritize effectively.
  • A good understanding of capital markets, trade lifecycle, OTC derivatives and settlements and payments would be a clear advantage.