Senior Test Analyst
Business Area: Group Transformation
Place of Work: Liverpool
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract
When you join USS, the size and scale of our pension scheme means you will have numerous opportunities to learn and develop your career. Given our size you'll have real autonomy and influence as you collaborate closely with a wide-ranging team of experts.
Our office is a vibrant place to work, and we offer flexibility of office/homeworking due to our hybrid model.
About the role
In your role as Senior Test Analyst you will make a meaningful and valued contribution from the outset. This role will provide a great opportunity to take a leading position in the planning, design, preparation and execution of testing needed to support USS’ large and complex change portfolio and small change initiatives, with minimal guidance.
In your capacity as Senior Test Analyst, you will develop key relationships with business, technical colleagues, and senior stakeholders across the organisation, as well as third party suppliers.
This role requires you to develop and maintain your knowledge of USS’ business, products and services and industry best practice in testing. You will also take ownership of the key responsibilities listed below, whilst recognising that the role requires flexibility and adaptability to support the business in the delivery of change.
What you will be doing
As a trusted part of the Group Transformation you will be responsible for:
1. Taking the lead role in the robust planning, design, preparation and execution of testing aligned to the agreed testing strategy, including:
2. Leading the assessment and review of business requirements and solution designs, to determine the optimal approach to testing, ensuring the scope of testing is understood, agreed, and communicated to all project stakeholders.
3. Leading the design of the required tests, ensuring appropriate planning information is proactively input into test plans and schedules, where relevant and appropriate, including test objectives, areas of testing, number of required tests & cycles.
4. Producing high-quality test deliverables and test designs appropriate to the phase of testing e.g. business test scenarios, test scripts, test cases and expected results.
5. Ensuring that all tests include meaningful and measurable pre-requisites and success criteria.
6. Ensuring that there is end-to-end traceability of requirements to designed test scenarios and scripts, and that business requirements are fit-for-purpose in terms of their testability.
7. Working in collaboration with technical colleagues (internal and external) to ensure that test environments are set-up and sufficiently maintained to support the agreed phases of testing.
8. Leading the preparation of test data, including identifying the data appropriate for the designed test scenarios, and working with technical colleagues, if required, to ensure data is available in support of all cycles of testing.
9. Designing automated tests where appropriate, using the agreed testing tools, ensuring the necessary technical support is in place.
10. Ensuring that all test deliverables are reviewed and approved as per agreed standards, including peer review by USS BAT Team colleagues, and by project stakeholders where appropriate.
11. Leading and performing test design and execution activities at the required level, across all phases of testing, and being the technical expert from a test perspective throughout all project test activities, assuring:
12. Executing tests using agreed testing tools (where possible and in accordance with USS’ standards), recording and monitoring testing progress and support management reporting, as required by the project.
13. Recording and evaluating test results against the success criteria, and any deviations from expected results logged as defects.
14. Testing is executed as per the planned testing cycles and coverage, with any deviation recorded and reported appropriately.
15. Managing all logged defects to a stakeholder agreed conclusion.
16. Ensuring test environments remain controlled throughout test execution cycles such that the integrity of test data is assured.
17. Automation candidates are identified and built into the relevant automation testing framework during test preparation cycles.
18. Establishing collaborative working relationships across the organisation and with third party suppliers to in support of test preparation, design, and execution activities.
19. Providing support and share best practice, technical skills, and product knowledge to other members of the team, and mentor less experienced members of the team, as required.
20. Managing own workload and support the team’s capacity planning by providing estimates for deliverables in support of project planning activities.
About you
We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box, if you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, then please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements outlined in this profile.
To be successful in the role you will have:
21. Exceptional test design, test preparation and test execution skills
22. Able to demonstrate experience of the full testing lifecycle from business requirements to test execution through various test phases (Integration Testing, User Acceptance Testing [UAT], Regression Testing), Integration Testing including risk-based testing approaches
23. Use of testing tools for test execution and defect management including test automation
24. Experience of working with third party suppliers and testing software delivered into USS’ environments including COTS packages
25. Excellent communication skills: able to present complex scenarios with clarity and brevity to key project stakeholders
26. Stakeholder management including external providers.
Why join us?
How we will reward you
27. Great starting salary
28. Generous annual leave package
29. Access to a high quality pension scheme provided through Universities Superannuation Scheme
30. Supportive people policies (including enhanced occupational sickness pay and family friendly pay)
31. Financial contributions towards your personal development to help you maintain your physical and mental wellbeing
32. Access to a range of health and wellbeing services i.e., private healthcare, discounted gym membership
33. Learning and development opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and talent
34. Employee Volunteer Day’s to support the communities where you work and live
35. Cycle to Work Scheme
Our culture and values
Our people are what makes us different. We work together to create a diverse and inclusive culture that embraces individuality, where people are welcomed and feel comfortable in the knowledge that they can be themselves. Our purpose firmly states the importance of members, putting them ‘front and centre’ of what we do. This is embedded through our values:
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Excellence