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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Test Specialist

💰 $75,000 - $125,000

Quality AssuranceInformation TechnologySoftware Development

🎯 Role Definition

As a Test Specialist, you are the guardian of quality for our software applications. You will be deeply embedded within our agile development teams, responsible for designing, developing, and executing comprehensive testing strategies to identify issues before they reach our users. This role involves a blend of meticulous manual testing, sophisticated test automation, and in-depth analysis to ensure our products meet the highest standards of functionality, reliability, performance, and user experience. You will collaborate with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to champion a culture of quality and drive continuous improvement in our testing processes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior QA Analyst / Tester
  • Software Support Engineer
  • Manual Tester

Advancement To:

  • Senior Test Specialist / Senior QA Engineer
  • Test Automation Architect
  • Quality Assurance (QA) Lead or Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Business Analyst (BA)
  • DevOps Engineer
  • Product Owner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, develop, and implement comprehensive test strategies and test plans to ensure full coverage of software requirements and user stories.
  • Create, maintain, and execute detailed, well-structured manual and automated test cases for various application layers (UI, API, database).
  • Identify, record, and meticulously document software defects and bugs using tracking systems like JIRA or Azure DevOps, and collaborate with developers on resolution.
  • Perform thorough regression testing when bugs are resolved to verify fixes and ensure the stability of existing functionalities.
  • Develop, execute, and maintain test automation scripts and frameworks using modern tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or Appium.
  • Conduct comprehensive API testing using tools like Postman or SoapUI to validate the functionality, reliability, performance, and security of backend services.
  • Execute performance, load, and stress testing using tools like JMeter to identify system bottlenecks and ensure application stability and scalability under pressure.
  • Actively participate in all stages of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), including requirements analysis, design reviews, and sprint planning ceremonies.
  • Set up and manage dedicated test environments, including the generation and management of test data to ensure a stable and reliable testing landscape.
  • Integrate automated tests into the CI/CD pipeline (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) to enable continuous testing, providing rapid feedback to the development team.
  • Analyze and interpret test results, generating detailed test reports and communicating quality metrics to stakeholders to inform release decisions.
  • Perform exploratory and usability testing to identify potential issues and provide valuable feedback on user experience and product design.
  • Write and execute complex SQL queries to perform backend database validation, ensuring data integrity across all application transactions.
  • Validate application functionality, layout, and performance across different web browsers, operating systems, and mobile devices to ensure cross-platform compatibility.
  • Triage, investigate, and reproduce complex issues reported from production environments to assist development teams in rapid and effective resolution.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to investigate potential quality issues.
  • Contribute to the organization's overall quality assurance strategy and testing roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units and product owners to translate business needs into clear and testable engineering requirements.
  • Participate actively in sprint planning, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies within the development team.
  • Champion quality assurance best practices and advocate for a "quality-first" mindset across the entire engineering organization.
  • Mentor junior QA team members, providing guidance on testing techniques, automation tools, and professional growth.
  • Stay current with emerging industry trends, new testing tools, and innovative test strategies to continuously improve our quality processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Test Automation: Proficiency with automation frameworks and tools like Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, or similar.
  • API Testing: Hands-on experience with API testing tools such as Postman, ReadyAPI, or Insomnia.
  • Bug & Project Tracking: Expertise in using JIRA, Azure DevOps, or other similar project management software.
  • Programming/Scripting: Strong skills in at least one scripting language, such as Python, JavaScript, or Java, for writing automation scripts.
  • Database & SQL: Solid understanding of relational databases and the ability to write complex SQL queries for data validation.
  • CI/CD Integration: Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI.
  • Performance Testing: Knowledge of performance and load testing concepts and tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner).
  • Version Control: Competency with version control systems, particularly Git.
  • Agile Methodologies: Deep understanding of Agile/Scrum development principles and practices.
  • Test Management: Experience with test case management tools like TestRail, Xray, or Zephyr.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Problem-Solving: Ability to dissect complex problems and identify root causes with a logical approach.
  • Attention to Detail: A meticulous nature with a passion for finding inconsistencies and ensuring precision.
  • Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills to clearly articulate bugs, test results, and ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A proven ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals.
  • Critical Thinking: The capacity to think critically about requirements and user flows to anticipate potential issues.
  • Proactive Mindset: A self-starter attitude with a strong sense of ownership and curiosity to explore and improve.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent professional experience in a quality assurance role.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
  • Relevant certifications (e.g., ISTQB, CSTE) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
  • Software Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7 years of hands-on experience in software quality assurance and testing.

Preferred:

  • Demonstrable experience in building and maintaining a test automation framework from scratch.
  • Experience working in a fast-paced, agile environment.
  • Prior experience in our specific industry (e.g., FinTech, Healthcare, E-commerce) is highly advantageous.
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