Lead Software Quality Assurance Engineer

We take great strides to ensure our employees have the resources to live well, be healthy, continue learning, develop skills, grow professionally and serve our local communities. We invite you to apply for a career with Blue Cross.

Residency in or relocation to Louisiana is preferred for all positions.

POSITION PURPOSE

Individuals within the Lead Software Quality Assurance Engineer role deliver automated solutions for software processes. Plans, organizes, coordinates and tracks testing activities to ensure the successful deployment of projects. Uses technical skills, expertise and application knowledge to support clients, developers and testers. Provides knowledge transfer and training to the test team as needed. Performs or participates in various types of testing and post implementation reviews as determined by the project. Helps to ensure continuous improvement in Quality Assurance processes. A QA engineer is expected to: • Identify opportunities for inserting more quality within software processes. • Design and execute QA tests. • Run tests for databases, systems, networks, applications, hardware and software. • Identify bugs and quality issues in development, service or business processes. • Collaborate with other business units to understand the business and ensure their quality needs are being met. QA Engineers also interact with various development teams, project managers, internal and external customers, senior management, and external vendors. Members of this role understand how to create and execute functional testing so that they can support and enable key business processes. They must have an in-depth understanding of the business environment, and strong analytical and communication skills. Individuals must work well within a team environment. Accountable for complying with all laws and regulations associated with duties and responsibilities.

• This role does not manage people

• This role reports to this job: Manager, IT Quality Assurance

• Necessary Contacts: This position reports to a Manager or Director

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Management required

• Four years of related experience can be used in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree.

• 7 years of related quality assurance testing experience, required, along with the following: Professional systems or programming background; database technologies and SQL; testing web, client-server, infrastructure, business process, or mainframe applications; testing systems installation and maintenance; and experience with Microsoft TFS/ Azure DevOps, preferred

• Hands-on experience supporting, mentoring and working with junior team members.

• Experience with distributed organizations is preferred.

• Experience leading multiple projects with distributed teams is preferred.

• Mobile testing lead experience, including planning and conducting functional and performance testing, is preferred.

• Experience working with management to create mobile testing standards is preferred.

• Automated testing experience, including planning and conducting functional and performance testing, is preferred

• Automated testing tools and QA methodologies, is preferred.

• Experience working with management to create automated testing standards is preferred.

• Advanced skills in data analysis and database/backend testing.

• Must have demonstrated ability to analyze and solve logical problems such as those found in mathematics, statistics, etc.

• Requires knowledge of computing systems and a general knowledge about applications development process, including relational databases.

• Requires knowledge of test planning and test methodologies, and test data management.

• Certifications in software quality, or technical equivalent, preferred.

• Work Complexity: Works on medium to complex and cross-functional project teams. Works multiple projects as a team member, sometimes as a technical lead.

• Project/Work Planning: Participates in workstream planning process including inception, technical design, development, testing, and delivery of solutions. May participate in project management estimation process. Develops demand & estimation forecasts.

• Business Requirements: Works with BA’s and project team members to understand customer needs. Analyzes business and functional requirements and translates these requirements into robust, scalable, operable solutions.

• Develop & Implement: Collects, analyzes, and shares data to help business teams drive improvement in key business metrics, customer experience, and business results. Utilizes database and other technologies to perform validations, capture test scripts, and conduct automated testing and report generation. Designs, develops and tests solutions such as databases, data warehouses, queries and views, reports, and dashboards. Performs/sources data within and between internal and external software systems. Documents new and existing models, solutions, and implementations.

• Production Support: Troubleshoots tools, systems, and software. Troubleshoots reported test data defects and inconsistent outcomes in conjunction with the business to be used during the testing process. Tracks, monitors and analyzes performance and production issues, and implements improvements. Supports and helps manage external resources, such as service providers and vendor support.

• Quality Assurance: Ensures the collected data is within required quality standards. Maintains the quality of test repository by managing testing processes and assisting business to test and meeting goals. Provides input to the development of data/information quality metrics.

• Training: Designs and delivers end-user training and training materials. Trains users to transform data into action-oriented information and to use that information correctly.

• Coaching & Mentoring: Provides guidance, training, and problem-solving assistance to other team members. Provides coaching to less experienced individuals.

• Process, Policies & Standards: Provides input and adheres to process, policies, and standards. Ensures Enterprise QA standards and processes are maintained.

• Customer service: Keeps customer informed about data validation tool problems and resolutions. Tracks and reports out on issues and enhancement request for the business in a timely manner. Works closely with customers and PMs to create ad hoc reports to support timely business decisions and project work.

• Research/Evaluation: Conducts research and makes recommendations on data products and services. Interfaces with vendors to keep abreast of new technologies, pricing, and customer application. Analyzes and tests new releases/versions of software. Participates in vendor evaluations.

• Analytical Thinking: Determines criteria for assessing issues and opportunities. Establishes clear goals and priorities needed to assess performance. Identifies relationships and linkages between different information sources. Anticipates issues that are not readily apparent on the surface. Identifies root causes and effects. Establishes clear goals and priorities. Anticipates potential problems and develops solutions needed to resolve them. Systemically analyzes relationships between apparently independent problems and issues. Reviews and cross-reviews reports. Identifies trends as well as isolated events. Translates analytical reports into management presentations and provides guidance to resolve issues. Anticipates the possible outcome of potential solutions. Identifies areas of significant concern or opportunity. Probes and initiates research to identify critical problems.

• Business Function Knowledge: Engages business and technical leaders in the identification of medium-term business solutions consistent with best practices for cross-functional implementation. Sets the direction for and steers medium-term enhancements of integrated standards and significant business performance drivers across multiple areas of responsibility.

• Consulting: Leads research and summarizes requirements for the engagement. Interprets issues within the framework of core business processes. Provides substantiated, risk-assessed options and counsel in relation to process enhancement and professional expertise. Facilitates dialogues that produce new perspectives and trigger recommendations for substantial innovative enhancements and analysis of consequences.

• Customer Service Orientation: Researches the underlying needs of business partners and recommends options with cost benefits. Leads initiatives and programs to meet and exceed customer’s expectations of deliverables.

• Monitors performance trends and updates business partners and senior management on progress. Educates clients in performance improvement opportunities offered by existing and new technologies. Responds to escalated service issues and involves other subject matter experts as needed. Develops and maintains strong relationships with customers. Ensures customer satisfaction.

• Information Seeking: Researches organizational and professional trends. Networks internally and externally on areas of interest and concern. Evaluates sources, and collates and compares data, omission and accuracy. Conducts objective analysis. Prioritizes information by source. Monitors systematically. Deploys resources (time, people, and systems) to ensure timely management reporting. Reviews and determines need for corrective action and/or business opportunities.

• Innovation: Challenges conventional thinking and traditional ways of operating and invites stakeholders to identify issues and opportunities. Helps others overcome resistance to change. Seeks out opportunities to improve, streamline, reinvent work processes. Explores numerous potential solutions and evaluates each before accepting any, as time permits. Maintains balance between innovation and pragmatism when determining the practical application of new ideas. Makes lots of proposals, builds on others’ ideas. Sees opportunities, open-minded. Develops new products or services, methods or approaches. Develops better, faster, or less expensive ways to do things. Fosters a non-judgmental environment that stimulates creativity.

• Problem Solving: Diagnoses problems using formal problem-solving tools and techniques from multiple angles and probes underlying issues to generate multiple potential solutions. Proactively anticipates and prevents problems. Devises, facilitates buy-in, makes recommendations and guides implementation of corrective and/or preventive actions for complex issues that cross organizational boundaries and are unclear in nature. Identifies potential consequences and risk levels. Gains support and buy-in for problem definition, methods of resolution, and accountability.

• Quality Assurance: Proficient in the use of multiple test plan construction tools. Makes recommendations on the test plan construction tools to utilize for a specific project. Performs quality assurance for multiple areas ensuring proper integration of units. Provides guidance to team members on quality assurance techniques and approaches testing complex applications.

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned, within your scope of responsibilities.

• Job duties are performed in a normal and clean office environment with normal noise levels.

• Work is predominately done while standing or sitting.

• The ability to comprehend, document, calculate, visualize, and analyze are required.

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An Equal Opportunity Employer

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In support of our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians, Blue Cross encourages the good health of its employees and visitors. We want to ensure that our employees have a work environment that will optimize personal health and well-being. Due to the acknowledged hazards from exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, and in order to promote good health, our company properties are smoke and tobacco free.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana performs background and pre-employment drug screening after an offer has been extended and prior to hire for all positions. As part of this process records may be verified and information checked with agencies including but not limited to the Social Security Administration, criminal courts, federal, state, and county repositories of criminal records, Department of Motor Vehicles and credit bureaus. Pursuant with sec 1033 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, individuals who have been convicted of a felony crime involving dishonesty or breach of trust are prohibited from working in the insurance industry unless they obtain written consent from their state insurance commissioner.

Additionally, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is a Drug Free Workplace. A pre-employment drug screen will be required and any offer is contingent upon satisfactory drug testing results.