Systems Analyst/QA

NW Natural; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Flexible work arrangements

Vacation & Sick Time

Tuition Reimbursement

401K with company match

Job summary

NW Natural in Portland, Oregon is seeking an experienced QA Lead to drive quality assurance strategy, execution, and continuous improvement across multiple projects in the Enterprise Applications domain. This hybrid schedule requires on-site days at the headquarters and supports collaboration with cross-functional teams.

You will lead QA teams, develop test strategies, coordinate with PMO and development leads, oversee all testing phases, and advance automation to minimize manual testing while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in software Quality Assurance and Testing.
• Thorough understanding of SDLC and Testing Life Cycle.
• Deep knowledge of testing methodologies and QA best practices.
• Experience in Waterfall, Agile (Scrum) Development methodologies.
• Knowledge of automation and performance testing tools (e.g., Tosca & Neo Load).
• Proven experience leading or coordinating QA teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Leads QA teams, assigns tasks, and ensures all activities follow established QA Standard, processes, and best practices.
• Coordinates with PMO and Application teams
• Develops comprehensive test strategies and test plans in collaboration with project managers, business analysts, architects, and development leads.
• Plans, coordinates, and oversee all testing phases, including functional, integration, system, regression, compatibility, security testing
• Provides direction and coordination for onshore, nearshore and offshore 3rd party test team members for a given domain.
• Work with Business Analysts to clarify Business requirements and User Stories for Testability
• Reviews Technical Design Specifications documents for technical test requirements
• Estimates QA resource needs, manages workload allocation, and involves in & oversees test case development and execution, defect triage, test reporting, and test closure activities.
• Ensures proper test environment readiness, including configuration, access provisioning, environment stability, and test data management.
• Communicates QA expectations, risks, and requirements to stakeholders, and ensures vendors meet defined quality standards and contractual obligations.
• Identifies automation and performance requirements for the project and plans and coordinates Automation Test Engineer and Performance Test Engineer.
• Accountable to the completeness and reliability, and usage of the automated regression test suite for given domain.
• Helps drive the transition to modernizing testing processes. Leverages available tools and AI to minimize reliance on manual testing, manual creation of test scripts and documentation.
• Conducts defect triage sessions, logs defects in ADO, analyzes root causes, prioritizes issues, and works with development teams to confirm resolution.
• Plans, coordinates, and supports User Acceptance Testing (UAT) activities.
• Reports on testing status and quality metrics to stakeholders (Project Managers. IT&S leadership, Business Teams and Steering Committees)
• Researches and analyzes product features being tested

Skills

QA Leadership

Test Strategy

Test Planning

Team Coordination

Communication

Stakeholder Mgmt

Waterfall/Agile

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Tosca

NeoLoad

Job description

Systems Analyst/QA

Non-Union Position
Enterprise Applications; Portland,Oregon (US-OR)

Hybrid scheduleavailablefor Oregon & Washington residents.
Regular FT, Exempt
Posting # 5551

About Us:

At NW Natural, we offer more than rewarding career opportunities and a vibrant, inclusive work culture. We invite you to join us in providing safe and reliable utility services and renewable energy to better the lives of the communities we serve.Our vision is to be the leader in service excellence, innovation and environmental stewardship for our customers, while building on our strengths as a trusted energy provider and environmental leader for our industry.

In addition to environmental stewardship, we're also deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NW Natural. Our DEI Council started 21 years ago, and today we continue to foster a culture where all employees can experience a sense of belonging, shared purpose and possibility.

NOTE:

Employees based at our Headquarters are required to work on-site a minimum of two days per week. Specific inoffice days may vary by team and business needs. This hybrid schedule supports collaboration, connection, and engagement while also offering flexibility for remote work.

The Role:

We are seeking an experienced QA Lead to drive quality assurance strategy, execution, and continuous improvement across multiple projects and run-the-business activities for either the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Geospatial Information System (GIS) technical domain OR the Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) technical domain. This role is ideal for a professional with a strong background in software testing, proven leadership experience, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. The successful candidate will be passionate about driving continuous improvement and delivering high-quality, reliable systems.

Day to Day:

• Leads QA teams, assigns tasks, and ensures all activities follow established QA Standard, processes, and best practices.
• Coordinates with PMO and Application teams
• Develops comprehensive test strategies and test plans in collaboration with project managers, business analysts, architects, and development leads.
• Plans, coordinates, and oversee all testing phases, including functional, integration, system, regression, compatibility, security testing
• Provides direction and coordination for onshore, nearshore and offshore 3rd party test team members for a given domain.
• Work with Business Analysts to clarify Business requirements and User Stories for Testability
• Reviews Technical Design Specifications documents for technical test requirements
• Estimates QA resource needs, manages workload allocation, and involves in & oversees test case development and execution, defect triage, test reporting, and test closure activities.
• Ensures proper test environment readiness, including configuration, access provisioning, environment stability, and test data management.
• Communicates QA expectations, risks, and requirements to stakeholders, and ensures vendors meet defined quality standards and contractual obligations.
• Identifies automation and performance requirements for the project and plans and coordinates Automation Test Engineer and Performance Test Engineer.
• Accountable to the completeness and reliability, and usage of the automated regression test suite for given domain.
• Helps drive the transition to modernizing testing processes. Leverages available tools and AI to minimize reliance on manual testing, manual creation of test scripts and documentation.
• Conducts defect triage sessions, logs defects in ADO, analyzes root causes, prioritizes issues, and works with development teams to confirm resolution.
• Plans, coordinates, and supports User Acceptance Testing (UAT) activities.
• Reports on testing status and quality metrics to stakeholders (Project Managers. IT&S leadership, Business Teams and Steering Committees)
• Researches and analyzes product features being tested

Come on your first day with:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of experience in software Quality Assurance and Testing
• Thorough understanding of Software Development Life Cycle and Testing Life Cycle
• Deep knowledge of testing methodologies and QA best practices
• Experience in Waterfall, Agile (Scrum) Development methodologies
• Knowledge of automation and performance testing tools (e.g., Tosca & Neo Load)
• Proven experience leading or coordinating QA teams
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

We have needs in both CLM and EAM/GIS technical domains.

Domain specific - CLM

• Experience testing customer facing and customer lifecycle platforms, including Call Center technology, billing, service, and engagement systems
• Proven understanding of the end to end customer journey from onboarding through support, billing, and retention
• Experience validating customer data flows, account structures, pricing, and billing accuracy
• Proven ability to test integrations across CRM, IVR Genesys Cloud, CIS, Billing, Digital, and Analytics platforms
• Familiarity with UAT coordination involving business users, call center teams, and customer operations
• Focus on data quality, usability, performance, and customer experience outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to balance domain expertise, technical depth, and stakeholder partnership to deliver high quality, reliable enterprise solutions

OR

Domain specific - EAM/GIS

• Experience testing Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Geospatial Information System (GIS) platforms supporting asset lifecycle, maintenance, and work management
• Knowledge of asset centric business processes, including work orders, inspections, scheduling, and preventive maintenance
• Experience validating GIS systems such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Oline, ArcGIS UN, IQGEO, and spatial data, including map based workflows and location intelligence
• Understanding of system integrations between EAM, GIS, and operational systems
• Ability to test data accuracy, synchronization, and integrity between field systems and back office applications
• Familiarity with mobile, offline, and field workforce application testing is a plus
• Demonstrated ability to balance domain expertise, technical depth, and stakeholder partnership to deliver high quality, reliable enterprise solutions

What we offer:

Health & Wellness -

• Rich health insurance benefits with competitive employer contribution
• Free access to an online wellness resources platform

Work Life Balance -

• Up to 23 Vacation Days
• 80 Hours of Sick Time
• 10 paid holidays and 3 floating holidays
• Flexible work arrangements
• 3 weeks paid parental leave
• Be part of a workplace where your voice matters. Engage with our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, and a variety of Employee Resource Groups that support community and growth.
• 1500 sq foot exercise facility and secure bike room

Financial -

• Meaningful annual incentive bonus opportunity in addition to base salary
• Competitive 401K company contribution and match
• 15% discount on NW Natural stock through Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Up to $5250 a year in tuition reimbursementWellness incentive program

Discounts -

• 20% off natural gas service
• Up to 30% discount at NW Natural Appliance Center
• TriMet Pass for all HQ employees
• Generous discounts with Verizon & AT&T Wireless

Base salary range: $81,500.00 - $111,850.00 (Level 2) or$98,450.00-$140,300.00 (Level 3) per year, depending on qualifications

Annual Target Incentive: Level 2, 9.5% target
Level 3, 9.5% target
Targets are calculated using eligible earnings during plan year participation. Payout, if earned, is based on company and individual performance for each plan year and may range from 0% - 200% of target. Targets are subject to change in subsequent plan years. Must be employed by September 30 in order to receive any prorated payout.

Disclosure: We are a drug free workplace and we comply with Federal Drug Free Workplace Act and Department of Transportation regulations. NW Natural participates in E-Verify. Individuals hired will have their Form I-9 information submitted to E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

E-Verify Information

NW Natural participates in E-Verify. Individuals hired will have their Form I-9 information submitted to E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

All applications must be submitted through NW Natural's Electronic Application System. Resumes submitted via email, fax or mail will not be accepted in lieu of an electronic application.

NW Natural is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and embrace our candidates' diversity and take affirmative action to employ and advance individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, marital status, genetic information, and all other legally protected characteristics. We forbid discrimination and harassment in the workplace based on any protected status or characteristic. A criminal history is not an automatic bar to employment with NW Natural. Instead, we make individualized assessments regarding qualifications and backgrounds. NW Natural is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation as part of the application process, please contact us at [e-mail] or [phone].

NW Natural does not accept unsolicited submissions or assistance from search firms for posted positions. Resumes submitted by search firms working under a valid and current written contract with NW Natural valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from NW Natural HR/Employment will be deemed the sole property of NW Natural. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by NW Natural as a result of the referral or through other means.