Test Lead - (CONTRACT)

Project Management Connection; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading project management firm in Johannesburg seeks a Test Lead to manage the complete project test cycle. You will oversee day-to-day test activities, coordinate with stakeholders, and drive improvements in testing processes. The ideal candidate will have over 3 years of experience in test management, strong leadership skills, and a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. This role offers a dynamic work environment and opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience in a Testing Manager role.
• Experience leading diverse teams.
• Exposure to National Payment Systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day test activities.
• Coordinate with test management teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in testing process.

Skills

Leadership and management skills

Strong communication

Ability to manage testing issues

Experience with Application Release Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Professional qualification in test management

Relevant post-graduate qualification

Job description

Overview

Overall, Job Purpose

• This role requires the test lead to manage the complete project test cycle from eliciting test requirements, executing test cases, analysing test results and formulating findings.
• To keep the testing group inspired, actively involved, and cooperatively working toward the project’s objectives.
• Handling the planning phase to the execution phase, the end-to-end process falls under the view of a responsible and adept test lead. It requires working closely with other company workstream leads, including business, technical, operations, industry test managers, and third parties, to deliver testing for the project.
• The test lead will be the point of contact for all interoperability testing ensuring all parties are adhering to testing standards, procedures, and tools.

Key Stakeholders

• Internal: Execs, colleagues in other departments.
• External: Company members and relevant external organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Test Manager in the overall program plan under the various payments project portfolio and/or programmes.
• Manage and oversee the day-to-day test activities of the bank’s test managers.
• Work with the bank stakeholders to review, provide feedback, and sign off on the test strategy, test plans, and other artifacts for the testing service delivery.
• Coordinate with the bank test management teams to ensure the adoption of testing methods, standards, and tools.
• Ensure that any changes to the scope of services are communicated to the respective test service providers and the impact is factored into the plan.
• Act as the first point of escalation for any test / implementation issues raised by Bank stakeholders.
• Quantify, manage, track, and report test-related statuses, ensuring targets are met by Bank test managers.
• Elicit and document test and implementation requirements.
• Translate test requirements into test cases.
• Drive and collaborate with all bank stakeholders to plan all testing-related deliveries for the project.
• Timeously escalate stakeholders who are not adhering to the plan to ensure delivery of the implementation according to plan.
• Facilitate industry meetings to drive testing outcomes.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the Bank Test Managers / Test Leads.
• Drive continuous improvement to streamline the industry testing process.

Role / Person Specification

Education and Experience Required

Education and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or other related field (master’s degree is advantageous)
• Professional qualification in test management required.
• A relevant post-graduate qualification is preferred.

Experience

• 3+ years’ experience in a Testing Manager role with experience working on complex program structures.
• Experience in leading diverse teams.
• National Payment System exposure with experience in the following payment systems:
• Low-value electronic payment systems (debits and credits)
• Card payments
• High-value and settlement systems

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong leadership and management skills.
• Strong communicator and experienced working in highly matrixed, cross-functional organizations.
• Ability to engage at an executive level to provide updates and escalations as necessary.
• Ability to manage daily progress, track testing issues and risks through to conclusion.
• Progressive experience managing and deploying testing management functions for application teams.
• Experience with Application Release Management.
• Experience with IT Resource and Capacity Management.
• Experience driving change across IT and Business stakeholders.
• Experience aligning teams to testing best practice methods and tools and building new tools where necessary.

Tasks of a Test Lead

• Creating and enforcing a testing plan.
• Creating a testing strategy and a battery of tests.
• Supervising testers and overseeing testing procedures.
• Tracking test results and providing updates.
• Test-related risk assessment and mitigation.
• Conducting tests per predetermined quality criteria.
• Informing key stakeholders on the testing progress.
• Keeping abreast of developments in testing equipment, methods, and standards.