Test Architect Test Automation Architect Automation Lead

Key Responsibilities:

• Test Execution & Oversight:
  • Lead and coordinate the execution of manual test cases across different phases (Day-0 Day-1 Day-2 workflows functional integration system regression testing).
  • Ensure adherence to the defined test plan and strategy focusing on Failover and Failback Testing and UI/UX Validation.
  • Monitor testing progress identify bottlenecks and re-allocate resources as needed to meet testing timelines.
• Test Case Design & Review:
  • Collaborate with the Test Architect(s) to understand the overall test strategy (manual and automation) and contribute to detailed manual test case design.
  • Review and provide feedback on test cases created by junior testers to ensure completeness accuracy and clarity.
  • Create detailed step-by-step manual test cases for critical and complex functionalities.
• Defect Management:
  • Take primary responsibility for logging prioritizing and tracking defects in the defect management system.
  • Work closely with development teams to ensure defects are clearly understood and resolved.
  • Verify bug fixes and ensure no regressions are introduced.
• Reporting & Communication:
  • Provide regular updates on manual testing status progress and identified risks to the Test Architect(s) and project stakeholders.
  • Prepare and present manual test summary reports highlighting key findings and quality metrics for each release.
  • Communicate and understand results from automated test runs to inform manual testing efforts.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship:
  • Guide and mentor junior manual testers providing coaching on testing techniques best practices and effective defect reporting.
  • Foster a collaborative and high-quality focused testing environment.
  • Act as a primary point of contact for manual testing activities within the team.
• Test Environment & Data Preparation:
  • Work with development and operations to ensure test environments are correctly set up and maintained for manual testing.
  • Oversee the preparation and management of test data required for various manual test scenarios.
• Requirement Analysis:
  • Participate in requirements and design reviews to gain a deep understanding of the application and ensure testability from the outset.
• Automation Collaboration:
  • Collaborate with the automation team to identify test cases that are good candidates for automation.
  • Understand the capabilities and limitations of the automation framework and tools.
  • Utilize automation reports to prioritize manual testing efforts.

Skill Set Requirements:

Technical Skills:

• Manual Testing Expertise: Extensive hands-on experience with various manual testing techniques (functional integration system regression exploratory).
• Test Case Management Tools: Proficient in using test case management systems (e.g. TestRail Zephyr qTest or similar) for creating executing and reporting test cases.
• Defect Tracking Tools: Strong experience with defect management systems (e.g. Jira Azure DevOps Bugzilla or similar) including logging tracking and verifying defects.
• Requirement Interpretation: Ability to accurately interpret and translate functional specifications user stories and UI/UX mockups into actionable test cases.
• Basic Networking: Fundamental understanding of networking concepts (IP addressing subnets) and protocols (gRPC SSH SFTP) relevant to device communication.
• Operating Systems: Familiarity with Linux/Unix Windows and macOS environments.
• Database Interaction (Awareness): Basic understanding of how to verify data in databases (e.g. CouchDB) or metrics (Prometheus/Thanos) via UI or simple queries to support test validation.
• Terminal Device Interaction: Practical experience with configuring and testing network devices (like Optical and RF terminals) through their respective interfaces (UI CLI).
• Automation Awareness (Good to Have): Basic understanding of test automation principles common automation tools (e.g. Selenium Cypress Playwright) and how automation fits into a CI/CD pipeline. Ability to read and understand automation reports.

Methodological & Domain Skills:

• Test Planning & Execution: Strong ability to plan organize and execute manual test cycles efficiently.
• End-to-End Workflow Testing: Proven experience in testing complex end-to-end user workflows (Day-0 Day-1 Day-2 operations).
• Hybrid Link Specifics: Good understanding of multi-band concepts particularly primary/secondary link failover and failback mechanisms.
• Data Consistency: Meticulous approach to verifying data consistency and integrity across different system components and UI displays.
• UI/UX Validation: Keen eye for detail in validating user interfaces against design specifications and ensuring a positive user experience.
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments.

Soft Skills:

• Leadership & Mentorship: Demonstrated ability to lead small teams of testers delegate tasks and provide constructive feedback.
• Organizational Skills: Excellent planning time management and organizational abilities.
• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail to identify subtle functional and visual defects.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to understand system behavior and pinpoint root causes of issues.
• Communication: Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills to articulate test results issues and progress.
• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively with developers product managers and other QA team members including the automation team.
• Proactiveness: Self-motivated and proactive in identifying testing needs and areas for improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Test Strategy & Plan Development:
  • Design and define the overall manual test strategy and detailed test plans for the EMS/NMS Apps multi-band features covering Day-0 pre-provisioning Day-1 field installation and Day-2 ongoing operational workflows.
  • Translate functional requirements UI/UX mockups and system specifications into comprehensive manual test cases scenarios and test data requirements.
  • Prioritize testing efforts based on risk business impact and critical user journeys with a strong emphasis on Failover and Failback Testing and UI/UX Validation.
• Test Case Design & Documentation:
  • Create detailed step-by-step manual test cases that are clear concise and repeatable for functional integration system and regression testing.
  • Ensure test cases cover all user-facing functionalities state transitions error handling and data consistency aspects.
  • Document expected results preconditions and post-conditions for each test case.
• Test Environment & Data Management:
  • Collaborate with development and operations teams to define and prepare appropriate test environments for manual testing including hardware (Optical/RF terminals) software and network configurations.
  • Develop strategies for managing and generating realistic test data for various scenarios (e.g. different Optical/RF combinations link states).
• Manual Test Execution & Defect Management:
  • Oversee and where necessary participate in the execution of complex manual test cases especially for exploratory testing or areas where automation is not yet mature.
  • Lead defect identification reporting tracking and retesting processes using appropriate defect management tools.
  • Ensure clear communication of test status progress and risks to stakeholders.
• Collaboration & Mentorship:
  • Work closely with QA engineers developers product managers and UI/UX designers to understand requirements and ensure testability.
  • Provide guidance and mentorship to manual testers on best practices effective test case design and thorough execution.
  • Participate in design reviews and requirements grooming sessions to ensure quality is built-in from the start.
• Reporting & Analysis:
  • Define and track key quality metrics related to manual testing such as test coverage defect density and escape rates.
  • Generate clear and comprehensive test reports summarizing test results identified issues and overall product quality assessment for releases.

Skill Set Requirements:

Technical Skills:

• Manual Testing Expertise: Deep understanding and hands-on experience with various manual testing techniques including functional integration system regression exploratory and user acceptance testing.
• Test Case Management Tools: Proficiency with test case management systems (e.g. TestRail Zephyr qTest or similar) for creating organizing and executing test cases.
• Defect Tracking Tools: Experience with defect management systems (e.g. Jira Azure DevOps Bugzilla or similar) for logging and tracking issues.
• Requirement Analysis: Strong ability to read and interpret technical specifications user stories UI/UX mockups and functional designs to derive comprehensive test cases.
• EMS/NMS Networking Fundamentals: Solid understanding of EMS/NMS FCAPS and basic networking concepts (IP addressing subnets routing) and protocols (e.g. gRPC SSH SFTP) relevant to the EMS/NMS App.
• Operating Systems: Familiarity with Linux/Unix environments as well as Windows/macOS for desktop application testing (ElectronJS).
• Database Interaction (Basic): Ability to perform basic data validation in databases like CouchDB MongoDB or query metrics from Prometheus/Thanos (e.g. using a UI tool or basic queries).
• Cloud Concepts (Basic): General understanding of cloud environments (GCP) and containerization (Docker) as they relate to application deployment and test environment setup.
• Terminal Device Interaction: Experience with configuring and testing network devices (like Optical and RF terminals) through their respective interfaces (UI CLI gRPC SSH/SFTP).

Methodological & Domain Skills:

• Test Strategy & Planning: Demonstrated ability to develop comprehensive manual test strategies and detailed test plans for complex systems.
• End-to-End Testing Focus: Strong understanding of end-to-end workflows and the ability to design tests that span multiple system components and user journeys (Day-0 Day-1 Day-2 workflows).
• Hybrid Link Focus: Specific expertise in testing solutions involving primary/secondary link concepts failover and failback mechanisms.
• Data Consistency Verification: Meticulous attention to detail for verifying data consistency and integrity across different system components and UI displays.
• UI/UX Validation: Strong ability to meticulously validate user interfaces and user experiences against design specifications and expected behavior.
• Communication Systems (Desirable): Experience with wireless communication (Optical RF) or network management systems would be a significant advantage.
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments.

Soft Skills:

• Analytical Thinking: Exceptional analytical skills to break down complex problems identify root causes and design effective test scenarios.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous and thorough approach to testing identifying subtle defects and inconsistencies.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to clearly articulate test plans issues and results to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively within cross-functional teams (QA Dev Product UI/UX).
• Problem-Solving: Proactive and resourceful in identifying analyzing and helping resolve complex issues.
• Mentorship: Ability to guide and support junior manual testers.