Lead Software Quality Assurance / Test Automation Engineer at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Lead Software Quality Assurance / Test Automation Engineer in the e-Government Impact Area within the Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible to lead Quality Assurance (QA) activities to test, verify and evaluate the functionality of software solutions developed by agile software teams. S/He will ensure the software works as expected and that quality standards are achieved and maintained. This position is based in Pretoria (Hybrid).

Key responsibilities:

• Lead QA activities across across-functional agile teams delivering working software solutions;
• Work across disciplines with product owners, developers, researchers and experts to deliver high-quality software solutions for clients;
• Develop testing strategies and efficient, effective testing processes;
• Coordinate manual testing activities with development, project management and business stakeholders;
• Lead the adoption and implementation of continuous, automated and synthetic testing;
• Drive good QA practice and test automation across multiple teams;
• Lead a small team of software quality professionals; provide leadership, coaching and mentorship;
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of multiple product requirements and business processes;
• Perform code and documentation reviews and provides documented feedback on code quality, performance limiters, and adherence to best practices;
• Communicate test progress, issues, and risks to the team and stakeholders; Capture, analyse and report test results.
• Identify and track software defects, working with development teams to ensure timely resolution;
• Manage test environments and ensure they are maintained and available for testing activities;
• Conduct exploratory testing to uncover defects and provide valuable feedback;
• Monitor and report on testing progress, test coverage, and defect trends;
• Keep up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in software testing; and
• Develop and maintain test documentation.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An Honours degree in computer science/engineering, information technology/systems, data science, or related fields with at least six years’ practical experience in professional software QA, particularly on large, complex technology products/solutions/systems;
• Experience supporting multiple, simultaneous engagements/customers will be advantageous;

Knowledge and/or experience in the following is required:

• Testing tools and methodologies;
• Software development, coding, scripting;
• Automated testing and automation frameworks like Selenium, TestnG, cucumber       nunit/xunit, robotramework or similar;
• Test-driven development; and
• Manual testing.

Experience with the following would be advantageous:

• Behaviour-drive development;
• Usability testing;
• Mobile web and app testing;
• Digital government;
• Health informatics and eHealth systems;
• Develops, automation, continuous integration, continuous delivery;
• Research and publication of scientific articles;
• Data Science, Databases; and
• Any programming languages.

Must be able to:

• Lead and grow a team of software quality professionals;
• Analyse complex information and identify patterns;
• Manage time effectively and prioritize their tasks and those of others;
• Lead a team and function as an individual contributor;
• Work well under pressure and interact with customers, both internal and external, in a positive and professional manner.
• Must understand the business context in which they are working; 

Must have the following skills:

• Strong Communication.
• Fluent in English. 
• Well organised. 
• Proactive thinking.
• Problem-solving.
• Solution-seeking orientation. 

Closing date: 22 November 2023