This position is within AARP’s Information Technology Services organization and will report to the Director of Software Quality Assurance. The primary responsibilities are to work with the Director to maintain and execute a quality assurance and test execution practice. To that effect they will lead and deliver the policies and practices required to run a software quality organization, will oversee a managed services testing team, enforce quality standards for all IT-related deployments (SW and HW) and conduct quality reviews for pertinent management teams. In addition monitoring and measuring quality standards across all facets of the development lifecycle will be part of their responsibilities. This role will work with cross-functional leaders to increase the quality of software deliveries by decreasing business disruptions associated with defects.
- Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Enforce and improve quality goals for ITS
- Deliver quality and testing metrics and reporting
- Execute policies and practices required to manage an SQA and testing function
- Facilitate pertinent quality reviews within ITS
- Over communicate the ‘case for change’ with regards to an increased quality and testing
- Identify and coordinate process improvements resulting from pertinent quality related ‘lessons learned’
- Establish and implement quality and testing process tailoring
- Oversight of outsourced testing services vendor(s)
- Responsible for forecasting and allocating finite resources across a diverse portfolio of projects
- Responsible for SQA related deployment approvals
- Operate as a member of a top-notch team that can deliver on objectives, consistent with the culture and philosophy of AARP
- Drives the long-term success of ITS project delivery and technology services by establishing and maintaining a high degree of testing and quality assurance standards. This position will oversee an outsourced test execution service(s). The candidate must have a high degree of experiential knowledge and a proven track record of successful change management and is pivotal in establishing the value of this service and its associated rigor. This position’s impact is significant in the areas of increasing project delivery and maintaining stability of post deployment technology based services. Examples of interdepartmental interactions:
- Portfolio Management Team - Works with this team to establish quality checkpoints within a phase gate project methodology
- Business Analysis Team - Work with this team to establish test planning policies and UAT support practices
- Development and Integration Teams - Works closely with this team to develop quality standards prior to submission to test team and establish a cycle of effective process improvements
- Vendors - Lead of the outsourced testing vendor(s). Setting direction with the testing vendor(s) and monitors their performance. In addition, this role will interact and work closely with other pertinent vendors to establish quality standards prior to project delivery
- Management - Regularly interfaces with senior staff within each ITS functional area. Will be called upon to provide industry insights and assist with formulating the strategic direction for ITS quality assurance and testing services
Experience Level:
- 10+ years of relevant experience in software quality assurance, software testing, or software development in an information technology or engineering organization. 3+ years leading an SQA or testing team. Prior experience as a software development manager a plus.
Functional Competencies:
- Familiar with portfolio management practices
- Experience in quality assurance and testing process tailoring
- Experience with overseeing test planning/execution for SW and HW projects
- Experience with software configuration management, release management, change management
- Expertise with the various types of testing: feature, regression, load, stress and user acceptance
- Hands on automated testing or software development experience
- Experience in using testing tools
- Experience with formulation, design and rollout of QA and testing methodologies for both agile and waterfall software development lifecycles
- Highly knowledgeable with ITIL and CMMI process models and concepts
Experiential Knowledge:
- Highly analytical and proven track record of data driven decision making
- Experience with establishing and monitoring quality standards associated with SaaS providers
- High level of expertise in managing outsourced/offshore vendors for development or testing efforts
- Proven track record of continuous process improvements resulting from quality assurance analysis
- Proven track record of collaboration with PMOs, Business Analysts and Development teams
- Proven track record of focusing limited resources on the right things at the right time
Change Management:
- Proven track record working with cross functional teams to successfully implement quality assurance and testing processes, reporting standards, q-gates and quality reviews
- Astute practitioner of change management practices
- Experience with establishing a quality assurance and testing practice
- Ability to establish, effectively communicate and institutionalize quality standards for IT organization
- Experience with correctly identifying errors resulting from defects across all SDLC phases
Leadership Experience:
- Ability to modulate presentation of material across varying levels in the organization
- Utilizes influence management not compliance to institutionalize practices
- Experience and comfortable working in an ambiguous and process immature environment
Other:
- Excellent written, verbal, visual/presentation and interpersonal communications skills
- A bottom-line orientation and a proven track record of exceeding goals
- Action orientated and a decisive, quick study with proven ability to accurately analyze information, to identify key trends and areas for continuous process improvement
- Strong negotiating, selling, and organizational skills and excellent at follow-up and attention to detail -- delivering on-target results
- Ability to successfully manage multiple projects and clients, to build consensus and buy-in from partners, alliances, and internal constituents, and to form strong and trusting relationship with all client contacts
- Team player dedicated to excellent customer service for internal and external customers
- Ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment
- Strong leadership skills and proven ability to work effectively with people and teams, to gain internal respect, and to build consensus with superiors, peers, and subordinates - contributors both directly and in a matrix environment
- Keenly self-aware of an organizations cultures, influencers, pain points and opportunities
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.
AARP is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. AARP does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, color, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.