Senior Specialist - Quality Assurance (QA) and Test Engineering

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Specialist – QA and Test Engineering will play a critical role in the Quality Assurance, Software Testing and Testing Automation practice in CBUAE and embed a robust quality assurance framework across all critical financial systems and applications, thereby ensuring the unwavering reliability, security, and integrity of national monetary policy, payment infrastructure, and regulatory oversight tools. This role is paramount for mitigating systemic risks, safeguarding financial stability, and upholding public trust by implementing the efficient and effective validation of complex software, executing advanced test automation, and fostering a culture of stringent quality excellence aligned with the central bank's unique mandate to manage the nation's financial backbone and adhere to the highest standards of governance and resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

Design and Development is responsible for leading the design, development, testing and implementation of innovative solutions and services that meet business needs. This role involves strategically defining and implementing the overarching quality assurance/testing vision and roadmap for all software systems, ensuring the highest standards of reliability, security, performance, and regulatory compliance for CBUAE applications, systems and infrastructure platforms.

• Quality Assurance and Test Engineering for Financial Applications and Infrastructure: Implement the overarching QA and test engineering and automation strategy, policies, and frameworks to ensure the absolute reliability, security, and performance of all mission-critical national payment systems, monetary policy tools, and financial market infrastructure.
• Mitigating Systemic Risk through Rigorous Testing: Establish and enforce a robust testing regime for all software systems, including comprehensive unit, systems integration, user acceptance, regression, performance, resilience, security, and disaster recovery testing, to safeguard financial stability and prevent systemic vulnerabilities from manifesting.
• Implement Advanced Test Automation for Efficiency and Integrity: Perform the design, development, and continuous improvement of highly sophisticated test automation frameworks and practices, focusing on enhancing testing efficiency, coverage, and speed for complex, high-volume, and critical central bank applications.
• Ensuring Regulatory Compliance and Data Integrity: Carry out testing activities and collaborate with developers to guarantee strict adherence to national and international financial regulations, internal policies, and audit requirements, ensuring impeccable data integrity, privacy, and traceability for sensitive financial information.

Self-Management Responsibilities

• Defines performance goals at the start of the year in discussion with the reporting manager and ensures that the goals are achieved during the course of the year
• Identifies the training and development requirements for self and agrees on them with the reporting manager to ensure that the required trainings are arranged and attended
• Strives to achieve the highest levels of proficiency on all the competencies and skills required to perform the role.
• Keeps abreast of professional developments, new techniques and current issues through continued education and professional growth.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Threshold Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or related fields.
• Deep expertise and mastery in designing, implementing, and managing enterprise-grade test automation frameworks (e.g., Tricentis, UiPath, Selenium, Appium) for various application types (web, mobile, API, desktop).
• Strong understanding and practical experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner, Gatling) for high-volume, real-time transaction systems, and expertise in security testing methodologies and tools (e.g., OWASP Top 10, penetration testing tools, vulnerability scanners) to protect against cyber threats to national financial data.
• In-depth understanding of various SDLC models, particularly Agile and DevOps, with practical experience in integrating quality assurance processes and automation into Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. This includes familiarity with tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps.
• Strong SQL expertise and experience with diverse database systems (relational, NoSQL) to ensure data integrity, consistency, and accuracy across critical financial data repositories, including complex data migration and reconciliation testing.
• Knowledge of complex enterprise system architectures, including microservices, APIs, distributed systems, and cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP, Oracle), along with the ability to design testing strategies that account for their unique challenges and ensure end-to-end quality.
• In-depth understanding of the technical intricacies of core banking systems, financial market infrastructure, national payment systems (e.g., RTGS, ACH), SupTech and regulatory reporting systems to design relevant and effective test scenarios.
• Proven track record in implementing and overseeing specialized testing such as chaos engineering, blockchain testing (if applicable to central bank initiatives), big data testing, and AI/ML model validation.
• Years & Nature of Experience
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in leading a Software QA and Testing team. Value-add if candidate has built a QA and Test team from scratch.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in performing Software QA and Testing or any related roles.
• Extensive hands-on experience in designing, implementing, and managing enterprise-grade test automation frameworks for front-end and back-end applications.
• Understanding of test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD) and how to implement them with software engineers.
• Proficiency in programming languages like Java, Python, C#, or JavaScript for automation scripting and framework development.
• Proficiency in Agile development and DevSecOps practices to ensure rapid iteration and responsiveness to changing requirements.
• Relevant professional certifications in QA and software testing tools and platforms will be an advantage.

Competencies

Behavioural

• Drives High Performance: Assigns challenging goals for self and team and ensures efficient delivery, keeping in mind the objectives, goals and vision for the department and organization.
• Manages Stakeholders: Builds and maintains professional networks and personal relationships with relevant stakeholders who are, or might become, important in ensuring individual as well as organisational success.
• Innovates and Steers Change: Prioritises creativity and innovation, striving to constantly come up with better or unique ways of doing things. Remains focused and optimistic through challenging situations, adapting quickly and demonstrating agility to changing circumstances to deliver required objectives.
• Builds Capability: Believes in the capability of oneself and others and invests in strengthening them. Provides resources and support required for individuals to develop critical skill and knowledge to achieve their full potential.
• Driving Business Value: Reviews situations, opportunities, plans and information in great detail measuring impact on business success. Identifies potential setbacks and creates risk mitigation strategies to reduce risk of failure.

Technical

• Software Testing: Understanding of software testing principles and practices, including unit testing, integration testing and automated testing.
• Programming Languages: Proficiency in two or more programming languages.
• Development Frameworks and Libraries: Familiarity with development frameworks and libraries relevant to their programming languages.
• Software Development Methodologies: Understanding of different software development methodologies like waterfall, scrum, agile.
• Database Management: Relational Databases, Database Design and Optimization, Data modeling, indexing, query optimization.
• Debugging and Troubleshooting: Strong debugging skills to identify issues in software applications and design test cases to simulate and resolve those issues.