Role Summary
The Test Lead is accountable for the end-to-end Test strategy, planning, and execution across one or more workstreams within a Core Banking transformation (e.g., migrations, product rollout, integration to channels and payments). The role ensures quality, compliance, and readiness across multiple environments and partners, coordinating internal teams, SI/vendors, and third parties to deliver defect-free releases within time, scope, and budget.
Key Responsibilities
Test Strategy & Planning
- Define the test strategy for the assigned scope (functional, non-functional, data, and migration testing) aligned to program timelines and regulatory requirements.
- Own the test plan, entry/exit criteria, quality gates, and traceability matrices (requirements → test cases → defects).
- Design the test approach for migration (dress rehearsals, cutover validation, reconciliation) and interfaces (payments, cards, channels, reporting).
- Align test scope and priorities with risk-based techniques and critical business journeys (E2E).
Test Execution & Leadership
- Lead day-to-day test execution across SIT, E2E, UAT support, NFT (performance, security, resilience), and dress rehearsals.
- Coordinate defect triage (severity, root cause, fix prioritization), and drive closure with development, environment, and vendor teams.
- Ensure test data management (synthetic/data-masked), environment readiness, and continuous test automation runs.
- Provide hands-on guidance to test analysts and vendor testers; mentor junior staff.
Governance, Reporting & Quality
- Establish and run QA governance ceremonies (test readiness reviews, daily stand-ups, triage, go/no-go).
- Produce test dashboards and Steer Co/Management reports: coverage, pass/fail, defect density/leakage, burn-down, readiness, and risk profile.
- Enforce compliance and auditability (traceability, evidence, sign-offs) in line with internal controls and regulators.
- Manage risks, issues, and dependencies; propose mitigation and recovery plans.
Stakeholder & Vendor Management
- Collaborate with Product lead, stream lead, Squad Masters, Product Owners, CJEs, IT BAs, Architecture, Security, Data, and Release/Environment Managers.
- Manage SSI/vendors deliverables (plans, scripts, evidence, SLAs), ensuring alignment to standards and timelines.
- Support business change through UAT preparation, training, and hypercare planning.
Tooling & Automation
- Define and evolve tooling strategy (e.g., Azure DevOps, test automation frameworks, performance/security tools).
- Drive pragmatic test automation for regression and E2E critical paths.
Core Deliverables
- Approved Test Strategy & Test Plan for assigned scope
- Requirements-to-test traceability matrix
- Test scenarios, cases, datasets, and evidence packs
- Defect dashboards and status reports (daily/weekly)
- Go/No-Go quality assessment and sign-off recommendations
- Post-implementation verification/hypercare quality report