QA Engineer JOB SUMMARY This position works with management to apply automation strategy and to plan and execute effective and efficient performance and automation testing to accomplish on-time and efficient delivery of high-quality software products and/or data. Key Responsibilities Innovate process improvements that enable efficient delivery and maintenance with consistent direction. Research available tools and lead or participate in initiatives to identify and implement those that will cost-effectively enhance testing capabilities and product quality. Identify areas for cooperation with other teams to improve overall quality and, with peers or others, implement initiatives improving testing capability and efficiency. Configure, maintain, and/or administer testing tools or environments. Develop and execute automated and performance testing for assigned projects to successfully and consistently enable delivery of high-quality software products and services on time, on budget, and to specification. Interact with Product Management, Project Management, Engineering, and Operations teams to plan testing for delivery of products and enhancements and to assure products meet product requirements and quality standards. Maintain flexibility to react quickly to changes in priorities or circumstances to meet the needs of the business. Plan and execute automated and performance tests working with QA/Testing staff, project managers, technical leads, and subject matter experts. Report issues and results, researching and identifying root causes as appropriate, documenting accordingly. Ensure that testing addresses requirements as agreed with other stakeholders. Research available tools and participate in initiatives to implement those that will cost-effectively enhance testing capabilities and product quality. Identify opportunities to apply existing automation or other tools to meet testing needs. Research and identify root causes of performance issues in partnership with architects, developers, and network and system engineers. Maintain awareness of the state of the industry and evaluate emerging trends/developments that may benefit the organization. Conduct project reviews, ensuring review criteria are defined, and implementing procedures for ensuring quality control of project deliverables. Cooperate in the enhancement of the methodologies employed for test planning and execution, defect tracking, and metric and status reporting. Lead or participate in continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best practices. Maintain framework for record retention in order to support internal and external IT audits. Work across teams to enhance quality assurance/testing and help to develop/execute performance and automation testing throughout the business as appropriate. Identify areas for improvement and, with leadership, peers, or others, implement initiatives improving overall capability and efficiency. Ensure results of root cause analyses are addressed. Maintain flexibility to react quickly to changes in priorities or circumstances to meet the needs of the business. All other duties as assigned. Required Qualifications 5+ years of Quality Test Engineering experience BS Engineering/Computer Science or equivalent experience required Preferred Qualifications Strong understanding of QA methodologies. Strong knowledge of process improvement. Strong knowledge of the software development process. Advanced written and verbal communication skills. Experienced QA testing skills. Ability to develop and execute complex automated and performance testing. Basic understanding of working within budgets. Understanding of industry trends. Strong research skills (tools/root cause analysis). Exhibits innovative approaches to process improvement. Strong written and oral communication. Administration of testing tools/environments.