Software Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer and Tester

Position Overview

The Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer and Tester supports the Department of the Interior (DOI) Interior Business Center (IBC) by ensuring the quality, functionality, accessibility, and reliability of mission-critical HR and payroll systems, including FPPS, NextFPPS, Quicktime, and WebTA.

This role is responsible for planning, executing, and leading testing activities across the full systems development lifecycle-from requirements analysis through deployment and sustainment. The Senior QA Engineer will design and manage test strategies, mentor junior testers, ensure Section 508 compliance, and document testing artifacts that meet DOI's quality and security standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Software Quality Assurance Testing

• Develop, execute, and maintain manual and automated software test plans to identify software problems, root causes, and potential performance issues.
• Design and implement test cases, test scripts, and regression suites for complex HR and payroll applications.
• Detect, log, and track program defects, glitches, and anomalies; collaborate with developers and analysts to resolve issues.
• Conduct functional, integration, performance, load, and regression testing across multi-tiered architectures (mainframe, web, and database).
• Review and validate test plans and procedures to identify errors, efficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Utilize test management tools (e.g., JIRA, ServiceNow, Selenium, Postman) to plan, execute, and report results.
• Integrate QA processes within Agile development workflows, participating in sprint reviews, daily scrums, and retrospectives.

2. Documentation and Quality Reporting

• Develop and maintain all test documentation, including test cases, test logs, test summaries, and defect reports, ensuring traceability from requirements to validation.
• Contribute to system and project documentation, including test strategies, standards and procedures, and lessons-learned reports.
• Prepare metrics and quality reports for management and government stakeholders.
• Ensure all QA documentation adheres to DOI IBC standards for consistency, completeness, and audit readiness.

3. Accessibility and Section 508 Compliance Testing

• Conduct Section 508 compliance testing for applications and digital interfaces to ensure accessibility for users with disabilities.
• Perform both manual and automated accessibility assessments using tools such as JAWS, WAVE, or axe.
• Identify accessibility issues, propose corrective actions, and re-test after remediation to confirm compliance with WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 standards.

4. Leadership and Mentorship

• Lead and train other Software Quality Assurance Testers on DOI IBC testing standards, methodologies, and toolsets.
• Serve as the technical QA subject matter expert (SME) across assigned task areas.
• Provide quality oversight and approval for test deliverables from other QA staff.
• Collaborate with developers, database administrators, and system analysts to embed quality practices throughout the project lifecycle.
• Participate in code review discussions, providing insight from a quality and risk perspective.

5. Integration with Project Objectives

• Support the overall HRD IT modernization mission by ensuring all software systems are reliable, accurate, and compliant before deployment.
• Collaborate with migration teams during new client onboarding to validate data conversion, functional mapping, and testing accuracy.
• Participate in system implementation planning, training validation, and post-deployment verification.
• Assist with business process integration testing between HR, payroll, and financial systems to ensure seamless, real-time operations.