QA Specialist - SME (Subject Matter Expert) - MSON #6

Job Title: QA Specialist – SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Experience: 9+ Years

Location - Toronto, ON
Job Type: Contract 

Job Summary

We are seeking a QA Specialist Subject Matter Expert (SME) with extensive experience in quality assurance strategy, test automation, API testing, defect management, and continuous testing practices. The SME will provide technical leadership across the software testing life cycle, define QA standards, establish automation strategies, and ensure the delivery of reliable, secure, accessible, and high-quality software applications. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in tools such as Azure DevOps, ALM, Jira, Bugzilla, Postman, Selenium, OpenText UFT, and TestComplete, along with experience integrating testing practices into CI/CD pipelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead QA strategies, test methodologies, automation roadmaps, and quality engineering standards.

• Establish comprehensive test plans, risk-based testing approaches, test coverage models, and quality acceptance criteria.

• Lead functional, regression, integration, end-to-end, API, and automated testing across complex applications.

• Architect and optimize test automation frameworks using Selenium, OpenText UFT, TestComplete, or other appropriate technologies.

• Define API testing standards and oversee comprehensive API validation using Postman, including authentication, authorization, data integrity, error handling, and integration scenarios.

• Establish and govern test management and defect tracking processes using Azure DevOps, ALM, Jira, and Bugzilla.

• Integrate automated testing and quality gates into CI/CD pipelines to support continuous testing and reliable software delivery.

• Analyze complex test failures, identify systemic quality issues, and coordinate root-cause analysis with development, architecture, and DevOps teams.

• Define QA metrics, dashboards, reporting standards, and quality indicators to measure test effectiveness, defect trends, automation coverage, and release readiness.

• Lead defect triage, risk assessment, release validation, and go/no-go quality recommendations.

• Establish reusable automation components, test data strategies, regression suites, and maintainable testing frameworks.

• Provide guidance on accessibility testing, including AODA compliance and relevant accessibility standards where applicable.

• Conduct technical reviews of test strategies, automation code, test cases, and quality assurance deliverables.

• Identify opportunities to optimize testing processes, improve automation reliability, reduce execution time, and increase defect detection.

• Mentor QA engineers and senior testers while promoting consistent testing practices across teams.

• Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, developers, architects, security teams, and DevOps professionals to align testing activities with business and technical objectives.

• Lead QA process assessments, recommend tooling improvements, and support continuous quality engineering maturity.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 9+ years of professional experience in quality assurance, software testing, test automation, or quality engineering.

• Expert knowledge of the software testing life cycle, test strategy development, risk-based testing, and defect management.

• Extensive experience with test management and defect tracking platforms such as Azure DevOps, ALM, Jira, and Bugzilla.

• Advanced experience with test automation tools such as Selenium, OpenText UFT, or TestComplete.

• Strong expertise in API testing using Postman and validation of complex application integrations.

• Demonstrated experience incorporating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and continuous testing workflows.

• Proven ability to design scalable automation frameworks, reusable testing components, and sustainable regression suites.

• Experience establishing QA governance, quality metrics, testing standards, and release acceptance criteria.

• Knowledge of accessibility testing, including AODA requirements where applicable.

• Strong expertise in test reporting, root-cause analysis, risk assessment, and quality improvement initiatives.

• Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, technical decision-making, and cross-functional communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading QA transformation or enterprise test automation initiatives.

• Knowledge of performance, security, and accessibility testing practices.

• Experience with advanced automation frameworks, scripting, source control, and DevOps toolchains.

• Relevant advanced testing or automation certifications are an advantage.