Senior Systems Testing / QA Specialist

Client:   Government Services Integration Cluster

Ministry:   Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement

Location:   Toronto, Ontario –  Onsite (5 days/week)

Contract Duration:   November 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027

Extension: 1 extension term

Allocation:  100%

No. of Openings:  1

Security Clearance:   Not Required

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced   Senior Systems Testing / QA Specialist   to support large-scale, enterprise-level IT initiatives for the Government of Ontario. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and executing comprehensive quality assurance and testing activities across complex systems, covering both functional and non-functional requirements.

This role requires a strong combination of   manual and automated testing expertise , performance testing, end-to-end system validation, defect management, cloud technologies, and CI/CD integration. The consultant will work closely with project managers, developers, business analysts, testing leads, and other technical stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on testing strategies, methodologies, test plans, tools, environments, and resource requirements.
  
• Plan, organize, and execute testing activities for large-scale enterprise applications in both GUI and non-GUI environments.
  
• Develop comprehensive test strategies, test plans, test cases, test scripts, test data, and test reports.
  
• Execute functional, integration, system, regression, end-to-end, acceptance, and non-functional testing.
  
• Support and participate in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) activities.
  
• Develop and maintain automated test scripts using appropriate automation frameworks and tools.
  
• Perform API testing using tools such as   Postman and Selenium .
  
• Conduct performance, stress, and load testing using tools such as   JMeter, LoadRunner, or similar technologies .
  
• Identify, document, prioritize, and track software defects using tools such as   JIRA, Azure DevOps, ALM, Bugzilla, TestRail, or Zephyr .
  
• Work closely with development teams to reproduce, troubleshoot, and resolve defects.
  
• Integrate automated testing into   CI/CD pipelines .
  
• Validate backend systems and databases by writing queries and performing data validation.
  
• Perform data integrity, consistency, accuracy, migration, and transformation testing across system components and databases.
  
• Develop and manage robust test data strategies while ensuring data privacy and appropriate test environment management.
  
• Conduct basic security testing and collaborate with security specialists on advanced security and penetration testing activities.
  
• Ensure testing activities comply with QA standards, industry best practices, regulatory requirements, and accessibility standards.
  
• Perform   AODA accessibility testing and compliance validation .
  
• Participate actively in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
  
• Collaborate with business analysts, developers, project managers, and stakeholders to clarify requirements and ensure comprehensive test coverage.
  
• Maintain detailed documentation related to test execution, defects, test coverage, quality metrics, user manuals, and release notes.
  
• Support testing activities throughout all phases of the   Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) .
  

Requirements

Mandatory Skills & Experience

Core QA and Testing Experience

• 10+ years of experience in software testing within enterprise-level IT environments and large-scale systems.
  
• Extensive hands-on experience in both   manual and automated testing .
  
• Proven expertise in planning, organizing, and implementing testing efforts for complex systems.
  
• Strong experience creating and maintaining:
  
• Test strategies
  
• Test plans
  
• Test cases
  
• Test scripts
  
• Test data
  
• Test execution reports
  
• Proven expertise in   end-to-end testing of complex systems , covering functional and non-functional requirements.
  
• Experience executing:
  
• Functional testing
  
• Integration testing
  
• System testing
  
• Regression testing
  
• Acceptance testing
  
• Load testing
  
• Performance testing
  
• Stress testing
  

Testing Methodologies

• Deep understanding and practical experience with   Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall testing methodologies .
  
• Strong understanding of the complete   Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)  and Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC).
  
• Experience supporting and participating in   User Acceptance Testing (UAT) .
  
• Knowledge of structured QA methodologies, principles, practices, and standards.
  

Test Automation & API Testing

• Hands-on experience with automated testing tools and frameworks.
  
• Experience with test automation tools such as:
  
• Selenium
  
• Micro Focus / OpenText UFT
  
• TestComplete
  
• Cypress
  
• Experience with   Postman for API testing .
  
• Experience developing and maintaining automated test scripts.
  
• Understanding of scripting/programming languages such as   Python, JavaScript, Java, or Bash   for test automation and test data setup.
  

Performance Testing

• Hands-on experience conducting performance, stress, and load testing.
  
• Experience developing and executing performance test scripts using:
  
• JMeter
  
• LoadRunner
  
• Or similar performance testing tools.
  
• Ability to analyze performance bottlenecks, scalability issues, and system capacity.
  

Defect Management

• Strong experience using defect tracking and test management tools, including:
  
• JIRA
  
• Azure DevOps
  
• ALM
  
• Bugzilla
  
• TestRail
  
• Zephyr
  
• Experience documenting, tracking, managing, and reporting software defects through their complete lifecycle.
  

Database & Data Testing

• Strong understanding of relational databases, including:
  
• SQL
  
• Oracle
  
• Demonstrated ability to write SQL queries for backend validation and data testing.
  
• Experience validating data integrity, consistency, and accuracy.
  
• Experience with data migration and transformation testing.
  

Cloud & DevOps

• Knowledge and experience with cloud technologies such as:
  
• Microsoft Azure
  
• AWS
  
• Knowledge of   CI/CD pipelines   and automated testing integration.
  
• Experience with version control and DevOps tools such as:
  
• Jenkins
  
• Git
  
• GitLab
  

Accessibility & Compliance

• Extensive experience with   Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) testing and compliance .
  
• Knowledge of QA compliance standards and regulatory requirements.
  
• Understanding of security testing best practices.
  

Public Sector Experience

• Knowledge and understanding of   Ontario Public Service (OPS) Quality Assurance standards and practices .
  

Desired Qualifications

• Experience testing Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications.
  
• Knowledge of object-oriented testing methodologies.
  
• Experience with Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools.
  
• Knowledge of Information Management principles, policies, concepts, and practices.
  
• Experience planning and organizing testing efforts for both large and small systems.
  
• Experience coding automated test scripts to develop reusable automated test suites.
  
• Knowledge of information retrieval packages.
  
• Experience working in complex government or public sector technology environments.
  

Soft Skills

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management abilities.
  
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
  
• Ability to work effectively with both functional and technical teams.
  
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
  
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet aggressive project timelines.
  
• Adaptability and ability to perform effectively in changing environments.
  
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach.
  
• Strong perseverance, creativity, and commitment to delivering high-quality results.
  

Important Note

This is a 5-day onsite position in Toronto. Candidates must demonstrate strong, hands-on senior-level experience across enterprise QA/testing, automation, performance testing, defect management, cloud technologies, and CI/CD environments.