Systems Testing/QA Specialist - Senior

Client:   Government Services Integration Cluster (GSIC)

Ministry:   Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement

Location:   Ontario, Canada

Work Arrangement:  100% Onsite – 5 days per week

Start Date:   September 21, 2026

End Date:   March 21, 2027

Extension:   Up to 1 additional term

Openings:  1

Security Clearance:   No clearance required

Closing Date:   September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST

Maximum Submissions:  1 candidate

Position Overview

Our client, the   Government Services Integration Cluster (GSIC)  within the Ontario Public Service, is seeking a   Senior Systems Testing/QA Specialist   with extensive experience testing enterprise-level IT environments and large-scale systems.

The successful candidate will be responsible for planning, coordinating, designing, executing, and documenting comprehensive testing activities across complex systems. The role requires strong hands-on experience in both   manual and automated testing , performance testing, API testing, database validation, accessibility testing, defect management, and CI/CD environments.

The candidate will work closely with testing leads, IT leads, developers, business analysts, project managers, and other project team members throughout the software development and testing lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide advice on   testing strategies, test plans, testing tools, and resources   required for testing.
  
• Plan and organize testing efforts for large systems across both   GUI and non-GUI environments .
  
• Plan and execute   system integration, specialized, user acceptance, stress, performance, and other testing activities .
  
• Develop and maintain   test strategies, test plans, test scripts, test cases, and test data .
  
• Execute   functional, integration, system, regression, non-functional, and acceptance testing .
  
• Validate that systems perform as expected under various conditions.
  
• Identify, document, track, and manage software defects using tools such as   ALM, JIRA, Bugzilla, Azure DevOps, TestRail, Zephyr , or similar.
  
• Work closely with developers to reproduce, troubleshoot, and resolve defects.
  
• Develop and maintain automated test scripts using tools such as   Selenium, Micro Focus/OpenText UFT, TestComplete, Postman , or similar.
  
• Integrate automated testing into   CI/CD pipelines .
  
• Conduct   performance, stress, and load testing   using tools such as   JMeter, LoadRunner , or similar.
  
• Analyze performance bottlenecks, system scalability, response times, and system capacity.
  
• Perform   API testing and backend/data validation .
  
• Develop and execute database queries to validate data integrity, consistency, and accuracy.
  
• Perform   data migration and transformation testing   as required.
  
• Develop and manage robust   test data strategies , including realistic test-data generation, privacy considerations, and test environment management.
  
• Conduct basic security testing and collaborate with security specialists for deeper penetration/security testing activities.
  
• Apply knowledge of   Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)  requirements and related accessibility standards.
  
• Collaborate with developers, business analysts, project managers, and technical teams to clarify requirements and ensure quality.
  
• Participate in   Agile ceremonies , including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
  
• Maintain detailed documentation of   test results, test coverage, quality metrics, and testing outcomes .
  
• Provide input into   user manuals and release notes .
  
• Ensure testing activities comply with applicable   industry standards, QA practices, and regulatory requirements .
  

Requirements

Mandatory Qualifications & Core Skills

Software Testing & QA – Must Have

Candidates   must have 10+ years of experience in software testing within enterprise-level IT environments and large-scale systems , including:

• Extensive hands-on experience in   manual and automated testing .
  
• Strong understanding and practical experience with   Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall methodologies .
  
• Extensive experience with   AODA testing and compliance .
  
• Experience developing and maintaining:
  
• Test strategies
  
• Test plans
  
• Test cases
  
• Test scripts
  
• Test data
  
• Test reports
  
• Proven experience performing   end-to-end testing of complex systems , ensuring functional and non-functional requirements are covered.
  
• Experience executing:
  
• Functional testing
  
• Integration testing
  
• System testing
  
• Regression testing
  
• Acceptance/UAT testing
  
• Non-functional testing
  
• Performance testing
  
• Load testing
  
• Stress testing
  
• Experience supporting and participating in   User Acceptance Testing (UAT)  activities.
  
• Strong knowledge of   QA principles, practices, tools, and structured testing methodologies .
  
• Knowledge of the complete   Software/System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)  and Software Testing Life Cycle.
  

Test Automation

Hands-on experience with automated testing tools/frameworks such as:

• Selenium
  
• Postman   for API testing
  
• Micro Focus/OpenText UFT
  
• TestComplete
  
• Cypress
  
• Other comparable automation tools
  

Experience coding automated test scripts and developing automated test cases is highly important.

Performance Testing

Experience with performance, stress, and load testing tools, including:

• JMeter
  
• LoadRunner
  
• Similar performance testing tools
  

Candidates should be capable of developing and executing performance test scripts and analyzing performance bottlenecks and system scalability.

Defect & Test Management Tools

Experience with one or more of the following:

• JIRA
  
• Azure DevOps
  
• ALM
  
• Bugzilla
  
• TestRail
  
• Zephyr
  
• Similar defect/test management platforms
  

Database & Data Validation

Strong understanding and hands-on experience with databases, including:

• SQL
  
• Oracle
  

Experience writing queries to:

• Validate backend data
  
• Perform backend testing
  
• Validate data integrity
  
• Validate data consistency and accuracy
  
• Support data migration and transformation testing
  

Cloud & DevOps

Knowledge and practical understanding of cloud technologies such as:

• Microsoft Azure
  
• AWS
  

Knowledge of   CI/CD pipelines and integration tools , including:

• Jenkins
  
• Git
  
• GitLab
  
• Similar CI/CD and version-control technologies
  

Security Testing

• Knowledge of QA compliance standards and security testing best practices.
  
• Experience conducting   basic security testing .
  
• Ability to collaborate with security specialists for deeper penetration/security testing.
  

Test Data Management

Experience developing and managing robust test-data strategies, including:

• Generating realistic and sufficient test data.
  
• Protecting data privacy.
  
• Managing test-data environments.
  
• Validating data across multiple system components and databases.
  

Accessibility

• Extensive AODA testing and compliance experience is mandatory.
  
• Knowledge and understanding of   Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)  and related regulations and standards.
  

General Skills

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Experience planning, organizing, and implementing testing efforts at the senior level.
  
• Knowledge of structured methodologies for application development, design, implementation, and maintenance.
  
• Experience using   CASE tools and data-query tools   to assist in developing test cases.
  
• Experience using automated testing tools and version-control systems.
  
• Experience with functional, non-functional, and systems-level integration testing.
  
• Experience supporting UAT activities.
  
• Strong knowledge of quality assurance principles, practices, tools, and structured methodologies.
  
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, organizational, creativity, and perseverance skills.
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively with technical and functional teams.
  
• Ability to work effectively as part of a large project team.
  
• Proven ability to meet deadlines.
  
• Ability to work under pressure and manage aggressive timelines.
  
• Adaptability to changing priorities and requirements.
  
• Demonstrated ability to write clear, comprehensive test cases and execute them effectively.
  
• Strong understanding of system, integration, regression, and acceptance testing.
  
• Clear understanding of software development and testing lifecycles.
  

Scripting & Programming

Knowledge of scripting/programming languages is required or strongly preferred, including:

• Python
  
• JavaScript
  
• Bash
  
• Or another programming language suitable for automation and test-data setup.
  

Knowledge and experience in at least one programming language is considered a desirable skill.

Public Sector / OPS Experience

Previous Ontario Public Service (OPS) or broader public-sector experience is considered an asset.

Candidates should have familiarity with:

• OPS quality assurance standards and practices.
  
• Public-sector testing and delivery environments.
  
• Government information-management principles, policies, and practices.
  

Additional Desirable Skills

The following experience is considered an asset:

• Experience planning and organizing testing efforts for both   large and small systems .
  
• Experience coding automated test scripts to produce automated test cases.
  
• Experience testing   Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications .
  
• Knowledge of information retrieval packages.
  
• Knowledge and understanding of testing methods in an   object-oriented environment .
  
• Knowledge and understanding of   Information Management principles, concepts, policies, and practices .
  
• Experience with one or more programming languages.
  
• Additional experience with accessibility testing and compliance.
  

Soft Skills

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• Excellent written and verbal communication.
  
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
  
• Ability to work effectively with functional and technical teams.
  
• Ability to participate effectively in a large project team.
  
• Strong analytical and systematic problem-solving capabilities.
  
• Ability to work under pressure and meet aggressive timelines.
  
• Flexibility and adaptability in a changing project environment.
  
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and commitment to quality.
  

Work Arrangement & Other Requirements

• 100% onsite – 5 days per week
  
• Ontario, Canada
  
• 1 position available
  
• No security clearance required
  
• Assignment duration:   September 21, 2026 to March 21, 2027
  
• One potential extension term
  
• Maximum 1 candidate submission per supplier
  
• Candidates must be available to work onsite five days per week.
  

Mandatory Requirements – Quick Checklist

Candidates submitted for this position   must clearly demonstrate :

1. 10+ years of enterprise-level software testing experience.
   
2. Hands-on   manual and automated testing   experience.
   
3. Strong   Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall   experience.
   
4. Extensive AODA testing and compliance experience.
   
5. Experience with   Selenium and/or Postman .
   
6. Experience with   JMeter, LoadRunner, or similar   performance-testing tools.
   
7. Strong   SQL and/or Oracle   database experience.
   
8. Knowledge of   Azure and/or AWS .
   
9. Experience with defect-management tools such as   JIRA or Azure DevOps .
   
10. Experience developing   test strategies, test plans, test cases, test scripts, and test reports .
    
11. Strong end-to-end testing experience across   functional and non-functional requirements .
    
12. Knowledge of   CI/CD, Jenkins, Git, or GitLab .
    
13. Knowledge of   QA compliance and security-testing practices .
    
14. Strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
    
15. Ability to work  100% onsite, 5 days per week .
    

Nice to Have:   Previous   Ontario Public Service (OPS) / public-sector experience .