About Pacific Blue Cross
Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) has been British Columbia's leading benefits provider for over 80 years. We are an independent, not-for-profit society with strong roots in BC’s health care system. We provide health, dental, life, disability, and travel coverage to 1 in 3 British Columbians through employee group plans and individual plans.
We are fueled by a commitment to keep health care sustainable for all British Columbians. Through our PBC Health Foundation, we fund projects that improve health outcomes directly related to mental health and wellbeing as well as the prevention and/or management of chronic disease. We are interested in finding people who want to make a difference and who are looking to grow their career with us.
Perks
- Work-life balance with flexible working hours of 7 hours per day, Monday to Friday (i.e., 35 hours per week).
- Paid vacation starts at 3 weeks per year, and increases with years of service.
- Hybrid work environment (i.e., a combination of work from office and work from home days).
- Generous benefits, including extended health and dental benefits.
- Education allowance up to $1,000 per calendar year.
- Onsite gym, cafeteria, and access to virtual doctors/counsellors 24/7 via our Employee Family Assistance Program!
About the Position
- We are searching for 1 temporary (up to 12 months) Quality Assurance Analyst supporting our Information and Technology Services team.
- This position is unionized and part of the CUPE 1816 Bargaining Unit. This position is paid at hourly rates and receives wage increases in accordance with the Collective Agreement. The wage for this position is: $7,458 per month to start (equivalent to $89,496 per year) and then progressing up to $8,409 per month.
Job Summary
Under the broad managerial direction of the Assistant Manager and/or Manager, and as an active member of a self-organized work team, collaborates collectively in the planning, design, testing, execution and delivery stages of technology-driven products and services that meet the needs of the business and deliver value. Acts as subject matter expert during the testing stages of product/service delivery to ensure system functionality is consistent with defined business product/service requirements. Researches and evaluates new test tools and upgrades to determine their applicability to PBC’s testing environment. Maintains a resource library of test plans and scripts. To support the team, may consult with third party vendors, members and other teams from a Quality Assurance Analyst perspective as determined through team collaboration. Maintains required proficiency levels in technical skills and core competencies consistent with the established framework for the position and pursues continuing self-development associated with the rapid pace of change within the industry.
Job Duties
Self-Organized Work Team Member
1. As an active member of a self-organized work team and through group cooperation, shared processes and team problem solving, collaborates collectively in the planning, design, testing, execution and delivery stages of technology-driven products and services that meet the needs of the business and deliver value by:
- defining and expanding on the design features, components and overall priorities communicated by business stakeholders;
- estimating size and complexity of the work, and as a group, assessing team capacity to complete the work, determining achievable goals for each stage and identifying out of scope activities;
- articipating in team discussions and coming to consensus on who will complete the work, and identifying in-house resources including network, database, architecture, deployment, security, production or other subject matter experts necessary to support team success;
- collaborating regularly with all team members throughout all stages of the work to track team progress, problem solve roadblocks and interdependencies, and identify options for enhancing stakeholder value in upcoming stages of the work;
- committing to and delivering on individually assigned activities and tasks within established time frames, as determined by the team as a whole;
- preparing and delivering informal presentations to the team and/or key stakeholders on technical design elements, demonstrations of challenges encountered in any stages of design or delivery, options for team and stakeholder feedback and consideration, and any other aspects where team collaboration can contribute to the quality, timing or effectiveness of shared outcomes;
- applying technical, professional, organizational and industry quality standards to meet or exceed delivery goals throughout all stages of the work;
- contributing to the smooth flow of communication between all team members and stakeholders;
- collectively assessing release and deployment status, and determining timing and activities required to deliver products into production;
- participating in retrospectives and sharing in the evaluation of delivery outcomes at the conclusion of each stage of the work, recognizing and celebrating successes, developing action plans for incorporating past or current experiences and new learnings into future team initiatives, and pursuing opportunities for continuous improvement;
- transferring knowledge to team colleagues in specific areas of individual expertise to increase team efficiency and operation, capitalize on opportunities for growth and development, and increase team engagement;
- liaising with stakeholders throughout all stages of the work to identify and facilitate the removal of barriers to successful team delivery; refers challenges outside of the team’s influence to resources external to the team‘s day to day operation;
- on an occasional basis, participating as a team in member communication processes such as focus groups to ensure understanding of the overall member experience with PBC products and services as they relate to the team member’s area of subject matter expertise.
Testing Services
2. Provides testing expertise and acts as subject matter expert during the testing stages of product/service delivery to ensure system functionality is consistent with defined business product/service requirements by:
- consulting with other internal and external business stakeholders to define and understand business requirements and design features that will determine the scope of testing;
- defining overall test approach, strategy, test entry and exit criteria, and related metrics aligned with testing goals and priorities;
- preparing time, resource allocation and scheduling estimates;
- creating, designing and documenting manual and/or automated test plans and scripts to validate system functionality within a test environment;
- conducting system, functional, regression, automated and load testing;
- creating, selecting and loading test data and executing test plans and scripts;
- editing test scripts during execution where results differing from the predicted test outcomes occur, and conducting further investigation and analysis to determine the potential source of testing variances and resolve bugs, errors, configuration issues and interdependency flaws associated with the testing process;
- identifying unexpected outcomes during testing by verifying system output, narrowing variances to testing or non-testing sources, and consulting with Software Developers and other technical team members on corrections and potential improvements to system or program design from a testing perspective;
- identifying pass/fail status and documenting test results including reconstruction of test failures, and making recommendations concerning the outcome of deficit failures to the team;
- tracking testing progress in relation to expected outcomes and providing regular status and metrics reports to the team;
- overseeing strict adherence to internal controls throughout testing to maintain established audit trails.
3. Researches new test tools and upgrades to determine their applicability to PBC’s testing environment, evaluates their effectiveness and degree of fit, and makes related recommendations for purchase and/or installation.
4. Maintains a resource library of test plans and scripts for potential future application to similar or recurring test applications.
Additional Technical Functions Assigned Through Team Collaboration
5. May consult with third party vendors, members and other teams from a Quality Assurance Analyst perspective to determine interdependencies and potential/actual barriers associated with their application to the business.
General Team and Department Support
6. Through continuous learning initiatives, maintains up to date knowledge of testing strategies and tools, testing materials and design such as test automation, systems design concepts, tools, security requirements, operating systems, end-user business products/services specific to PBC’s user environment, general technology trends and other information related to the provision of testing services to users. Maintains required proficiency levels in technical skills and core competencies consistent with the established framework for the position and pursues continuing self-development in the maintenance and enhancement of technical skills and core competencies associated with the rapid pace of change, through the application of a variety of learning options, online self-service platforms, in-house support, skills assessment and other learning and development tools.
7. Conducts ongoing review of technical materials related to changes in in-house products/services from a technology perspective. Conducts online research and participates in information exchanges with colleagues and technical contacts, including membership in testing-related technology resource groups.
8. Participates in semi-annual disaster recovery exercises by conducting regression testing for specific business applications in consultation with Database Administrators and members of the disaster recovery team.
9. Performs other assigned duties related to the provision of system testing services and team operation which do not affect the rating of the job.
Qualifications:
2 year diploma in computer systems technology such as BCIT’s Computer Information Technology (CIT) with program options in Applied Software Design/Quality Assurance Testing, Technical Programming, Web and Mobile or Database (or equivalent program) which in addition to technology courses includes foundational courses in:
- MS Office products including Basic Word, Outlook and PowerPoint, and Advanced Excel
Software testing courses equivalent to:
- International Software Testing Qualifications Board Advanced Level, including certification in one or more core testing areas (Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst and/or Test Manager)
OR
- Association of Software Testers Test Design Level (3 courses = 108 hours)
Formal training leading to certification in Agile practitioner level skills and knowledge (eg SAFe Practitioner course (14 hours) or equivalent industry-recognized Agile course(s) )
Demonstrated critical thinking skills gained through the successful application of problem solving methods such as problem analysis, logic and judgement
Minimum 4 years previous related experience in a testing/quality assurance position (or equivalent) including a minimum of 2 years experience in a medium to large sized organization, working on medium to large scale projects.
Demonstrated understanding of:
- All technical software design, business analysis and testing skills as defined in the technical skills framework for this position
- All team collaboration core competencies as defined in the core competency framework for this position
- MS Office products (basic Word, Outlook and PowerPoint; advanced Excel including pivot tables)
If you’re excited about taking on this opportunity, we invite you to apply today and start the conversation with us about this position.
Please apply via our website this week at https://www.pac.bluecross.ca/careers
While we thank all applicants for their interest, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
PBC is an Indigenous Works employer of choice, an Insurance Business Canada Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award winner, one of Canada’s Greenest employers, a Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) employer partner, and a Pride at Work partner.
We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and employees feel empowered to freely participate and contribute regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, education level, parental status, or socioeconomic status. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
To request an accommodation in completing this job application, testing, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]. These accommodation requests will be reviewed confidentially and, on a case-by-case basis by Human Resources. 