Technical Assurance Specialist at NCBA Group

Job Purpose Statement

The Technical Assurance Analyst is responsible for ensuring that in-house developed or customized software implementations and system enhancements meet the expected quality, performance, and scalability standards when delivered to customers. This role focuses on evaluating deployment architecture, software efficiency, system design, performance, and scalability for all system changes. The role holder will work closely with the enterprise architecture team to assess the technical implications of technology changes and ensure alignment with architectural standards. The position requires experience in performance testing, software development life cycle (SDLC), and automated testing tools to support strategic architectural goals and provide assurance on software quality attributes.

Key Accountabilities (Duties and Responsibilities)

• System Integration and Performance Testing (40%):

  • Develop, execute, and monitor System Integration Testing (SIT) and performance testing strategies to validate software interoperability, performance, and scalability across hybrid environments (on-premises and cloud).
  • Use tools like JMeter, LoadRunner, SoapUI, and Postman to conduct stress, load, regression, and scalability testing.
  • Analyze test results to identify performance bottlenecks and integration issues, and provide recommendations to optimize system performance.
  • Identify integration risks early in the SDLC in conjunction with architects.

• Technical Assurance Processes (35%):

  • Evaluate software changes to ensure performance, scalability, and reliability across both on-premises and cloud environments.
  • Collaborate with enterprise architects to align with architectural standards and optimize cloud-native architectures by monitoring performance metrics and adjusting resource configurations.
  • Provide input on technical trade-offs and integration risks.

• Continuous Improvement (10%):

  • Identify and drive opportunities to improve software performance and scalability.
  • Advise on technology enhancements, including cloud optimization strategies, that maximize business objectives.
  • Promote performance engineering best practices and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Stakeholder Management (10%):

  • Manage relationships with internal stakeholders, technical platform owners, and external vendors.
  • Facilitate communication to ensure alignment with business goals, architectural standards, and cloud adoption strategies.

• Governance and Compliance (5%):

  • Enforce policies and procedures for software development and deployment, aligned with ITIL, ISO 27001, TOGAF, and other standards.
  • Monitor compliance with architectural guidelines, including cloud-specific regulations (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS).
  • Ensure consistent governance across on-premises and cloud environments.

Job Specifications

Ideal Job Specifications:

Academic:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

Desired Work Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of hands-on experience in IT systems development or solution architecture within a highly digitized organization.
• Hands-on experience in performance testing and software development, with at least 3 years of practical experience using tools such as JMeter, LoadRunner, Selenium, and integrating with continuous deployment pipelines.
• Practical experience with API testing tools like SoapUI and Postman for validating and verifying web services.
• Experience in software development using languages like Java, Kotlin, C++, C#, and database management (e.g., Oracle, MS SQL).
• Strong understanding of the SDLC, integration patterns, and methodologies for performance optimization.
• Experience in non-functional testing, including load, stress, and scalability testing.
• Familiarity with continuous integration tools (e.g., GitLab CI, Jenkins) and bug-tracking tools (e.g., TestRail, JIRA).
• Knowledge of systems and processes within the Financial Services industry.

Required Tools and Technologies:

• Practical experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner).
• Practical experience with API testing tools (e.g., SoapUI, Postman) for functional testing of web services.
• Practical experience with continuous integration tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitLab CI, Jenkins) and bug-tracking tools (e.g., TestRail, JIRA).
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS) and monitoring tools (e.g., Grafana, Prometheus).