QA Analyst with Extensive Manual Testing Experience and Minimal Automation (Hybrid - Philadelphia, PA)

QA Analyst with Extensive Manual Testing Experience and Minimal Automation (Hybrid - Philadelphia, PA)

We are looking to hire a candidate with the skill sets mentioned and experience for one of our client Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW), This is a Hybrid role in Philadelphia, PA. 

*W2 only, NO C2C. (Only USC, GC, GC EAD, H4/L2 EAD, or TN visa holders are eligible) 

Position Summary:

The ideal candidate should possess strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. This role demands independent work while maintaining close collaboration with cross-functional teams to drive continuous quality improvements. QA Analyst should have extensive  experience with Manual Testing Experience and Minimal Automation and is expected to work efficiently within defined timelines, adapting to project needs while ensuring compliance with industry standards (e.g., ISTQB, ISO 25010, IEEE 829, etc.)

Key Responsibilities:

Test Planning & Strategy:

• Collaborate with stakeholders, product owners, project managers (PMs), subject matter experts (SMEs), and software developers to review, analyze, and refine software requirements, acceptance criteria, and testability considerations.
• Design, develop, and implement comprehensive test strategies, test plans, test cases, and test scripts for software applications of varying complexity levels.
• Define and drive risk-based testing approaches to ensure thorough test coverage and prioritization based on business impact and criticality.
• Assist the business community in preparing and conducting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by providing guidance on testing scenarios, test execution, and documentation.

Test Execution:

• Execute test cases based on predefined test plans and scripts.
• Validate functionality against business, functional, and non-functional requirements.
• Perform exploratory testing to uncover defects not covered by scripted test cases.
• Conduct UI, API, and database validation tests to verify data integrity and backend processes.
• Log execution results and provide feedback on test coverage and effectiveness.
• Prepare and maintain test data.
• Collaborate with developers and SMEs to clarify reported issues.
• Optimize and prioritize test execution based on risk analysis and business impact.
• Identify gaps in test coverage and recommend additional scenarios for testing.
• Conduct negative and boundary testing to evaluate system robustness.
• Perform cross-browser, cross-device, and cross-platform compatibility testing to ensure consistent application behavior.
• Analyze system logs, error messages, and API responses for root cause analysis.
• Validate data consistency across integrated systems.
• Work closely with automation engineers to identify manual tests suitable for automation.
• Identify potential high-risk areas and ensure they receive adequate test coverage.
• Communicate potential risks and blockers to stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Perform risk-based testing by prioritizing critical test cases.
• Conduct impact analysis when changes occur to determine the scope of required regression testing.
• Assist in risk mitigation planning with product owners and developers.
• Identify dependencies and ensure proper integration testing is conducted.
• Incorporate basic security QA validation checks as part of functional and non-functional testing to identify vulnerabilities and common security issues in the applications under test.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards (e.g., ISTQB, ISO 25010, IEEE 829), accessibility requirements (e.g., WCAG), and data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, when applicable).

Defect Management & Reporting:

• Identify, document, and manage defects throughout the defect lifecycle, including root cause analysis and verification of fixes, using defect management tools (e.g., ALM QC, JIRA).
• Provide clear defect descriptions, steps to reproduce, screenshots, and logs for debugging.
• Retest fixed defects and perform regression testing.
• Conduct root cause analysis for high-impact defects in collaboration with developers and architects.
• Drive defect triage meetings to prioritize and categorize issues based on risk.
• Identify recurring defects and recommend long-term fixes to prevent recurrence.
• Track and analyze defect trends to improve development and testing processes.
• Assess the impact of defects on business functionality and user experience.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure early defect detection and prevention, reducing defect leakage into production.
• Generate test execution reports, quality metrics, and risk assessments, providing insights into software quality, stability, and readiness.

Test Automation (Advanced Level):

• Design, develop, and optimize automated test frameworks for UI, API, and backend testing using industry-standard tools (e.g., QuickTest Professional/UFT, Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, TestNG, JUnit, PyTest).
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, GitLab CI/CD) for continuous validation.
• Develop and execute API automation tests using tools such as REST Assured, Postman, or Karate to ensure robust backend testing.
• Perform cross-platform and cross-browser automation testing to ensure consistent functionality across different environments.
• Maintain and optimize automation test suites to improve execution, reliability, and maintainability.
• Conduct performance/load testing using tools such as LoadRunner, Performance Center, JMeter, or Gatling, analyzing application scalability, responsiveness, and reliability under different conditions.

Experience, Education & Skills:

• 5 years of hands-on experience in Software Testing and Quality Assurance. (QA Analyst should have extensive  experience with Manual Testing Experience and Minimal Automation)
• Strong understanding of SDLC and QA methodologies.
• Proficiency in test automation tools and scripting languages (advanced level).
• Experience with test management tools (e.g., Quality Center, JIRA, TestRail, Zephyr) and defect tracking processes.
• Experience with SQL and database querying tools is required for extracting and preparing test data to support test case execution and validation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
  
• A bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field, OR a combination of relevant QA certifications (e.g., ISTQB, CSTE, CSQA, or equivalent) and practical work experience.

Other job specifications:

• Employment Type: Contract to Hire (CTH), W2 only. NO C2C. (Only USC, GC, GC EAD, H4/L2 EAD, or TN visa holders are eligible) 
• Contracting Period: 6- 12 month contracting opportunity with the highly potential for extension.
• Job Location: Philadelphia, PA.
• Contract Rate/Salary: $45 on W2 
• Interview Process: Virtual/On-site interviews.

Salary : $45