Quality Assurance (QA) Associate - Wholesale Product Office (WPO) - Financial Services Group
New York City, NY

Job Description

At the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the work we do is consequential and challenging. Our environment encourages growth and diversity. Our employees flourish in a team-oriented atmosphere and are dedicated to the important mission of the New York Fed.

What we do:

The Wholesale Product Office (WPO) has oversight responsibilities for the Fedwire® Funds, Fedwire® Securities, and National Settlement Services, and operational responsibilities for Account Balance Services (ABS), which is owned by the Subcommittee on Credit Risk Management (SCRM). The activities of the product office are done on behalf of all twelve Reserve Banks. In this oversight role, the WPO sets the strategic direction for these services, coordinates projects affecting the services and their customers, and ensures that operating sites meet service level agreements for resiliency and performance. Our goal in offering these services is to foster the integrity, efficiency and accessibility of U.S. wholesale payments and settlement systems in support of domestic financial stability and economic growth in a global context.

The Business Technology Services Function within WPO has three main goals:

* Maintaining and advancing the portfolio of projects


* Providing technology planning/IT road-mapping, information security advisory services, and cyber resilience planning across the WPO


* Collaborate with Service Delivery Organizations to provide technology excellence in support of the Fedwire® Services, including Account Balance Services (ABS)



As a member of the BTS QA team, you will be responsible for supporting multiple concurrent efforts spanning from new business service offerings, on-going business and technical enhancements to resiliency efforts and working closely with the SCRM business users.

Your role as Quality Assurance Associate:

* Provide ABS and Fedwire® business operations and production support (including off hours and weekend support onsite/remote)


* Develop and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases and execution scripts for highly complex Fedwire® business lines (over 40 applications)


* Review test output and document results including logging and following up on identified problems


* Utilize an end-to-end test management toolset (Silk Central) covering test validation linkage to its requirement


* Utilize defect tracking tool (ALM) for defect and enhancement reporting


* Develop a thorough understanding of the ABS applications, suite of the Fedwire® applications and interfacing applications


* Assist in the development of business and user requirements for existing and/or new ABS applications


* Key contributor in recommending best solutions in achieving the business objective


* Assist in the development of user training materials; train various users (Credit Risk Management (CRM), Wholesale Operating Sites, Wholesale Testing Unit users, and Backup Production Operations support team)


* Work closely and collaborate with various project and operations stakeholders across Federal Reserve System


* Support multiple concurrent initiatives occurring in numerous environments across ABS and all Fedwire® Business lines


* Develop strong relationships across all QA testing teams and negotiate QA environment schedules for competing, time-critical projects and ongoing maintenance activities


* Coordinate and support production implementation of all environmental and application changes to the ABS and Fedwire® applications, to meet business production high availability requirement. Requires on-site weekend coverage to support this activity.


* Represent BTS QA on work groups; make significant contributions to projects and work group initiatives


* Analyze and report production problems and operational issues to senior management and stakeholders


* Work closely with technology groups in identifying the root cause and resolving the production problems


* Stay abreast of the Quality Assurance techniques by self-training and on/off site courses



What we are looking for:

* Bachelor's degree preferably in Computer Science or Management Information Systems or equivalent work experience


* 3 years of Quality Assurance testing experience in distributed applications, including web-based applications


* Strong hands-on experience with multi-tier distributed technologies


* Experience with Silk Central; Test Lifecycle management tool


* Experience in working in UNIX environment is a plus


* Ability to create and troubleshoot SQL queries


* In-depth knowledge and understanding of testing methodologies to define end-to-end test scenarios encompassing business process validation


* Experience with non-functional testing and tools: JMeter, Silk Performer


* Knowledge of test automation tools such as the Silk suite of tools; Selenium


* Knowledge of and experience with Fedwire® business, Payment Systems and/or Central Securities Depository systems is extremely desirable


* Strong organizational skills, including the ability to participate in multiple projects with tight deadlines


* Strong written and verbal communication skills. Must be able to communicate and share testing status with Function management and appropriate stakeholders


* Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team


* Ability to interact with various levels of staff and management


* Certification in Quality Assurance (process/tools) or ability to obtain certification highly desirable



This position is limited to "Protected Individuals" as defined in the U.S. federal immigration law. Protected Individuals include, but are not limited to, U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents who are not yet eligible to apply for naturalization and U.S. permanent residents who have applied for naturalization within six months of being eligible to do so.

This position has additional screening requirements due to the information accessed while performing the job. These additional screenings would be initiated at the time of offer acceptance. The screening is in areas such as education/ employment verification, criminal history, credit history, and outreach to personal and professional references that you have provided during the pre-employment process.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is committed to a diverse workforce and to providing equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetic information, disability, or military service.

Why the Fed:

Working at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York positions you at the center of the financial world with a unique perspective on national and international markets and economies. You'll work in an environment with a diverse group of talented professionals to foster and support the safety, soundness, and vitality of our economic and financial systems. It's a challenge that demands the skills of a financial service professional and the intellectual curiosity of an academic-all combined with a passion for public service.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is committed to a work environment that respects and fully values the strengths and differences of its people. Working at the New York Fed provides talented professionals the chance to grow their skills at an institution that has served a critical role in the financial system of the United States and the world for over a century. An important component of the Bank's diversity effort is our partnership with several professional non-profit organizations, including INROADS, JumpStart Advisory Group, NBDC Emerging Leaders, Seizing Every Opportunity, National Black MBA, Out for Undergrad, Prospanica and Reaching Out MBA. Click here to learn more.