IT QA Lead
Posted 1 day ago by Consol Partners
£520 Per day
Inside
Undetermined
City of London, UK
Summary: The IT QA Lead role focuses on overseeing the testing and quality assurance for Trade & Transaction Reporting (TTR) and Prudential Risk systems within a financial services environment. This position is critical for ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates while managing end-to-end testing activities and stakeholder engagement. The role requires a blend of technical expertise and leadership to drive quality assurance initiatives during a significant business transformation. The successful candidate will lead testing efforts, manage defect resolution, and mentor junior QA analysts.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead TTR and Prudential Product testing, including associated CTB initiatives, for IT changes impacting core regulatory mandates.
- Curate, maintain, and validate the Test Scenarios and Regression Pack for the PTTR stream using tools such as XRAY, Jira, and Confluence.
- Coordinate defect resolution and facilitate test cycles with external partners and vendors.
- Ensure timely QA testing and effective remediation/resubmission of transactions subject to regulatory deadlines.
- Monitor ongoing regulatory obligations and collaborate closely with the Compliance function.
- Manage and coordinate end-to-end testing activities, from initial facilitation through full test engagement.
- Execute detailed data analysis, validation, and testing to pinpoint reporting discrepancies.
- Govern the Test Environment and Test Data for optimal provisioning and readiness for automated test pack execution.
- Oversee the defect management life cycle, including logging and tracking in Jira.
- Provide precise estimates for assigned tasks and escalate risks to the PM and Head of QA as appropriate.
- Serve as the liaison between business stakeholders, BAs, PMs, and technology solution teams.
- Engage with stakeholders and SMEs to define requirements and validate use-cases.
- Steward test automation frameworks and drive continuous improvement in team delivery.
- Mentor and develop junior QA analysts in transaction reporting requirements and effective delivery management techniques.
Key Skills:
- Established Test Manager experience within a sophisticated financial services environment.
- Exceptional knowledge of mandatory transaction reporting regulations including MiFID II/MiFIR, EMIR Refit, UKMIR/Refit, CFTC, and SFTR.
- Extensive functional experience across all Asset Classes (IR, FX, CR, CO) and varied market structures.
- Proficiency with key industry reporting tools/platforms such as DTCC, RHUB, and Kaizen.
- Operational experience with trading platforms (e.g., Murex, Summit, PRISM, Bloomberg) is highly desirable.
- Proven capacity to interpret complex regulatory changes into actionable operational requirements.
- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience in derivatives and securities trading, operational, and regulatory environments.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Salary (Rate): £520 per day
City: London
Country: UK
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: inside IR35
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: IT
IT QA Lead - Trade & Transaction Reporting (TTR) & Prudential Risk
Location: The Square Mile, London (Financial District)
Engagement: Contract - Up to £520 per day (Umbrella/Inside IR35)
We are seeking a highly accomplished and technically astute IT QA Lead to drive the testing and quality assurance function for our mission-critical Trade & Transaction Reporting (TTR) and Prudential Risk systems.
The firm is executing a major business and technological transformation, marked by product expansion and an unwavering commitment to regulatory compliance (MiFIR/MiFID II, EMIR/EMIR Refit, SFTR, etc.). This leadership role is fundamental to ensuring the sustained operational efficacy and integrity of our private and public-side banking and capital markets reporting infrastructure.
1. Regulatory Reporting Testing Leadership (PTTR & Prudential)
- Lead TTR and Prudential Product testing, including associated CTB (Change The Bank) initiatives, for IT changes impacting core regulatory mandates (MiFIR/MiFID II, EMIR/EMIR Refit, SFTR).
- Assume ownership for curating, maintaining, and validating the Test Scenarios and Regression Pack for the PTTR stream, utilizing tools such as XRAY, Jira, and Confluence.
- Coordinate defect resolution and facilitate test cycles with external partners and vendors (eg, S&P, DUCO, DTCC GTR).
- Ensure timely QA testing and effective remediation/resubmission of transactions subject to regulatory deadlines.
- Monitor ongoing regulatory obligations and collaborate closely with the Compliance function to proactively assess and respond to evolving reporting requirements.
2. Quality Assurance Strategy & Management
- Manage and coordinate end-to-end testing activities, from initial facilitation through full test engagement.
- Execute detailed data analysis, validation, and testing to pinpoint reporting discrepancies, perform root-cause analysis, and support back reporting datasets.
- Govern the Test Environment and Test Data to ensure optimal provisioning and readiness for automated test pack execution.
- Oversee the defect management life cycle-including logging, tracking in Jira, and formal documentation of bug reports.
- Provide precise and defensible estimates for assigned tasks, accompanied by confidence levels and foreseeable dependencies, escalating risks to the PM and Head of QA as appropriate.
3. Stakeholder Management & Delivery Methodology
- Serve as the critical liaison bridging the gap between business stakeholders (Operations, Front Office), Business Analysts (BAs), Project Managers (PMs), and the technology solution teams.
- Engage with stakeholders and SMEs to clearly define requirements, acceptance criteria, and validate use-cases.
- Take stewardship of test automation frameworks, ensuring their effective application across both project and regression testing solutions.
- Drive continuous improvement in team delivery through strict adherence to and advocacy for Agile delivery methodologies.
- Mentor and develop junior QA analysts in transaction reporting requirements, data analysis, and effective delivery management techniques.
Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
Regulatory & Technical Domain Expertise
- Established Test Manager experience within a sophisticated financial services environment.
- Exceptional, in-depth knowledge of mandatory transaction reporting regulations including MiFID II/MiFIR, EMIR Refit, UKMIR/Refit, CFTC, and SFTR.
- Extensive functional experience across all Asset Classes (IR, FX, CR, CO) and varied market structures.
- Demonstrated proficiency with key industry reporting tools/platforms such as DTCC, RHUB, and Kaizen.
- Operational experience with trading platforms (eg, Murex, Summit, PRISM, Bloomberg) is highly desirable.
- Proven capacity to interpret complex regulatory changes and translate them into actionable, practical operational requirements.
Professional & Leadership Competencies
- Proven "hands-on" experience directly engaging with the testing and remediation of PTTR and Prudential Risk reporting requirements.
- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving acumen, including documented experience in creating technical specifications.
- Demonstrated ability to manage expectations and communicate effectively and confidently with high-level stakeholders across the organization.
- Experience in the derivatives and securities trading, operational, and regulatory environments.
- Experience with Vendor Management is preferred.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, paramount for successful cross-functional collaboration.
