Manual Quality Specialist II

Bank of America•Plano, TX

4d•Onsite

About The Position

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. We do this by driving Responsible Growth and delivering for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders every day. Being a Great Place to Work and providing a culture of caring is core to how we drive Responsible Growth. We are intentional about fostering an inclusive workplace where every teammate has the opportunity to succeed, build a career and contribute to our shared success. This includes attracting and developing exceptional talent, recognizing and rewarding performance, and supporting our teammates’ physical, emotional, and financial wellness through affordable, competitive and flexible benefits. We value the unique perspectives individuals bring from all backgrounds and career paths - whether shaped by military service, community college education, or a wide range of work and life experiences. These journeys foster resilience, leadership and innovation, strengthening our workforce and positively impact the communities we serve. Bank of America is committed to an in-office culture that supports collaboration, engagement, and career development. Our approach includes clear in-office expectations, while providing an appropriate level of flexibility based on role-specific responsibilities and business needs. At Bank of America, you can build a successful career with opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact. Join us! A Manual Test Lead (Manual QA Specialist) is responsible for leading end-to-end manual testing efforts to ensure high-quality delivery of applications, particularly within banking and payments domains. This role requires strong expertise in SQL, including backend data validation using Oracle SQL, along with hands-on experience in writing and executing detailed test cases. The position involves validating complex end-to-end transactions, including settlement and reconciliation processes, and ensuring data integrity across systems. The Test Lead should have working knowledge of SOA testing, including basic SOAP/REST service validation and data consistency checks. Experience with test management and defect tracking tools such as JIRA and ALM is essential, along with familiarity with both Agile and Waterfall SDLC methodologies. Additionally, the role requires knowledge of mainframe testing and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including development and line-of-business stakeholders, in fast-paced environments to drive quality, resolve issues, and meet delivery timelines. A Manual Test Lead is responsible for leading and coordinating all manual testing activities to ensure the delivery of high-quality software within defined timelines. This includes defining test strategies, developing detailed test plans, and ensuring complete test coverage aligned with business requirements. The role involves managing a team of testers by assigning tasks, reviewing test cases, tracking execution progress, and overseeing defect lifecycle management using tools such as JIRA or ALM. The Test Lead collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, including development, product management, business analysts, and operations, to clarify requirements, identify risks early, and ensure seamless communication throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, the role includes monitoring quality metrics, driving continuous process improvements, ensuring adherence to testing standards, and providing regular status updates to leadership while proactively mitigating risks and addressing resource or delivery challenges. This job is responsible for testing and delivering complex software to accomplish business outcomes. The job establishes testing scope and coordinates test execution. Key responsibilities of the job include overseeing testing practices ensuring that software is tested to meet functional, non-functional and compliance requirements, conditioning and generating test data, building and executing both manual and automated test suites, recording and communicating the test results, triage defects, and ensuring regression test suites are maintained and well designed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
7+ years of experience in manual testing, with proven experience in a Test Lead or senior QA role.
Strong hands-on expertise in SQL, including backend data validation using Oracle SQL.
Solid experience in banking/payments domain with deep understanding of end-to-end transaction flows, settlement, and reconciliation processes.
Experience in mainframe testing, including batch job validation, file processing, and data reconciliation across systems.
Proficiency in writing, reviewing, and executing detailed test cases and test scenarios.
Experience with test management and defect tracking tools such as JIRA and ALM Octane.
Working knowledge of SOA testing, including SOAP/REST service validation and data integrity checks.
Strong understanding of SDLC methodologies (Agile and Waterfall) and testing lifecycle best practices.
Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor QA teams, prioritize tasks, and manage deliverables under tight timelines.
Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and business stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience leading QA efforts in banking, payments, or financial services domains.
Strong understanding of end-to-end payment flows, settlement, and reconciliation systems.
Experience working with mainframe technologies (e.g., JCL, batch processing, file validation).
Exposure to test automation frameworks and ability to collaborate with automation teams.
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.
Experience with large-scale, enterprise-level applications and distributed systems.
Knowledge of data warehousing concepts and advanced SQL querying techniques.
ISTQB or equivalent QA certification is a plus.
Proven ability to drive process improvements and implement QA best practices.
Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and drive quality initiatives across teams.

Responsibilities

Develops detailed, comprehensive and well-structured test cases based on functional, non-functional, and compliance requirements
Leads test planning, usually at a team level. When part of a Scrum team, ensure stories are well refined and contain clear acceptance criteria
Leads test case reviews and work with subject matter experts and stakeholders to ensure test coverage
Identifies automation opportunities and develop test automation for applicable test types
Executes test cases, including manual and automated tests, and record test results
Designs test data and ensure data compliance requirements are met on all levels of test environments
Uses testing tools and follow processes to complete testing on a given test environment, and perform necessary steps required to promote code base to higher level environments
Creates an inclusive team where members are treated fairly and respectfully.
Demonstrates and expects process knowledge, data driven decisions, simplicity and continuous improvement.
Delivers clear and concise messages that motivate, convey the “why” and connects contributions to business results.
Leads and encourages the identification, escalation and resolution of potential risks.
Knows and develops team members through coaching and feedback.
Manages expenses and demonstrates an owner’s mindset.
Recruits, on-boards and develops talent, and supports talent mobility for career growth.
Delivers results through effective team management, structure, and routines.