Head of IT Quality- Banking

**Position Overview**:
**Key Responsibilities**:

- **Quality Strategy and Leadership**:
- Develop and implement a **comprehensive IT quality strategy** aligned with the bank's overall business goals and digital transformation initiatives.
- Lead and manage the **IT quality assurance team**, ensuring effective collaboration, performance, and adherence to best practices in software development and testing.
- Provide strategic direction to ensure that all banking software, platforms, and technology solutions meet the required quality, security, and compliance standards.
- **Quality Assurance Management**:
- Establish **automated testing frameworks** to improve efficiency and effectiveness in detecting bugs, performance issues, and vulnerabilities.
- Monitor and report on the **progress of QA activities**, providing updates to senior management and stakeholders on quality metrics, issues, and risk mitigation efforts.
- **Compliance & Regulatory Adherence**:
- Work closely with legal, risk, and security teams to identify, address, and resolve compliance issues across banking systems.
- **Risk Management**:
- Implement **continuous improvement processes** to ensure that potential risks are proactively identified and addressed throughout the software development lifecycle.
- Conduct regular reviews of **incident management**, **bug tracking**, and **resolution processes** to ensure quality issues are resolved in a timely manner.
- **Team Development & Training**:
- Build and lead a high-performance IT quality team, providing mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities.
- Organize training programs to enhance the team's skills in **quality assurance tools**, **regulatory compliance**, **security testing**, and **best practices**.
- Ensure the team is well-versed in both manual and **automated testing** tools and methodologies.
- **Collaboration with IT and Business Units**:
- Collaborate with **IT development teams**, **product managers**, **business analysts**, and **stakeholders** to ensure alignment of quality goals with business requirements and project objectives.
- Ensure effective communication between QA teams and development teams, addressing any concerns or issues related to the quality of deliverables.
- Engage with **external vendors** and third-party service providers to ensure that the quality standards for outsourced services are maintained.
- **Continuous Improvement & Innovation**:
- Drive **continuous improvement** initiatives to enhance the quality and efficiency of the software development and testing processes.
- Evaluate and recommend new **QA tools**, **automation frameworks**, and **testing methodologies** that align with the evolving needs of the banking environment.
- Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies in **banking** and **financial technology** to innovate and improve IT quality practices.
- **Performance Monitoring and Metrics**:
- Establish key **performance indicators (KPIs)** and **quality metrics** to assess the effectiveness of IT quality assurance processes.
- Use data-driven insights to identify areas for improvement in testing, product quality, and customer satisfaction.
- Report to senior leadership on the status of quality initiatives, highlighting successes, challenges, and areas requiring attention.

**Key Skills and Qualifications**:

- **Education**:
- Bachelor's degree in **Computer Science**, **Information Technology**, **Software Engineering**, or a related field.
- A **Master’s degree** or **MBA** is a plus.
- **Experience**:
- At least 10 years of experience in **quality assurance** and **IT systems management**, with 5+ years in leadership roles within the **banking** or **financial services** industry.
- Proven experience in managing **QA teams**, defining **quality standards**, and ensuring adherence to industry-specific regulations in a banking context.
- **Technical Skills**:
- Proficiency in **automated testing tools** (e.g., **Selenium**, **QTP**, **JUnit**, **TestNG**).
- Strong understanding of **performance testing** tools (e.g., **LoadRunner**, **JMeter**, **Gatling**).
- Familiarity with **agile methodologies** and tools like **JIRA**, **Confluence**, or **VersionOne**.
- Knowledge of **regulatory standards** like **PCI-DSS**, **ISO 27001**, **GDPR**, and **SAMA regulations**.
- **Leadership & Soft Skills**:
- Strong leadership and **team management skills**.
- Excellent **communication** and **interpersonal skills** to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
- Ability to **drive change** and continuous improvement across processes and teams.
- Strong **problem-solving** skills, with a focus on **risk management** and proactive issue resolution.