Project Assistant (2 Positions), (Rochester location), Box OP-1933/51516, OP-1934/51517

The duties that the incumbent of the vacancy will be expected to perform. Duties Description The New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) Office of the Professions (OP) OP Modernization Program is seeking candidates for Project Assistants position that will serve as Technical QA Engineers. The NYSED’s OP Modernization Program is responsible for licensing and oversight of more than 50 professional titles, as well as professional corporations and pharmacy establishments. This position will specialize in crafting and executing the technical test strategy and quality assurance plan for the NYSED Office of the Professions (OP) Modernization Program. The role will collaborate closely with OP business users, Information Technology Services (ITS), and vendor partners to validate functionality across complex workflows and system integrations. Responsibilities include designing and conducting both manual and automated tests to ensure that developed software meets functional and performance requirements. The position also develops and maintains technical and user-facing documentation, including user acceptance testing (UAT) strategies and metrics. This position will support readiness for go-live and ensure test traceability. The modernization team is developing a new system leveraging Java, Spring Boot, Vue 3 with Vuetify, and Oracle. Team members include developers, business analysts, and product owners operating within Agile methodologies. Duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: • Perform software engineering and quality assurance tasks within complex development environments, applying best practices from related technology fields;• Lead test planning, execution, and validation activities across the software development lifecycle, including functional, regression, back-end, and end-to-end testing;· Conduct data validation through SQL queries and assist in verifying application and data integration across Oracle and related systems;· Leverage tools such as JIRA, Confluence, BitBucket, and Postman; experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, and test automation frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Selenium, Visual Studies and mabl) preferred;· Apply Agile or Scrum delivery methodologies to plan, execute, and iterate on development and testing work;· Provide feedback and retrospective demos to developers and stakeholders regarding usability and functionality; and· Establish and enforce validation criteria for deliverables (Definition of Done), track key testing decisions, trace requirement completion through testing artifacts, and secure commitment and approvals from project participants. The minimum qualifications required for this vacancy. Minimum Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 1) Have a bachelor’s degree in any field including or supplemented by 15 semester credit hours in computer science; AND at least four years of experience in: Software testing, including developing and executing test cases for web-based applications. Hands-on experience with automated testing tools. Familiarity with testing strategies such as functional, end-to-end, and back-end testing. Exposure to Agile or Scrum methodologies (e.g., JIRA, Confluence). Basic SQL knowledge for testing relational databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server).OR2) Have a bachelor’s degree in any field AND five years of professional experience in computer science-related roles as described above.OR3) Have an associate degree including or supplemented by 15 semester credit hours in computer science AND six years of professional experience in computer science-related roles as described above.OR4) Have eight years of professional experience in computer science-related roles, including software testing as outlined above.PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: • Four years of experience testing, including functional, regression, integration, and UAT of applications, business processes, and data validations.• Four years of experience coordinating or managing end-to-end testing across multiple applications, data flows, and teams, including data migration testing.• Four years of experience managing/coordinating large testing projects spanning multiple applications, data, and teams.• Four years of experience with automated and manual tests needed to ensure the operation and precision of new product features and overall system behavior (e.g., regression testing).• From the lens of testability, participate in requirements definition, UX, and technical design discussions to weigh in on acceptance criteria and testing approach.• Test APIs using Postman or similar tool to validate functionality.• Test functionality and performance of software applications before release.• Execute multiple phases of functional and non-functional testing to guarantee the quality of software releases from design to implementation.• Ensure software applications meet technical and functional requirements.• Execute end-to-end testing validating data from source UI to target UI and testing the database hops in between.• Ensure software applications meet technical and functional requirements.• Create detailed, comprehensive, and well-structured test plans and test cases. Provide testing estimates and manage the testing schedule and activities.• Review user stories and confirm acceptance criteria to support required test steps.• Write positive and negative test cases covering all opportunities to break software per acceptance criteria, to unearth potential defects or regression testing.• Proactively track both functional and regression testing status for each release.• Review other test engineers' code and test plans for accuracy, completeness, and style.• Analyzing business requirements, assigning tasks to subordinates, performing code reviews, and overseeing releases.• Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot Java 8 code using IntelliJ IDE as part of enterprise application development• Build and enhance Java-based web applications leveraging Spring technologies, including Spring Boot and Spring MVC, with front-end integration using Vue.js and Vuetify Additional comments regarding the vacancy. Additional Comments CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: These will be temporary appointments. Promotions and transfers may change appointee’s negotiating unit. Applicants should be aware that changes in negotiating units may affect their salary, insurance, and other benefits. Verification of degree and/or work experience will be required for all candidates at the time of interview. This position allows for the opportunity to telecommute up to 30% each bi-weekly pay period and is granted at the discretion of the supervisor and the appointing office.These positions lead to a maximum salary of $121,413 based on annual performance advances.APPLICATION: Qualified candidates should send a resume and letter of interest by January 2, 2026 to [email protected] (email submissions are preferred). Your resume must clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for this position. You must include the Box number (OP-1933/51516, OP-1934/51517) of the position in the subject line of your email and cover letter to ensure receipt of your application. Links to application materials will not be accepted (i.e., Google Docs). Your social security number may be required to confirm your eligibility.New York State Education Department (NYSED) is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. NYS Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, domestic violence victim status, gender identity, prior conviction records, prior arrests, youthful offender adjudications, or sealed records. Interested in a job with New York State, but don’t know where to start? Visit these links for information on working for New York State: • • benefits of working for New York State, including, but not limited to, the following: Holiday & Paid Time Off• Thirteen (13) paid holidays annually.• Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave in year one, increasing to 20+ days with additional years of service. • Five (5) days of paid personal leave annually.• Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave annually for PEF/CSEA and eight (8) days paid sick leave annually for M/C. • Annual professional leave and educational leave opportunities for eligible staff.Health Care Benefits• Eligible employees and dependents can choose from a variety of affordable and generous health insurance programs.• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost.Additional Benefits• Enrollment in the New York State pension system which has earned the distinction of being one of the best-managed and best-funded plans in the nation OR Optional Retirement Defined Contribution Plan with 8% salary match (eligibility requirements apply).• NYS Deferred Compensation and an exclusive 403(b) Optional Retirement Savings Plan.• Paid Parental Leave for all employees and Paid Family Leave (M/C Only). • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).• Eligibility for various life insurance options. 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