Automation Test Engineer

The role is to provide calculation/automation analysis expertise and support to client implementations and day-to-day operations of systems for internal and external clients in an efficient and professional manner.

Essential parts of the role:

• Meeting the business requirements and implementation needs of clients in an accurate and timely manner and in accordance with any agreed standards and procedures.
• Expand their knowledge within their discipline by working with internal and external colleagues.
• Have a good knowledge and understanding of the pensions industry, legislation and calculations
• Analysis and interpretation of data sets, scheme documentation, Trustee/Lawyer and actuarial instructions to ensure complete understanding of complex calculations.
• Concise and accurate production of specifications / mapping documentation. Working with our internal and external clients to understand their requirements, and help to translate them into formal documentation/specifications.
• Produce clear testing strategies and carry out sufficient testing to ensure a high quality output
• Have an understanding of calculation engines and applications and programming principles
• Work with relevant stakeholders/teams to identify functional changes to our core products, standard tools and processes that are required to ensure business needs are met and to ensure these are formally documented.
• Proactively identifying solutions to optimise and improve performance across all applications and services.

Main Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Strategy

• Assist with improving & standardisation of processes, tools and documentation for all calculation/automation related deliverables.
• Actively share knowledge to reduce key main risks across Implementations and wider teams to enable self service with Pensions Admin.
• Collaborate with the core product and development teams to identify and help with delivering cross-departmental improvements for Pensions Admin UK.

Delivery

• Working with your team leader to ensure the quality of all the implementation services meet the required criteria and are delivered to time and within budget.
• Be aware of work that may not be included in the fee agreements for clients, escalating any change in scope appropriately.

Execution

• Understand, analyse and document business requirements.  Build working processes around these and accommodate given existing and potential new systems.
• Analyse, document and work to Business Requirement Specifications standards.
• Work in a logical and disciplined manner.
• Produce neat, dated, referenced and fully documented work which is easily checkable and can be followed up at a late date.
• Ensure that all deliveries are fully reviewed prior to completion.
• Maintain an understanding of changes to pensions legislation that may impact the functionality of our products / systems and processes / procedures.
• Provide regular work in progress updates to the Implementations Teams / Project Manager.
• Make a positive contribution to the productivity, efficiency and morale of the team.

Governance and control

• Identify and advise on areas where improvements to existing systems, processes and procedures can be achieved and will bring efficiencies to improve productivity.
• Identify problems or deficiencies in documentation and propose and implement solutions.
• Maintain an accurate record of working time through Jira and Time Recording Engine.
• Adhere to all relevant company and departmental procedures.
• Attend any relevant internal or external training course to ensure personal development.

Stakeholders

• Help maintain the business users through their UAT cycle.
• Participate actively in team/departmental meetings and any technical forums.
• Active collaboration with stakeholders, working with teams across multiple locations and departments.
• Buld and maintain internal relationships to ensure knowledge/skill sharing and reporting.

Experience and Education Requirements
Essential:

• Minimum of 2 years experience administering or programming pension calculations
• Analytical skills and ability to work within prescribed frameworks and timescales.
• Must be highly numerate, methodical and logical,  with a high level of problem solving skills and excellent attention to detail
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to producing high quality work within the prescribed frameworks.
• Interpersonal and communications skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and cross departments with the ability  to adapt and react to demand changes.
• Good technical knowledge of pensions and legislation.
• Familiarity with pensions administration software.
• Actively staying current with trends in the Analyst community.

Desirable:

• Experience within the Employee Benefits and/or Life & Pensions industries.
• Understands the methodologies used in a software development and support environment e.g. Agile, Waterfall, ITIL.

Key Competencies

Technical:

• Good knowledge of product/applications and implementation processes.
• Strong Analytical mindset.
• Identification and management of Change control.
• Solid working knowledge of Microsoft suite and other analytical applications.
• Represent the team/department as subject matter expert on a wide range of projects.

Behavioural:

• Good communications skills with the ability to build working relationships with different stakeholders
• Driving Change & Improvement.
• Positive and adaptable, responds well to feedback and need for change.
• Operates within organisational values.
• Big Picture Thinking.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ownership and contributing actively.