BA / QA & 508 Tester

The Business Analyst / QA & 508 Tester is a dual-function functional analyst and quality assurance specialist responsible for requirements elicitation, Agile story refinement, functional testing, and federal Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance. This role ensures that new web capabilities and modernization initiatives  such as the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) interface, interactive NOAA Atlas 15 precipitation frequency tools, expanded Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) visualizers, and water supply dashboards  meet strict functional acceptance criteria, performance standards, and federal accessibility mandates.

Working within an integrated Agile delivery team, the Business Analyst / QA & 508 Tester translates complex hydrologic user needs into clear, testable user stories, acceptance criteria, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) plans. The position conducts rigorous manual and automated functional testing across desktop and mobile devices, executes Section 508 compliance testing using screen readers and automated accessibility scanners, tracks defects through VLab Redmine and Jira, and coordinates with Government hydrologists and regional stakeholders to validate releases prior to NOAA Change Control Board (CCB) promotion.

• Requirements Elicitation & Backlog Management: Elicit, analyze, and document functional requirements and user feedback gathered from Integrated Work Teams (IWTs), regional River Forecast Centers (RFCs), and public feedback forms. Refine requirements into detailed Agile user stories with clear Acceptance Criteria (AC) in Jira/VLab Redmine.

• Section 508 & WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Testing: Plan, execute, and document Section 508 accessibility evaluations across all NWPS web applications, dynamic map components, hydrographs, and data tables. Utilize screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), automated accessibility scanners (Axe, WAVE, Pa11y), keyboard-only navigation, and color contrast analyzers to guarantee 100% WCAG 2.1 AA compliance prior to production deployment.

• Test Planning & Execution: Design, maintain, and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scenarios covering functional, integration, regression, system, and cross-browser/mobile usability testing for deliverables.

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Facilitation: Author, update, and manage formal UAT plans and test scripts on frozen code releases. Coordinate, guide, and support Government stakeholders and end-users through structured UAT sessions, documenting feedback and tracking exit criteria.

• Quality Assurance Governance & Reporting: Verify that developed code logic meets contractual quality thresholds including the mandatory =80% statement test coverage requirement and 0 medium/high static linting errors. Prepare formal Test Summary Reports and traceability matrices linking acceptance criteria to test results prior to operational deployment.

• Defect Tracking & Severity Management: Log, prioritize, and manage bug and issue tickets in accordance with contract severity and priority matrices (Critical, Major, Medium, Low). Verify bug fixes and obtain sign-off from ticket creators before issue closure.

• Sprint & Governance Collaboration: Active participation in daily Scrum stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog grooming, and weekly technical exchanges with Government technical points of contact (TPOCs).

Experience Required

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• Total Professional Experience: Minimum of 3 to 5 years (with 5+ years preferred) of combined professional experience in business analysis, software quality assurance, and Section 508 / WCAG web accessibility testing.

• Federal Accessibility Testing: Direct, hands-on experience performing Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance evaluations on public-facing federal web applications and complex geospatial/data-heavy web interfaces.

• Agile Requirements & Testing: Proven track record authoring Agile user stories with testable acceptance criteria, writing structured UAT test plans, and managing defect lifecycles in Jira or VLab Redmine.

Technical Skills Required

• Accessibility Tools & Screen Readers: Proficiency with assistive technologies including JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ANDI, and automated audit tools (Axe Core, WAVE, Pa11y, Color Contrast Analyzer).

• Agile & Requirements Management: Deep understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies, user story mapping, burn-down tracking, and backlog management in Jira, Confluence, and VLab Redmine.

• Testing & QA Methodologies: Expertise in test plan creation, test case execution, regression testing, boundary/edge-case testing, and UAT script facilitation for web and mobile interfaces.

• Web Technologies & APIs (Basics): Familiarity with HTML5/ARIA attributes, CSS3, JavaScript/TypeScript, RESTful JSON APIs, and mobile responsive design testing.

• Documentation & Governance: Skilled in preparing formal test documentation using Google Workspace / Microsoft Office (Test Summary Reports, Access Matrices, Traceability Reports, and Flowcharts).