Type of Requisition:
Regular
Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:
None
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:
None
Public Trust/Other Required:
NACI (T1)
Job Family:
Software Engineering
Job Qualifications:
Skills:
QA Leadership, Test Design, Testing Strategies, Test Leadership (Inactive), Test Metrics
Certifications:
None
Experience:
10 + years of related experience
US Citizenship Required:
No
Job Description:
Position Summary
The Portfolio Test Lead – VA Programs provides strategic and hands-on leadership for testing across multiple contracts within the GDIT Veterans Affairs (VA) portfolio. This role leads testing activities in a matrixed capacity (no large direct-report organization) across 4–10 concurrent projects, each with independent needs and test teams ranging from 2–15 testers.
The Portfolio Test Lead tailors test strategies to each project, drives common testing best practices, and ensures effective test execution. The individual will work closely with GDIT and VA leadership to define testing strategies, communicate risks and results, and ensure testing supports VA mission and business objectives, including accessibility (508/WCAG 2.1 AA), performance at production-representative scale, and legacy-to-modern system parity.
Key Responsibilities
- Portfolio Test Leadership – Provide overall test leadership across multiple VA contracts and 4–10 active projects with test teams of 2–15 people per project (employees, subcontractors, and VA resources in a matrixed environment).
- Testing Strategy & Tailoring – Develop and tailor project-specific test strategies covering functional, regression, integration, performance, security, and UAT testing.
- Accessibility Compliance (508/WCAG) – Ensure testing strategies and execution incorporate Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA requirements, including test planning, tooling, and defect triage for accessibility issues.
- Performance at Scale – Define performance and load-testing approaches using production-representative data volumes and realistic usage patterns, not small or artificial test datasets.
- Legacy-to-Modern Parity Testing – Drive test approaches that validate behavioral and data parity between legacy and modernized systems, including side-by-side comparisons, migration validation, and regression coverage of critical workflows.
- Enterprise Integration Testing – Lead integration test planning and execution across VA enterprise services (e.g., SSO, MPI, eFolder, API gateways, and other shared services), ensuring end-to-end interoperability and resiliency.
- Standardization & Best Practices – Define and maintain portfolio-level test standards, templates, and processes, and coach project teams in applying them while allowing for project-specific tailoring.
- Hands-On Test Leadership – Remain actively hands-on where needed (e.g., review/author complex test scenarios, validate performance scripts, review accessibility findings, troubleshoot integration issues).
- Automation & DevSecOps – Promote pragmatic test automation and continuous testing within CI/CD pipelines, prioritizing high-value regression, integration, and API test suites.
- Quality Metrics & Reporting – Define, track, and report key test and quality metrics (coverage, defect trends, escape rates, performance benchmarks, accessibility compliance) to GDIT and VA leadership.
- Stakeholder & Executive Engagement – Brief GDIT and VA leadership on testing strategies, risks, and outcomes; provide clear recommendations and options when quality/risk trade-offs are required.
- Risk Management – Identify portfolio-level quality and testing risks early and drive mitigation strategies across projects (e.g., additional test cycles, targeted performance testing, enhanced integration tests).
- Matrixed Team Leadership – Coordinate and influence test leads and engineers across projects (often without direct line authority), aligning priorities and resolving cross-team issues.
- Continuous Improvement – Lead retrospectives, root cause analysis, and lessons learned activities; roll out improvements across the portfolio (e.g., shared test suites, reusable scripts, integration test harnesses).
- Collaboration with Delivery Teams – Work closely with program managers, architects, developers, and operations teams to integrate testing into delivery plans and ensure testability of features and integrations.
First 90 Days – Expected Outcomes
1. Portfolio Test Assessment & Roadmap
- Complete an assessment of current testing practices across all active VA projects (including accessibility, performance, integration, and parity testing).
- Deliver a concise portfolio testing roadmap with 3–5 prioritized improvements and agreed target outcomes with GDIT and VA leadership.
2. Standardized Test Strategy Framework
- Establish and socialize a standard test strategy/template that explicitly covers 508/WCAG 2.1 AA, performance at production-representative scale, enterprise integration, and legacy-to-modern parity.
- Ensure at least two projects have migrated to or adopted this framework for upcoming releases.
3. Initial Quality Metrics & Reporting Cadence
- Define a baseline set of quality and testing metrics and implement a regular reporting cadence (e.g., monthly/bi-weekly) to GDIT portfolio leadership and key VA stakeholders.
- Deliver at least one executive-level testing and quality briefing with clear insights and recommended actions.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of experience in software testing/quality assurance, including hands-on test design and execution.
- 3+ years leading testing across multiple projects or programs, preferably in a matrixed environment.
- Demonstrated experience in:
- Tailoring test strategies for different project sizes and methodologies (Agile, SAFe, Waterfall, hybrid).
- Performance testing using production-representative data volumes and realistic usage patterns.
- Integration testing across complex enterprise environments (e.g., SSO, MPI, content/document services, API gateways).
- Supporting or leading legacy-to-modern parity testing or large-scale modernization efforts.
- Working knowledge of Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and how they are validated in testing.
- Experience with test management and defect tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, ALM, qTest).
- Strong leadership and communication skills, including experience briefing senior leadership and communicating trade-offs and risks.
- U.S. Citizenship [and ability to obtain required VA/public trust or other clearance, as applicable].
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other federal health IT programs.
- Familiarity with VA systems and enterprise services (e.g., MPI, eFolder, VA SSO/identity services, VA API gateways).
- Experience with DevSecOps and CI/CD tooling (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps pipelines) and test automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, REST API tools).
- Relevant certifications such as ISTQB, CSTE, SAFe, PMP, or Agile-related certifications.
Key Competencies
- Strategic thinking and ability to operate at portfolio level while remaining hands-on.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage complexity across multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders.
- Clear, concise written and verbal communication, including executive-ready reporting.
- Skilled in influencing without direct authority in a matrixed environment.
- Customer and mission-focused mindset aligned to VA outcomes.
The likely salary range for this position is $127,500 - $172,500. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.
Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40
Travel Required:
10-25%
Telecommuting Options:
Hybrid
Work Location:
USA VA Falls Church
Additional Work Locations:
Total Rewards at GDIT:
Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.
Our Identity Verification Process:
As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.
About Our Work:
We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.
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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans
