Test Lead

Responsibilities
The OpportunityPLATO is Canada's only Indigenous-led, Indigenous staffed software testing services firm. We insist on working with quality people who share our passion for quality testing and have built a team of people who also believe quality is the most important deliverable. Our team of software testing specialists believes that better software leads to a better world.We are committed to building strong communities - PLATO trains and employs members of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities across the country and strives to build a network of 1000 Indigenous software testers across Canada. PLATO has offices on or near Indigenous communities across Canada, in Fredericton, Sault Ste Marie, Ottawa/Gatineau, Regina, Prince Albert, Calgary, and Vancouver.PLATO is hiring a Senior Consultant to serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) / Lead. This role combines senior-level software testing with program leadership to deliver high-quality testing services and to design and deliver education and mentorship programs that create opportunities for Indigenous people in information technology.ResponsibilitiesWorking under the guidance of PLATO's Training and Delivery teams, the Subject Matter Expert (SME) / Lead will support a broad range of testing, education, and project delivery functions, including:

Testing & Quality Assurance

• Lead and perform hands-on manual and automated testing activities, including test case design, execution, defect logging and verification.
• Develop, maintain and review test plans, test strategies and test artifacts aligned to SDLC/STLC.
• Track and report testing status, quality metrics and risk to clients and internal stakeholders
• Coordinate and support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with clients and stakeholders, including prioritization of test activities.

Education & Mentorship

• Deliver theoretical and practical training on software testing practices tailored to diverse learners, including Indigenous participants.
• Create a positive, culturally-aware learning environment that accommodates varying learning styles and educational backgrounds.
• Use technology and learning management tools to distribute course materials, track student progress and assess outcomes.
• Maintain and update curriculum in partnership with instructional staff and program delivery teams.

Project & Stakeholder Management

• Lead testing resources across projects and ensure alignment with delivery timelines and priorities.
• Participate in client discussions to define testing scope, priorities and acceptance criteria.
• Lead a team of testers during test cycles, providing guidance, reviews and performance feedback.
• Produce clear, documented test results, status reports and post-test summaries for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Other Duties

• Mentor and coach junior testers and program participants to build technical skills and career pathways.
• Collaborate with program delivery teams and community stakeholders to recruit and support Indigenous learners.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives for testing processes and training curricula.
• Assist in establishing measurable learning and employment outcomes and report on program effectiveness.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 4-7 years of hands-on software testing experience, including at least 3 projects/roles across 2+ industry verticals.
• University degree in Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum 3 years experience writing formal test plans and/or test strategies.
• Minimum 3 years experience leading or supporting User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Demonstrated experience with SDLC/STLC concepts
• Hands-on experience using Jira, Zephyr, MySQL, and other industry-standard QA and testing tools.
• Solid experience in software testing.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, critical‑thinking, and organizational skills.
• Clear communicator with leadership abilities and experience conveying complex concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to produce well‑documented, high‑quality work.
• Demonstrated commitment to education and student success.
• Must be willing to work from our office (or the client site) located in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, five days per week.

Nice to Have:

• Experience delivering training or mentorship programs, preferably with Indigenous communities or other underrepresented groups.
• Certification(s) such as ISTQB, or equivalent testing credentials.
• Familiarity with test automation tools or scripting (e.g., Selenium, Python) and test data management.
• Prior experience working in Agile/Scrum delivery environments and leading test activities within sprint cycles.

PLATO
Who We Are
PLATO is a software testing and technology services company trusted by clients around the world.In addition to providing our clients the highest quality software testing services, PLATO is creating careers in technology for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people from coast to coast to coast through our innovative train-and-employ model. Since 1997, we have been helping organizations all over the world reach their quality objectives by delivering scalable, proven, quality-centric managed services. Companies such as Apple, Suncor, TD Bank, Medavie, BCLC, LinkedIn, Boeing, and many others have gained considerable advantage from our Quality Assurance (QA), Testing, and eLearning expertise and experience.We deliver specialized QA services to our clients with the goal of helping them increase profitability, boost customer satisfaction, manage development cycles and implement quality-centric solutions. We develop innovative approaches and solutions, designed to generate increased efficiencies, competitive advantage, and market share for our clients.Work With Us

• A supportive team and mentoring environment
• Professional development opportunities
• Inclusive workplace culture
• Opportunities to contribute to a company with a strong social mission
• Competitive salary and benefits package

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