Job Opportunity at Tucows: QA Analyst/Performance Testing

(This posting also appears on the Tucows Blog.)

Quality assurance and performance testers are the unsung heroes of the tech world. Without their nitpicking, we programmer types would be unleashing far more havoc upon the world, whether in the form of errors and crashing apps or software that runs like molasses. As much as they can sometimes annoy me as a programmer — after all, part of their job is to poke my creations until they break — I have to salute them for their work with a filet mignon on a flaming sword.

The Job Description

Here at Tucows, we’ve got a job opening for a QA/Performance Testing person. Here’s the “Main purpose” from the official job description:

Develops and applies customized performance testing strategy that include load, stress and scalability testing. Involve in testing software to ensure that developed products meet design specifications and are within total quality management limits and standards. Communicates with product developers on product issues. Operates under general supervision.

Simply put: our services don’t go out the door until you say they’re ready to go out the door.

Here are the key responsibilities for the job:

• You are expected to apply your solid QA performance testing: load, stress and scalability
• You will be required to do code development to support test automation and other testing tools
• Plan and perform required testing activities, and develop testing documents to verify Tucows services and applications
• Provide technical guidance to other team members

Here’s the ideal candidate profile:

• Solid understanding of test methodology and testing lifecycle
• 2+ years Test Planning experience
• 2+ years Test Development experience
• 2+ years Web Application Test Execution experience
• 2+ years in Java, JavaScript, Perl and/or PHP code development experience
• Familiar with Unix and/or Linux environment and commands
• Experienced in automated testing
• Experienced in API testing
• 2+ years Performance testing, familiar with Web performance testing tools
• Fluent in one of the web testing tools
• College or University degree in information technology or equivalent
• QA or Test Certification
• Courses in Oracle (asset)
• Courses in Java, JavaScript, Perl and/or PHP development languages
• Courses in Unix Admin (asset)
• Time management skills
• Quick learner, analytical and attention to details
• Comfortable working to tight deadlines
• Easy to work with, a true team player
• Sense of job commitment
• Good communication skills

QA analyst/performance testing people take part in a once-a-month Friday night or Saturday morning code testing session for code promotion.

A Little Bit About Tucows

What We Do

You know what ISPs and hosting services do — the fact that you’re reading this online suggests that one way or another, you’re making use of the services of an internet service provider or hosting company. We’re next up on the supply chain: just as they provide services to get you online, we provide services that get them to get you online.

Take domain names, for instance. Not just anyone can become a registrar (that’s a person or organization with the ability to register domain names). You need to fork out a hefty amount of cash, have a relationship with ICANN, participate in the governance of the domain name system and a perform a whole bunch of other administrivial tasks. As a wholesaler of domain name registrations, we do all that unpleasant work and give you, the service provider, access to our capability to register domain names, either through our APIs or our web-based management interface. The end result: service providers can register domain names for their customers without the hassles that registrars go through.

Same thing with email. You could provide your customers with email service by setting up a computer to be an email server, maintaining it and guarding it against attacks of all kinds. Our hosted email and email defense customers prefer to let us handle the task of providing email and anti-spam service so that they can concentrate on provisioning these services and providing support to their customers.

Other services we provide include managed DNS, digital certificates and web page building and blogging tools, all of which our partners then resell to their customers. By using our services, our partners can worry less about maintaining machinery and software and can concentrate on their true differentiator, which is customer service.

What Working Here is Like

We’re located in Liberty Village, the warehouse district of Toronto that is south of King Street, bounded by Dufferin on the west, Strachan on the east, and the Canadian National Exhibition to the south. It’s a great neighbourhood in which to work, as it’s home to a lot of people doing high-tech and creative work, as well as a number of independent restaurants and cafes and a 24-hour grocery. We’re also a short walk away from the new “it” part of Queen Street West, with its night spots such as the Gladstone Hotel, Drake Hotel, “The Social”, Cadillac Lounge and others. It’s a far cry from a dreary office park in the suburbs!

You’ll work with a lot of smart people in a converted warehouse with high ceilings, a decent-sized kitchen area, a rooftop deck with two gas barbecues (I’m known in the company as the guy who barbecues year-round, even in the dead of winter) and a stone’s throw from public transit. The work atmosphere and dress code is casual, and the tendency here is to let people make their own decisions, do their own thinking and shine at their jobs.

I’ve been working here for the past three and a half years and would gladly recommend it. We’re going through some changes to address the new world of “Web 2.0” and have got some interesting projects that we’re working on. If you’re looking for challenging tech work at a company with a good reputation in a great location, you should check us out.

Interested?

If you’re interested in this job, please email your resume and cover letter to hrdept@tucows.com, and make sure you include QA Analyst/Performance Testing in the subject line.