The Southern Company Gas EDGE Organization’s objectives are:

1. To enhance the overall value of the company with the implementation and adoption of Data Driven Decision Support through:
   • Leadership of an enterprise strategic data governance process
   • Leadership of an enterprise strategic data management team
   • Governance of the production of high quality, immutable data (Golden Records) on which critical decision support platforms can rely – Strategic Data
   • Governance of the strategic intelligence logic and platforms that produce all decision support information for the business
   • Driving the evolution and improvement of corporate decision making through new methods, technologies, logic, and concepts
2. To establish and govern Strategic Data as a Corporate Asset across the enterprise by
   • Facilitating organizational alignment with a data and information driven decision-making culture
   • Establishing and Maintaining Sponsorship and Support at all organizational levels
   • Implementation of long-term training and implementation programs for data and information literacy
3. To implement a clean, clear source of data on which future generations of AI can build new insights for the Enterprise and provide Strategic Decision Support Counsel to the Leadership of the Company

The Quality Assurance Analyst role is responsible for enforcing data quality standards, performing rigorous testing, detecting and resolving data issues, and supporting the continuous improvement of our software development processes.  With strong analytical and communication skills, this role brings attention to detail and technical expertise to the testing process, ensuring the delivery of robust and error-free data analytical solutions. This role requires both manual and automated testing, contributing to the overall success of the development lifecycle and integrity of all EDGE products. The Quality Assurance Data Analyst role will work closely with Data Architects, Data Owners, Data Stewards, Product Owners, Data Engineers, BI Developers, and Infrastructure teams to test and implement data solutions with optimized performance that meet the needs of our Business Partners.

MAJOR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Functional Expertise:

• Support EDGE Project related assignments as required.
• Coordinates with the Technology Organization to identify approaches and solutions to data and functionality problems related to the supporting EDGE solutions platforms.
• Possess some knowledge of the overall business data flows related to one or more of the following key business areas:
  • Financial
  • Organizational
  • Operations and Supply Chain
  • Enterprise Asset Lifecycle Management
  • Customer, Marketing and Revenue Management
  • Corporate and Regulatory
• Possess some knowledge of the business applications, data management flows and enabling technology platforms related to one or more of the following key solution areas:
  • GIS
  • Work and Asset Management
  • Customer Management
  • Financial Management
  • Supply Chain
  • HR Management
  • Network Operations
  • Specialized business support applications as required

Business Acumen:

• Identifies inadequate or inefficient systems and recommends new alternatives that improve efficiency or provide new benefits to the organization.
• Anticipates and identifies obstacles that may put assigned projects or tasks at risk; develops approaches and implements solutions to mitigate risk. 
• Supports and reports on work plans and milestones for assigned projects and day to day activities.
• Evaluates and recommends approaches and strategies on deployment and application of the tools and technologies adopted by Southern Company with the TO in the development and delivery of solution strategy, platforms, and applications.

Engagement:

• Collaborates with other team members, TO and business managers to resolve complex business issues and problems.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships with key EDGE and TO managers and staff.

Driving Results:

• Ensures internal controls and governance are achieved in compliance with policies and standards.
• Understands, executes with, and improves on all elements of delivery methodologies used in the day-to-day execution of their assigned projects, activities, and tasks.
• Supports the development process deliverables in collaboration with the TO on all EDGE Solution related Deliverables.

Education, Certifications/Licenses: 

Required: 

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Information Management or equivalent) or equivalent related work experience.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in related discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Information Management or equivalent) or equivalent related work experience.

Related Work Experience:

Required:

• Proven experience as a QA Analyst or similar role in software testing and quality assurance.
• Strong knowledge of QA methodologies, tools, and processes.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with both manual and automated testing tools (e.g., Selenium, JIRA, TestRail).
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and participation in Agile teams.
• Experience with performance and load testing.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders.
• Ability to deliver results in a cross functional team environment.

Preferred:

• Hands-on experience working with Python and SQL.
• Hands on experience working with relational databases such as Azure Data Lake services.
• Experience in Data Governance processes and tools such as Informatica Data Catalog.

Specific Skills & Knowledge: 

Required: 

• Advanced proficiency in MS Office Tools.
• Develop, document, and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts for software applications and systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including developers, business analysts, and project managers, to understand requirements and design effective test strategies.
• Perform manual and automated testing to identify defects, inconsistencies, and performance issues.
• Track and document defects using issue tracking tools, and work with development teams and business stakeholders to resolve them.
• Conduct regression testing to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs correctly after changes.
• Analyze test results and provide detailed reports on the quality of the software, including metrics and key performance indicators.
• Continuously improve testing processes and methodologies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the QA function.
• Stay up to date with industry best practices and emerging trends in software testing and quality assurance.

Disclaimer: This information describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this job.  The description is not designed to be a comprehensive inventory of duties, responsibilities and qualifications required in the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to qualified disabled individuals for performance of essential duties and responsibilities.