Senior Test Analyst – Payments (PayShap / Real-Time Payments) | 8-Month Contract -Rosebank – Hybrid

Datafin was established in 1999 due to the need for a specialized IT recruitment solution. We offer a personalized and flexible recruitment service, specializing in providing both client and candidate with the perfect fit. We pride ourselves on the fact that we have established relationships with industry leaders and a vast majority of our business is repeat business. Datafin’s Goals: Datafin strives to be recognised as the best recruitment company in Cape Town and Johannesburg, using ethical business principles, focusing on technology driven industries and sourcing highly skilled people for cutting edge companies, thereby ensuring sustained profitability and adding value to all stakeholders. Datafin has a 15 year track record in providing reputable companies with like-minded suitable people. In the process, we have established and sustained, mutually beneficial relationships with a large portion of the Cape Town commercial sector. Our success has cultivated a sense of trust with candidates and clients alike and as a result we have a large network of candidates to draw from at any given time.ENVIRONMENT: Our client is seeking two experienced Senior Test Analysts to support the delivery of a major programme within the banking and payments environment. The successful candidates will be responsible for test strategy, planning, execution, governance and quality assurance across complex systems, participant organisations, vendor platforms and external integrations. This is an eight-month contract position based in Rosebank, with a hybrid working arrangement requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office.

DUTIES:

Develop and maintain programme-level test strategies, plans, schedules and testing approaches. Define testing governance processes, entry criteria and exit criteria. Review business requirements, feature specifications, technical documentation, APIs, interfaces and participant requirements. Translate requirements into detailed test conditions and scenarios. Develop and enhance process documentation, including flowcharts, diagrams and narratives. Review and distribute process documentation and ensure training is provided to new participants. Design and maintain comprehensive test cases, scripts, scenarios and test-data requirements. Develop requirements traceability matrices to ensure complete end-to-end coverage. Coordinate and execute integration testing across QR+, Registry, participant systems, vendor platforms, sandbox environments and external interfaces. Manage defect identification, logging, prioritisation, triage, tracking, escalation, retesting and closure. Maintain supporting defect evidence and audit trails. Collaborate with business stakeholders, Product Owners, developers, architects, participant banks, vendors and programme teams. Coordinate and support User Acceptance Testing preparation, execution, reporting, business validation and sign-off. Support participant certification, conformance testing, evidence management and readiness assessments. Identify testing risks, issues, dependencies and constraints. Escalate concerns appropriately and recommend practical mitigation measures. Coordinate environment readiness, test-data availability, participant onboarding, endpoint validation, access and technical dependencies. Ensure all testing activities, artefacts and evidence comply with programme governance, quality standards, scheme requirements and industry obligations.

REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Information Systems or a related field. Minimum of seven to ten years' experience in software testing and quality assurance. At least five years' experience within banking, payments, financial services, fintech or payment-scheme environments. Experience in functional, system integration, user acceptance, end-to-end, regression, certification and conformance testing. Proven experience with API testing, web services, message-based integrations and data validation. Experience coordinating third-party vendors, participant organisations and cross-functional teams. Experience working within regulated financial services environments. Strong experience in defect management, test governance, quality assurance and audit-evidence practices. Experience supporting Agile, Scrum and Waterfall delivery methodologies. ISTQB or an equivalent recognised software-testing certification would be advantageous. Additional certifications in banking, payments, Agile, project delivery or quality assurance would be beneficial.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Jira Confluence Microsoft Office SharePoint Test management and defect-tracking tools Postman Swagger API and web-service testing SQL Data reconciliation Data validation Payment switching Real-time payments Interoperable payment ecosystems Certification and conformance testing

ATTRIBUTES:

Strong communication, facilitation and presentation skills. Excellent stakeholder-management abilities. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Effective planning and organisational capabilities. Ability to manage competing priorities and demanding deadlines. Able to perform effectively under pressure. Strong attention to detail. Ability to coordinate activities across multiple workstreams and stakeholders.