Who we are looking for
We are seeking a senior testing leader with a strong data specialism to partner closely with Implementation Test Leads, Data Implementation teams, technology partners and delivery stakeholders to manage all aspects of test execution for Alpha implementations. This role is accountable for end-to-end testing governance, execution oversight, and cross-functional coordination, with a particular focus on data flows, data transformation, interfaces, file-based integrations, data quality, and validation across complex client implementations.
The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of data testing within financial services transformation programmes, including ETL processes, file formats, data mapping, data lineage, reconciliation, data quality controls, and methods used to transform and distribute data across front, middle, and back-office platforms. These programmes span complex business models and data flows across State Street, Charles River Development, clients, market data vendors, third-party providers, and industry partners.
The candidate should also have experience working within, or directly supporting, buy-side firms, investment managers or asset managers, and should understand the end-to-end investment lifecycle, including portfolio management, trading, compliance, trade lifecycle management, IBOR / ABOR, reference data, pricing, positions, transactions, performance, reporting, and downstream data consumption.
Why this role is important to us
Alpha is State Street’s front-to-back platform integrating front, middle, back-office and data capabilities. Successful Alpha implementations depend on disciplined, execution-focused testing that is tightly aligned with programme delivery, performance readiness, automation adoption, and robust validation of data across the investment lifecycle.
This role ensures testing is executed as a core delivery function, not a standalone activity, with particular accountability for ensuring that business workflows, data flows, interfaces, data transformation logic, file exchanges, reports, extracts, reconciliations and downstream consumption are validated effectively. Strong data testing leadership is critical to accelerating implementation timelines, reducing operational and delivery risk, and ensuring clients receive reliable, complete, timely and trusted data across the Alpha platform.
What you will be responsible for
- Partner with Implementation Test Leads to manage end-to-end test execution for assigned Alpha implementations, ensuring alignment with overall program milestones and delivery objectives.
- Own and govern all aspects of testing execution, including:
- Test strategy and approach
- Detailed test planning and scheduling
- Execution management across test phases
- Defect management, triage, and resolution governance
- Status reporting, risk management, and executive communications
- Provide strong project management oversight for testing workstreams, including dependency management, issue escalation, and change control.
- Act as the primary testing execution interface with Implementation Leads, PMO, business stakeholders, and technology partners.
- Partner closely with the System Performance team to ensure performance testing is planned, executed, and integrated into overall test cycles.
- Partner with the Automation team to drive adoption and execution of automation strategies, ensuring optimal coverage, reusability, and alignment with implementation timelines.
- Ensure consistent application of testing standards, governance, and best practices across implementations.
- Oversee execution across global, multi-vendor and multi-location teams, ensuring clear accountability and delivery discipline.
- Provide transparent, data-driven test reporting to senior leadership, highlighting progress, risks, and mitigation actions.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of the Alpha testing delivery model, including execution frameworks, metrics, and tooling.
- Support client engagements by setting clear testing expectations, execution plans, and success criteria.
- Lead and govern data-focused testing activities across Alpha implementations, ensuring data flows are validated across front, middle and back-office platforms, Alpha Data Platform, external data providers, market data vendors, client systems and downstream consumers.
- Define and manage the approach for testing ETL processes, data transformation logic, file ingestion, outbound extracts, API-enabled flows, data marts, reports, reconciliations and interface controls.
- Ensure test coverage includes key data domains such as security master, market and reference data, pricing, holdings, positions, transactions, benchmarks, ESG, performance, attribution, cash, corporate actions and other client-specific data requirements.
- Oversee validation of file-based and system-to-system integrations, including CSV, XML, fixed-width, SFTP-delivered files, standard loadable formats, vendor feeds, client-provided files and other structured data exchange mechanisms.
- Work with business analysts, data architects, implementation teams and technology partners to review data mapping, transformation rules, source-to-target definitions, data dictionaries, interface specifications and test evidence.
- Ensure data quality, completeness, timeliness, accuracy, reconciliation breaks, exception handling and downstream consumption risks are identified, tracked and reported through appropriate governance forums.
- Partner with buy-side client stakeholders, investment operations teams and asset management SMEs to ensure test scenarios reflect realistic investment lifecycle workflows and operating model requirements.
- Provide data-driven test reporting to senior leadership, highlighting data readiness, interface stability, reconciliation outcomes, defect trends, dependency risks and mitigation actions.
What we value
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to operate at AVP to VP level, influencing senior stakeholders across delivery, technology, data, business and client organisations.
- Proven experience managing large-scale, complex testing programmes within financial services, investment management, asset servicing or platform implementation environments.
- Strong understanding of buy-side operating models and the end-to-end investment lifecycle, including portfolio construction, order generation, trading, compliance, trade capture, settlement, accounting, reconciliation, performance, reporting and client / regulatory data consumption.
- Strong understanding of front, middle and back-office workflows, data flows, data models, interface patterns and integration dependencies.
- Practical understanding of ETL tools, data transformation methods, file formats, data mapping, data lineage, data quality controls and reconciliation approaches.
- Ability to balance hands-on execution management with strategic oversight, particularly where data readiness, interface stability or downstream consumption are critical to implementation success.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management and executive reporting skills, with the ability to translate complex data and testing issues into clear delivery risks and actions.
- Deep appreciation for quality, risk management, delivery predictability and operational readiness in client-facing implementation programmes.
These skills will help you succeed in this role:
- End-to-end test execution and delivery management across complex platform implementations.
- Strong project and programme management capabilities, including dependency management, milestone planning, issue escalation and change control.
- Data-focused testing leadership across ETL, data transformation, file ingestion, outbound extracts, reconciliations, data marts, reports and interfaces.
- Good understanding of data tools and delivery mechanisms used across investment platforms, including ETL tooling, data warehouses, data marts, batch processing, APIs, SFTP, vendor feeds and automated comparison tools.
- Familiarity with common investment data formats and exchange methods, including CSV, XML, fixed-width files, standard loadable formats and structured interface specifications.
- Strong understanding of source-to-target mapping, data dictionaries, transformation rules, data lineage, validation logic and data quality controls.
- Experience testing investment lifecycle workflows across front office, middle office, back office and data platforms.
- Defect governance and risk-based decision making, including triage of data defects, reconciliation breaks, transformation errors and downstream reporting issues.
- Cross-functional collaboration across Testing, Data, Performance, Automation, PMO, Technology, Business Operations and Client Implementation teams.
- Experience working in agile and hybrid delivery models, with practical use of tools such as JIRA and Confluence.
- Ability to lead globally distributed teams and vendors.
- Executive-level communication and reporting, including data readiness, test execution progress, defect trends, delivery risks and mitigation actions.
Education & Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Technology, Finance, Data, Management, or a related field.
- 15+ years overall experience, with significant experience in large-scale financial services, investment management, asset servicing, data or technology transformation programmes.
- 8+ years leading cross-functional delivery, testing or data workstreams in client-facing environments.
- Experience working within, or directly supporting, a buy-side firm, investment manager or asset manager is strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of the end-to-end investment lifecycle and related data flows across portfolio management, trading, compliance, trade lifecycle management, IBOR / ABOR, accounting, reconciliation, performance, reporting and downstream data consumption.
- Practical experience with ETL, data transformation, file-based interfaces, data mapping, source-to-target validation, data quality testing and reconciliation within complex implementation programmes.
- Experience with investment platforms, data platforms, trading systems, market data providers, reporting platforms or asset servicing technology is preferred.
- Experience with JIRA, Confluence and test management / execution reporting tools is preferred.
Across the globe, institutional investors rely on us to help them manage risk, respond to challenges, and drive performance and profitability. We keep our clients at the heart of everything we do, and smart, engaged employees are essential to our continued success.
We are committed to fostering an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. As an essential partner in our shared success, you’ll benefit from inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and vibrant employee networks that keep you connected to what matters most. Join us in shaping the future.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we consider all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, familial status, military and veteran status, and other characteristics protected by applicable law.
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