Yulia Makarova

Technical Project Manager Program Manager Head of QA & Testing Function

Personal Information

Date of birth: 01/31/1981

Address: Joshua Glen Ln, Cary, NC 27519, US

Phone number: +1-984-***-****

Email address: adx7qz@r.postjobfree.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliastukalo/

Summary

11 years of professional experience in Fintech (Deutsche Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, etc.), Insurance, and Telecom (Netcracker, US). 19 years of experience in various aspects of software quality assurance, including functional testing, risk-based testing, shift-left testing techniques, test automation, performance/load testing, integration, end-to-end, regression, and user acceptance testing.

Extensive experience in SQA team management and leadership, with a track record of leading distributed and multicultural teams of up to 80 people.

Proficient in conducting SQA audits to evaluate processes, tools, and practices. Strong analytical skills with 5+ years of experience driving analysis to enable solution design and define requirements.

Well-versed in Agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, LeSS, and SAFe, with 7 years of experience working with and within Agile product teams.

Successful in establishing Software Quality functions from scratch, implementing test automation and load testing practices as part of the CI/CD pipeline, and transforming SQA functions into product-oriented embedded functions following Agile principles. Skilled in implementing software delivery and quality metrics to measure and improve software development processes.

Work Experience

01/2022 – 04/2023, Moscow, RF

Head of QA & Testing function Product owner

Digital insurance company LLC ‘Pulse of Life’

Built up SW QA & Testing function from scratch.

Designed and Implemented Test Strategy and Practices, including Test Automation (API, Web, iOS/Android, Contracts test automation) and Load Testing across product teams.

Integrated SW testing activities as mandatory steps of the CI/CD process (Quality gates), including Test Automation and Load Test Practices.

Designed and implemented SW Delivery and Quality Metrics based on the DORA approach.

Acted as Product Owner in Agile Product Team to drive analysis and solution design for high-quality solutions.

Achievements:

Cutting the release cycle from one month to five days (Sprint) by reducing regression testing time from 3.5 days to 2-4 hours, implementing Shift-Left testing practices and Risk-based models.

Increased Regression Test Automation coverage to 90%.

Introduced a Defect Management policy and reduced the Open Defect tail by 80%.

Increased Release Cycle and Quality transparency through the implementation of the DORA metrics-based approach.

Introduced Test Standards and Best Practices sharing platform, provided professional growth by launching QA professional communities (Functional and E2E testing, Automated testing, and Performance testing).

Designed and implemented professional career paths for SQA engineers and created a framework for an efficient and structured hiring process.

09/2019 – 12/2021, Moscow, RF

Head of QA & Testing function Digital Transformation Program Manager

Digital lottery provider ‘S8 Capital’

Revitalized the QA & Testing Department by integrating dispersed testing teams, resulting in a cohesive, product-focused unit.

Reconfigured the department's operating model to an IT product team-based approach, enhancing collaboration and improving efficiency.

Streamlined budget planning, reporting, and control to optimize resource allocation and financial performance.

Managed a team of 80+ QA engineers across multiple locations.

Spearheaded the development and implementation of Test Automation and Non- Functional Testing (NFT) practices, including integrated load tests before peak periods.

Devised and delivered Test Standards to product teams as part of broader IT standards.

Established SW Delivery and Quality Metrics to measure and continuously improve performance.

Introduced a Test Competences Estimation Model and Individual Development Plans to identify and develop talent within the department.

09/2016 – 09/2019, Vienna, Austria/ Moscow, RF

SQA & Testing Manager, then Senior SQA Community Lead for Corporate Banking IT

Raiffeisen Bank

Implemented and executed comprehensive test strategies, incorporating test automation and non-functional testing, for the Corporate IT block consisting of 20+ product teams.

Managed a team of 50+ QA engineers across multiple locations.

Planned and organized impactful test automation training sessions, delivering practical online courses on C#, Selenium, SpecFlow, Allure reporting, and Bamboo integration for engineers.

Designed and implemented product-specific quality metrics to ensure consistent and measurable quality standards across multiple teams.

Introduced a test competencies estimation model, individual development plans, and an enhanced QA hiring process, including defining profiles, conducting technical interviews, and facilitating effective onboarding.

Optimized test automation activities by identifying and implementing improvements to test automation tools, frameworks, criteria, metrics, and reporting practices.

02/2012 – 09/2016, Cary, NC, US/Moscow, RF

Program Manager for the Test Automation function SQA Manager

Deutsche Bank Tech Center

Ran the Test Automation stream in Russia Tech Center as part of a Global initiative across all DB Dev Centers to ensure the optimal combination of Test Automation tools, technics, and approaches in App teams.

Spearheaded designing, implementing, and delivering unified Test Automation solutions for App teams, significantly improving Test Automation levels, faster release cycles, and enhanced quality assurance.

Developed comprehensive Test Strategy and Test plans, incorporating Test Automation and non-functional testing, across 10+ teams in various regions, aligning with a global regulatory initiative.

Efficiently planned and organized QA team activities, overseeing both internal team members and vendor staff to ensure smooth and productive operations.

Designed and implemented product-specific quality metrics to ensure consistent and measurable quality standards across multiple teams.

Managed various testing activities, including Test Automation, Functional Testing, Integration Testing, Component Testing, End-to-End Testing, and UAT, ensuring thorough and high-quality test coverage.

02/2004 – 02/2012, US / Canada / RF

QA engineer, System Analyst, QA lead

NetCracker Technology Corp (www.netracker.com)

SW Testing and System Analysis in service delivery model on projects for T1 telecom provider in the US

Education

Moscow Engineering Physical University (МEPHI)

Master’s Degree

Specialty: Information security / Computer Science

Russia Economical Academy by Plekhanov (REA by Plekhanov)

Master’s Degree

Specialty: Finances and Credit / Financial Management

Technical Skills

Project / Program Management / Team Leadership: Agile (Scrum, Kanban), LeSS, SAFe, etc.,

Test Management (Zephyr/Adaptavist, Test Rail, MF ALM),

Defect Management/Collaboration JIRA, Confluence, Test Rail, MF ALM

Functional testing (Web, API, DB, iOS, Android), Integration, Regression testing, E2E, UAT, CI/CD process integration, API (Rest Assured, Postman),

Test Automation Web (Java/ Python, TestNG, Selenium, Selenide, Moon),

BDD (Cucumber, Gerkin), TDD, iOS/Android (Appium), Mocks (Pact.io).

Trainings & Certifications

2023

2022

Python back-end development

Effective Communication and Influence (Forma Future)

2021

Team Management (Forma Future)

2021

Automation in Testing – Design Patterns for Optimal Approach (Michael Bolton)

2020

Risk-Based Testing (Erik van Veenendaal)

2020

Mentorship and Leadership Styles (Forma Future)

2019

GO IT! Academy (Raiffeisen Bank International AG)

2019

Certified ScrumMaster Course (ScrumTrek)

2018

Assertive Behavior (Business Speech)

2018

Test Automation Training: C#, Selenium, SpecFlow, Allure reporting, Bamboo (SW Testing)

Skills

Strategic Planning

Effective Team Management

Leadership

Solution Design and Requirements Definition

Risk Management

Problem-solving

Communication

Software Delivery and Quality Metrics

Change Management

Software Quality Assurance (SQA)

Stakeholder Management

Test Strategy Development

Project Management

Distributed/Multicultural Team Leadership

Collaboration

Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, LeSS, SAFe)

SQA Audits

Budget Management

Resource Management

Test Management

Establishing Software Quality Functions

CI/CD Pipeline Integration

Transformation to Product-Oriented Embedded Functions

Risk-Based Testing

Functional Testing

Shift-Left Testing Techniques

Defect Management

Test Automation

Performance/Load Testing

Integration Testing

Regression Testing

Web, API, DB, iOS, Android Testing

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Analytical Skills

End-to-End Testing

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