<p>Job Responsibilities</p> <p>Under general supervision, the Quality Assurance Tester I (Beginner) supports the South Carolina Judicial Branch (SCJB) information technology systems by serving as a liaison between court business users and technical teams. This role supports software quality initiatives for the South Carolina Judicial Branch information technology systems including but not limited to, the Appellate Court Case Management System (C-Track), Trial Court Case Management System (CMS), Attorney Information System (AIS), Bar Admissions Tracking System, e-Filing solutions, SCJB's document management system (OnBase), website content management systems, county statistics systems, Transcript Portal, SCJB Events Management, Justice View, SCJB public and trial court websites. The Quality Assurance Tester I is responsible for manual and automated testing, executing test cases, documenting defects, and validating system functionality to ensure applications meet defined requirements. This entry-level role assists with regression testing, system validation, and basic test planning while working closely with business analysts, developers, and support teams. The Quality Assurance Tester I develops foundational knowledge of DevOps tools, acceptance criteria, and testing practices while supporting the reliability and performance of enterprise applications through validation, documentation, and test execution. The role also ensures applications comply with specifications, usability standards, judicial policies, security requirements, and applicable statutory regulations.</p> <p>ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION</p> <p>User Support and Training / UAT Support</p> <ul> <li>Assist in supporting end users by validating reported issues and confirming whether they are system defects,data issues, configuration issues, or expected functionality. </li><li>Participate in training sessions to build knowledge of SCJB applications, court business processes, and testing methodologies. </li><li>Help create and maintain user-facing documentation, such as quick reference guides, test scenario instructions, and basic process documentation. </li><li>Assist in preparing test scenarios that reflect real user workflows and system usage. </li><li>Provide feedback from testing activities that may improve user experience, usability, or documentation. </li><li>Support user acceptance testing preparation by assisting with test scenario documentation, test data preparation, and environment readiness. </li></ul> <p>Incident Management and Troubleshooting</p> <ul> <li>Assist with investigating reported system issues by reproducing errors and documenting findings. </li><li>Document defects with clear descriptions, screenshots, reproduction steps, expected results, actual results, test data used, and affected application area. </li><li>Collaborate with developers, business analysts, and senior testers to clarify defect details and assist with troubleshooting. </li><li>Validate defect fixes once changes are deployed to testing environments. </li><li>Track testing issues and defects using approved tools such as Azure DevOps or other issue tracking systems. </li><li>Escalate senior testers, business analysts, or technical staff when additional investigation is required. </li></ul> <p>Application Testing and Operations Support</p> <ul> <li>Execute assigned manual test cases to validate application functionality and confirm expected results for SCJB systems. </li><li>Assist with automated test execution where applicable. </li><li>Test court technology applications including case management systems, jury systems, e-filing solutions, document management systems, dashboards, reporting systems, public search systems, websites, and internal administrative applications. </li><li>Perform regression testing to ensure system updates, bug fixes, or enhancements do not negatively impact existing functionality. </li><li>Assist with system validation activities during application releases or updates. </li><li>Verify that application functionality aligns with documented acceptance criteria and expected workflows. </li><li>Assist with basic test environment validation to ensure systems are ready for testing activities. </li></ul> <p>Data, Reporting, and Dashboard Validation</p> <ul> <li>Assist with validating dashboard filters, report parameters, search results, exported spreadsheets, and displayed totals. </li><li>Compare application results against expected outcomes, predefined test data, or validation instructions. </li><li>Assist with basic data validation using predefined SQL queries or guidance from senior testers, business analysts, developers, or DBAs. </li><li>Validate that exported Excel files, reports, and search results match the selected filters and user expectations. </li></ul> <p>Documentation and Knowledge Management</p> <ul> <li>Maintain accurate documentation of executed test cases, test results, and identified defects. </li><li>Assist in developing and updating test cases based on documented requirements and acceptance criteria. </li><li>Document testing procedures, findings, and validation results in designated systems or repositories. </li><li>Support the maintenance of testing documentation to ensure consistency and traceability. </li><li>Contribute to knowledge-sharing activities by documenting lessons learned and testing insights. </li><li>Ensure testing documentation aligns with SCJB standards and testing practices.. </li></ul> <p>Continuous Improvement and Optimization</p> <ul> <li>Identify potential areas for improvement in testing processes, application functionality, documentation, or user experience. </li><li>Provide feedback to business analysts and developers regarding usability issues discovered during testing. </li><li>Participate in team retrospectives or review sessions to improve testing practices. </li><li>Assist in refining test cases to improve clarity, coverage, and effectiveness. </li><li>Learn and adopt best practices in quality assurance and testing methodologies. </li><li>Support efforts to improve overall product quality through consistent testing practices. </li></ul> <p>Security, Compliance, and Access Control</p> <ul> <li>Comply with SCJB policies, court rules, and data protection requirements when accessing testing environments and applications. </li><li>Assist in validating role-based access and permission functionality as part of system testing. </li><li>Ensure test data is handled appropriately and securely. </li><li>Maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive system data, court records, or application information. </li><li>Report potential security concerns discovered during testing to the business analyst, developers, and the SCJB Security team. </li><li>Assist with validating that users can only access functions and records appropriate to their assigned role. </li></ul> <p>Team Collaboration and Leadership</p> <ul> <li>Work collaboratively with business analysts, developers, and other QA team members to support testing activities. </li><li>Participate in team meetings, sprint activities, testing coordination sessions, and release validation activities. </li><li>Communicate testing results, issues, and progress clearly to team members and stakeholders. </li><li>Seek guidance from senior testers or business analysts to improve testing knowledge and skills. </li><li>Contribute to a positive team environment by supporting shared goals and quality standards. </li><li>Demonstrate accountability and attention to detail in all assigned testing tasks. </li></ul> <p>Performs all other duties as assigned.</p> <p>Minimum and Additional Requirements</p> <p>Bachelor's in Business Analysis, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field</p> <p>A Bachelor's Degree or higher in Computer Science, Business Analytics, or other IT related field; an Associate's Degree in Computer Science, Business Analytics, or other IT related field and two (2) or more years' experience; or a high school diploma and three (3) or more years' experience in a Quality Assurance role providing, but not limited to, escalated technical end user support, and knowledge and experience of the software development life cycle.</p> <p>Experience working with software QA development preparing simple test procedures and executing test procedures. Working knowledge of the following: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, XML, Microsoft TFS, Adobe Acrobat, Internet Explorer and other internet browsers, SharePoint.</p> <p>Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics</p> <p>Knowledge of Agile and Scrum methodologies, requirements elicitation and documentation practices, software testing methodologies, and DevOps or Application Lifecycle Management tools within a judicial or government IT environment.</p> <p>Skilled in analyzing and documenting complex business and technical requirements, supporting quality assurance and user acceptance testing, troubleshooting application and data issues, developing and using SQL queries for validation and reporting, and communicating technical concepts clearly to non-technical users.</p> <p>Ability to translate judicial business needs into test case scenarios, collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, manage multiple priorities, and support mission-critical court systems while maintaining confidentiality, compliance, and a focus on continuous improvement.</p> <p>Preferred Qualifications</p> <p>Demonstrated knowledge of Agile and/or Scrum methodologies, including backlog refinement, sprint planning, and user story development.</p> <p>Experience with understanding business requirements and documentation practices, such as Business Requirements Documents (BRDs), functional specifications, and business workflow modeling.</p> <p>Experience applying software testing methodologies, including test planning, test case development, and support of User Acceptance Testing (UAT).</p> <p>Familiarity with DevOps or Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools, such as Azure DevOps or comparable platforms.</p> <p>Knowledge of the South Carolina state court system and its operational processes.</p> <p>Experience working with South Carolina's Statewide Case Management System (CMS), Jury Management System (JMS), and E-Filing applications is preferred.</p> <p>Training or hands-on experience supporting court case management systems, judicial technology applications, or comparable enterprise-level systems.</p> <p>Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical and functional issues, perform troubleshooting, and implement effective solutions.</p> <p>Limited knowledge of developing, modifying, and executing SQL scripts for data queries, validation, reporting, or troubleshooting purposes.</p> <p>Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts to non-technical users and stakeholders.</p> <p>Additional Comments</p> <p>The South Carolina Judicial Branch offers an exceptional benefits package for FTE positions that include:</p> <ul> <li>Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children; </li><li>State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs (Temporary positions have option to enroll); </li><li>15 days paid annual (vacation) leave per year; </li><li>15 days paid sick leave per year; </li><li>Option to designate 10 days of earned paid sick leave per year as family sick leave; </li><li>13 paid state holidays; </li><li>Workers' Compensation Benefits. </li></ul>