Manager, Specialty QA

Job DescriptionJOB SUMMARYThe Quality Assurance team within Digital is responsible for the delivery of large, high-impact projects, enhancements, and maintenance for branded digital assets on the web & mobile app platforms. The Manager, Specialty QA, on the Digital Quality Assurance team works with key business stakeholders to understand individual business area and product priorities. Works with the Product Squad teams to help them achieve their vision providing Functional, Content, Accessibility, Analytic, SEO, API, Service Layer, Backend, & device testing for assigned product area in support of Marriott and Digital initiatives. In addition, provides testing support for each of the Digital Channel releases.The role involves leading and managing a dynamic analytics team, overseeing the planning and execution of data-driven projects aligned with organizational goals. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting complex data analyses, ensuring data accuracy, and providing actionable insights for strategic decision-making. Collaboration with cross-functional teams is crucial, as is the ability to communicate findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. The role requires effective resource allocation, performance evaluation, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation within the team. Strong leadership skills, project management expertise, and a keen understanding of emerging analytics trends are essential for success in this position.Marriott is dedicated to providing an equivalent digital experience for our guests, regardless of physical or cognitive ability. To uphold our commitment, the UX, Standards, Product Squads, and QA Teams work to ensure that the guest experience is of the highest quality & delivers a truly inclusive WEB & Native App experience for our guests. All persons participating in the creation of Marriott digital content adhere to the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 to level AA) in the design, testing and development of our global digital experiences. Conducts accessibility testing for assigned projects & assists in the UAT effort for large company initiatives.CANDIDATE PROFILE Education and Experience Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Computer Sciences, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience 4+ years' experience in Digital and/or IT operations Experience with and strong understanding of all quality assurance processes Solid understanding of SDLC, Agile, Safe Agile Methodology and practical use of Jira, Confluence, & Service Now applications. Experience in using analytic tools such as Browser Developer tools (Network and Console tabs), Adobe Experience Platform Debugger, Adobe Launch, Adobe Target, Zephyr, and other related tools. GDPR Privacy knowledge is required. Experience performing analytics trainings and leading hands-on workshops. Experience in WEB & Native App testing in various languages, Service Layer testing, & Back End testing Experience in using accessibility tools such as WAVE, Axe, JAWS, NVDA, device integrated screen readers (Voiceover, TalkBack), Dragon Naturally Speaking, ZoomText, Zephyr, Charles Proxy, and other QA related tools. Strong knowledge of WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines and/or user research & applying the knowledge to a wide range of a company's digital websites (desktop & mobile), mobile applications, products, and digital documents. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (can perform complex functions) and PowerPoint. Demonstrated ability to deliver results under challenging conditions, particularly when faced with complexity and ambiguity. Demonstrated capacity to think creatively and explore unconventional approaches to ensure thorough negative testing is conducted, and edge cases are appropriately validated. Experience leading multiple projects concurrently and efficiently completing testing efforts within the specified timelines. Experience working in an agile environment. Great Written and Verbal Communication Skills Automation and Postman experience is a plus.CORE WORK ACTIVITIES Managing Work, Projects, and Policies Lead and inspire a team of analytics members to achieve departmental & organizational goals. Provide guidance & mentorship to team members, fostering a collaborative & high-performance work environment. Conduct interviews, initiate onboarding, & training of new members. Conduct performance reviews providing constructive feedback, identifying areas for improvement, & identify training needs for team members. Implement performance metrics & KPIs to assess the effectiveness & drive continuous improvement of the team. Supports IT Service Layer & Platform Teams where necessary; Product Development Sprint work, regression testing & deployment validation of Marriott.com releases, Native App releases, Analytics releases, & Digital Experiment Campaigns in support of Digital revenue and room night goals. Create test strategies, functional test plans, end to end test plans, cross channel test plans, analytics test plans, execute test scenarios & test cases, and communicate the status of testing. Documents the QA test effort progress accurately and submits reports of test effort progress, overall test results, bugs encountered, & any issues impeding test effort progress in a timely manner, ensuring delivery deadlines are met. Analyzes information and evaluates results to choose the best solution and solve problems. Manages the flow of questions and directs questions. Collaborate with IT Service Layer & Platform Teams where necessary; Digital Product Development teams, & Accessibility regularly to ensure QA & analytics best practices are followed. Identifies, analyzes, documents, and reports data layer & digital experiment defects on Marriott's Digital websites & Mobile Applications Report on and drive improvements to Digital product features using data on analytics issues identified within product areas.Supporting Operations Lend support to other Channel product development efforts as needed. Works with the team to put sustainable work processes and systems in place that support the execution of the strategy. Establishes and maintains complete and up-to-date information to ensure accurate reporting. Represents team in resolving situations. Provide & maintain a digital analytics defect analysis report showing all analytics tickets logged and current states of tickets. Ability to communicate to a wide range of stakeholders including executives, managers, designers, developers, & QA Flexible and able to quickly and smoothly change direction based upon stakeholder or management direction, while remaining extremely organized and following tight deadlinesAdditional Responsibilities Demonstrates self-confidence, energy, and enthusiasm. Maintains positive working relations with internal customers and department managers. Manages time effectively and conducts activities in an organized manner. Performs other reasonable duties as assigned by manager. Able to present status, facts, thoughts, and ideas in a clear, concise, convincing, and organized manner verbally & writtenMANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES Leadership Adaptability - Maintains performance level under pressure or when experiencing changes or challenges in the workplace. Communication - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods. Problem Solving and Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; obtains and compares information from different sources to draw conclusions, develops and evaluates alternatives and solutions, solves problems, and chooses a course of action. Professional Demeanor - Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and represents the company in alignment with its values. Managing Execution Building and Contributing to Teams - Participates as a member of a team to move toward the completion of common goals while fostering cohesion and collaboration among team members. Driving for Results - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required. Planning and Organizing - Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.Building Relationships Coworker Relationships - Interacts with others in a way that builds openness, trust, and confidence in the pursuit of organizational goals and lasting relationships. Customer Relationships - Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer/stakeholder needs and actions consistent with the company's service standards. Global Mindset - Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their full potential.Generating Talent and Organizational Capability Talent Management - Provides support and feedback to help individuals develop and strengthen skills and abilities needed to accomplish work objectives.Learning and Applying Professional Expertise Applied Learning - Seeks and makes the most of learning opportunities to improve performance of self and/or others. Business Acumen - Understands and utilizes business information to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach business and administrative challenges. Technical Acumen - Understands and utilizes professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct and manage everyday business operations and generate innovative solutions to approach function-specific work challenges. Basic Competencies - Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities. Basic Computer Skills - Uses basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet browsers, etc.). Mathematical Reasoning - Adds, subtracts, multiplies, or divides quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related issues. Oral Comprehension - Listens to and understands information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Reading Comprehension - Understands written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Writing - Communicates effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. California Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $72,600.00 to $155,197.00 annually.Colorado Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $72,600.00 to $141,086.00 annually.Hawaii Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $87,848.00 to $155,197.00 annually.New York Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $72,600.00 to $155,197.00 annually.Washington Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $72,600.00 to $155,197.00 annually. In addition to the annual salary, the position will be eligible to receive an annual bonus. Employees will accrue 0.04616 PTO balance for every hour worked and eligible to receive minimum of 7 holidays annually.All locations offer coverage for medical, dental, vision, health care flexible spending account, dependent care flexible spending account, life insurance, disability insurance, accident insurance, adoption expense reimbursements, paid parental leave, educational assistance, 401(k) plan, stock purchase plan, discounts at Marriott properties, commuter benefits, employee assistance plan, and childcare discounts. Benefits are subject to terms and conditions, which may include rules regarding eligibility, enrollment, waiting period, contribution, benefit limits, election changes, benefit exclusions, and others.Marriott HQ is committed to a hybrid work environment that enables associates to Be connected. Headquarters-based positions are considered hybrid, for candidates within a commuting distance to Bethesda, MD; candidates outside of commuting distance to Bethesda, MD will be considered for Remote positions.The application deadline for this position is 105 days after the date of this posting, 2/1/2024.Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.About the TeamMarriott International is the world's largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. Be where you can do your best work, begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global team, and become the best version of you.