Kandaraj Bala
Dundas,ON
Summary
Senior Quality Assurance professional with 16+ years of experience across Canadian banking, telecom, healthcare, and public sector systems. Strong background in Quality Engineering, API and backend testing, mobile and web platforms, and CI/CD-integrated testing.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE and Finance & Operations, testing financial workflows, integrations, and data integrity in regulated environments. Experienced in onshore–offshore delivery models, providing clear quality insights to support confident release decisions.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Quality Assurance Consultant
Ontario Government
Toronto, Ontario
11.2023 - Current
- Successfully served as a Senior Quality Assurance Analyst on the OPGT Microsoft Power Platform / Dynamics 365program, testing and validating enterprise modules including Property Guardianship, Estates, Vendor Management, Asset Management, Investigations, and Trust/Corporate Accounting, ensuring high-quality and compliant deliverables.
- Performed comprehensive functional and system testing of Trust Accounting features across Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE) and Finance & Operations (F&O), defining detailed test cases and documenting vendor defects and discrepancies.
- Conducted thorough testing of Dynamics 365 CE modules, including vendor management, service files, cases, conferences, timelines, and out-of-the-box (OOTB) functionality, ensuring functional accuracy and stability.
- Executed end-to-end testing of Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), vendor settlements, payment journal postings, bank reconciliation, and trial balance validation in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O), ensuring financial accuracy and compliance.
- Validated financial and Trust Accounting audit reports using Power BI, ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and alignment between F&O source transactions and reporting outputs, supporting audit readiness and public-sector financial compliance.
- Led internal System Integration Testing (SIT) for CE–F&O payment workflows, validating end-to-end transaction processing, reconciliation logic, and data integrity across integrated platforms.
- Executed external System Integration Testing for OPGT’s Inbound Integration Testing (IIT) initiative by creating detailed integration test scenarios, establishing reference standards for QA teams.
- Supported User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and Business Acceptance Testing (BAT), ensuring release readiness and identifying high-risk defects before production deployment.
- Tested integrations between Dynamics 365 (CE & F&O) and external private banking systems, ensuring accurate data exchange, transaction consistency, and interface reliability.
- Utilized CASE tools and data query tools to support complex test case design, backend data validation, and defect root-cause analysis.
- Reviewed solution designs during vendor sprint demos, identifying quality and integration issues.
- Took initiative to lead QA discussions and defect triage sessions, clearly explaining complex technical and financial workflows to non-technical stakeholders and driving timely issue resolution.
- Enhanced QA processes and testing methodologies by applying Agile and DevOps principles, fostering collaboration and improving release quality.
- Guided senior QA teams on test strategy, test planning, and testing tools.
UAT Lead/BTL
Bank of Montreal (BMO)
, Canada
12.2022 - 11.2023
- Led User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for a large-scale Voice Biometrics Authentication implementation, supporting BMO’s customer authentication strategy across IVR and contact centre channels.
- Led QA governance for UAT planning, execution, defect management, and stakeholder sign-off, ensuring alignment with quality standards and reporting to QA Manager.
- Defined and executed UAT and BAT test strategies for web, iOS, and Android channels, ensuring consistent customer experience and secure authentication workflows.
- Acted as primary QA liaison among business lines (LOBs), technology teams, confidential clients, and third-party vendors, ensuring UAT outcomes met business risk and release objectives.
- Validated Voice User Interfaces (VUI) and API designs for speech recognition, natural language processing, and touchtone IVR flows, ensuring accuracy and usability across channels.
- Conducted in-depth IVR call flow analysis, including TFNS behavior, call routing (skills, queues, prompts), and exception scenarios to identify defects and customer-impact risks.
- Provided QA and release management support for data migration and voice biometrics rollout, ensuring production readiness and controlled deployment.
- Utilized Azure DevOps and HP ALM for test case management, defect tracking, and traceability across UAT cycles.
- Actively participated in daily Scrum ceremonies, communicating UAT status, risks, and blockers, and driving timely resolution.
- Performed AODA / WCAG accessibility testing using WAVE, NVDA, PAC 2021, and Color Contrast Analyzer, ensuring compliance with Canadian accessibility standards.
- Coordinated defect triage discussions with vendors and internal teams, prioritizing issues based on customer impact and regulatory requirements.
Technical Test Lead
Agam Infotech Inc
Toronto, Ontario
04.2020 - 11.2022
- Architected and governed QA strategy for multi-platform application initiatives, aligning SDLC/STLC, risk-based testing, and CI/CD pipelines to improve release quality and predictability, resulting in a 20% reduction in post-release defects.
- Evaluated application behavior for quality and risk, identified test coverage gaps, edge cases, negative scenarios, and data validation points to enable shift-left defect detection and enhance quality assurance outcomes.
- Designed and standardized test automation frameworks supporting web, API, and backend testing, enabling scalable automation across multiple technologies and improving regression efficiency by 30%.
- Defined and executed REST API testing strategy using ReadyAPI and Postman, creating structured sanity and regression suites, validating JSON responses with assertions, and automating workflows using Groovy scripting and property transfer.
- Integrated automated test suites into CI/CD workflows using GitHub and Azure DevOps, ensuring consistent test execution, version control, and early defect identification.
- Established defect lifecycle management practices, tracked issues in JIRA, Azure DevOps, and Micro Focus ALM, performed root cause analysis (RCA), and drove resolution with development teams to minimize defect recurrence.
- Prepared and baselined QA artifacts, including test strategy, test plans, test cases, execution reports, and traceability matrices, ensuring audit readiness and facilitating controlled test closure.
- Led UAT testing phases, defining UAT test plans, coordinating execution, and validating release readiness prior to production deployment.
- Orchestrated Agile QA activities, actively participating in sprint grooming, sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives, providing continuous visibility into quality risks and progress.
- Executed performance and load testing using JMeter, analyzing results, identifying bottlenecks, and presenting performance insights and remediation recommendations to stakeholders.
- Performed accessibility testing aligned to AODA/WCAG standards, ensuring compliance and usability across supported platforms.
- Communicated QA metrics, risk dashboards, and execution status reports to stakeholders, providing transparency and insights into quality assurance progress and issues.
- Provided senior QA leadership and mentorship to cross-functional and distributed teams, ensuring consistent quality standards and delivery discipline.
Senior QA Analyst
Telus International
, Canada
08.2019 - 03.2020
- Defined and executed test strategy and estimation for complex telecom releases, aligning SDLC/STLC, sprint execution, and revenue assurance objectives, reducing defect leakage.
- Led end-to-end QA execution for BSS/OSS platforms, including TELUS IQ Customer Portal and SD Billing, ensuring customer lifecycle management, subscriber provisioning, and billing accuracy.
- Led QA during sprint planning and backlog refinement, establishing Definition of Done (DoD), QA entry/exit criteria, and test scope to enhance release quality.
- Performed API lifecycle testing using Postman, validating REST endpoints supporting customer connect, billing transactions, and system integrations, with backend verification using SQL.
- Ensured end-to-end traceability from validated acceptance criteria through test execution and defect closure using JIRA and Confluence, facilitating audit and compliance.
- Led defect triage and resolution cycles, prioritizing fixes based on customer impact, revenue exposure, and regulatory risk, contributing to shorter regression cycles by 20%
- Worked closely with CRM and DevOps teams to integrate QA activities into release workflows, improving deployment confidence and production readiness.
- Delivered QA status updates, risk assessments, and release readiness inputs to stakeholders, enabling informed go/no-go decisions for telecom releases.
Quality Engineering Lead
Saxo Bank
, Canada
06.2018 - 03.2019
- Validated backend business logic and data flows across distributed services through RESTful API testing and SQL verification.
- Reviewed and maintained end-to-end (E2E) traceability, mapping system behaviors from service inputs through backend processing to financial outputs, improving audit readiness and compliance.
- Conducted scalability benchmarking and reliability engineering using JMeter and Azure Monitoring, evaluating system capacity and stability under peak-load and batch-processing scenarios to ensure performance standards.
- Coordinated system integration testing across interconnected services, validating data propagation, error handling, and recovery mechanisms in multi-service workflows to ensure seamless operations.
- Performed asset lifecycle management testing, covering asset tracking, depreciation logic, maintenance workflows, financial integration, and regulatory reporting, ensuring alignment with internal controls and OSFI-style compliance expectations.
- Designed and reviewed test plans, scenarios, and datasets focused on backend validation, integration risk, and production-like financial conditions.
- Functioned as a senior system tester on the Back Office 2.0 platform, validating core Data Services and Business Services that facilitate asset processing and financial operations.
- Instrumented defect tracking and resolution workflows, ensuring issues were documented with sufficient technical detail to support root-cause isolation and remediation.
Senior QE Lead
RBC Bank
, Canada
01.2018 - 06.2018
- Led QA activities for the RBC–Petro-Canada Rewards platform, a customer-facing loyalty system integrating banking applications with external partner services.
- Served as primary QA liaison, communicating testing progress, risks, delays, and release readiness between delivery teams and RBC stakeholders across onshore and offshore teams.
- Coordinated with application development teams, vendors, and project managers to validate solution design and integration readiness, ensuring testability across web, mobile, and backend components.
- Finalized test scenarios and test cases with client teams, securing sign-off to ensure comprehensive coverage of rewards accrual, redemption, and customer account flows.
- Executed smoke and sanity validation on deployed builds, granting QA go-ahead prior to functional and regression testing cycles.
- Facilitated cross-functional working sessions (JAD-style) to resolve ambiguities early, align expected system behavior, and stabilize scope before test execution.
Senior IT Analyst
Vocera Communications
, Canada
08.2017 - 01.2018
- Executed testing across mobile and web applications in multilayered, distributed environment, ensuring integration, gap analysis, and smoke/sanity validation across interconnected systems.
- Tested integration of triage algorithms with existing healthcare IT systems, validating end-to-end compatibility with Electronic Health Records (EHR/EMR) and ensuring clinical workflows functioned as expected.
- Performed exploratory testing to provide actionable feedback on new features, helping stakeholders identify usability gaps and workflow risks early.
- Conducted porting, device compatibility, and localization testing across various mobile handsets and OS versions, managing user stories and defects using Agile test management tools (Rally, JIRA).
Test Lead
Infosys
, Canada
07.2015 - 03.2017
- Prepared and maintained system and test plans, designed test scenarios, reviewed test cases, and created test data to validate mobile banking features, enhancing test coverage and accuracy.
- Performed functional, integration, and regression testing across mobile and PC versions of the application, validating core banking and customer interaction workflows.
- Tested mobile chat and communication features, including text messaging, image sharing, MMS, in-app calling, and conversation-based interactions, ensuring stability and usability.
- Executed gap analysis, smoke/sanity, porting, localization, and branding testing to ensure consistent behavior across devices, OS versions, and regional configurations, improving user experience and functionality.
Senior IT Analyst (Mobile Application)
VERIZON (United States)
08.2011 - 07.2015
- Conducted testing of customer-facing Verizon mobile application, enhancing user experience through data usage alerts, device health checks, billing notifications, and in-app purchase confirmations.
- Prepared test plans, scenarios, data, and metrics; participated in reviews to ensure comprehensive coverage of billing, usage tracking, and entertainment features.
- Performed functional, integration, GUI, and system testing to validate application stability across mobile platforms.
- Tested application behavior across network conditions including 3G and Wi-Fi, ensuring consistent performance and optimal user experience.
- Performed device compatibility testing across various mobile handsets and OS versions, ensuring reliable feature performance.
- Validated application behaviour during real-world interruptions such as low battery states, incoming calls, SMS, and video calls.
- Evaluated video streaming and DVR functionality against set-top boxes (STB) and Sling media, ensuring content consistency and playback quality.
Software Test Engineer
Syntel Ltd
10.2009 - 07.2011
- Executed functional, regression, end-to-end, GUI, and acceptance testing to validate service enrollment flows across releases, confirming reliability and user satisfaction.
- Prepared test plans and test cases, executing them based on functional requirements and application changes to ensure comprehensive testing coverage.
- Maintained and updated test documentation between release cycles to ensure readiness for re-testing and compliance with audit requirements.
- Executed SQL queries to validate backend data related to customer and service enrollment records.
- Worked on the Automated Enrollment System (AES), an internal Wells Fargo application used to enroll wholesale customers into banking services through automated workflows.
Education
MBA - International Business
Loyola College
01.2012
B Tech - Information Technology
Sakthi Mariamman Engineering College
01.2009
Skills
- QA Strategy & Governance
- Defect Lifecycle Management
- Test Strategy & Test Planning
- System Integration Testing (SIT)
- End-to-End (E2E) Testing
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT / BAT)
- Exploratory, Regression & Smoke Testing
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE)
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O)
- REST API Testing
- API Analytics & Validation
- Postman, ReadyAPI
- IVR Automation (CYARA)
- Performance & Load Testing (JMeter)
- Cloud Testing (Azure, AWS)
- Mobile Application Testing (Android, iOS)
- Accessibility Testing (AODA / WCAG)
- Screen Readers: JAWS, NVDA, TalkBack, VoiceOver
- Accessibility Tools: WAVE, Lighthouse, Color Contrast Analyzer
- Compliance Validation & Audit Readiness
- Azure DevOps
- Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
- IVR Systems & Call Flows
- Nuance Voice Biometrics
- Genesys Suite
- JIRA
- Confluence
- Bitbucket
- Stakeholder Communication
- Onshore–Offshore Team Collaboration
- Release Readiness & Go/No-Go Support
Certification
Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) – Scrum Alliance
Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE®) – QAI Global Institute
Six Sigma Foundations™ Certification – (PMI)
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Professional Certification -UiPath
Power BI Data Modeling with DAX Certification-NASBA
Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE®) – QAI Global Institute
Six Sigma Foundations™ Certification – (PMI)
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Professional Certification -UiPath
Power BI Data Modeling with DAX Certification-NASBA
Accomplishments
OPGT (Public Sector): Contributed to the first enterprise-scale data transformation initiative for a complex Trust Accounting system, validating Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE & Finance and Operations integrations to ensure data integrity, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance.
BMO (Banking): Supported the BOTW migration and successful rollout of Voice Authentication, validating IVR, Nuance Voice Biometrics, and Dynamics CRM integrations to enable secure customer authentication and a stable production launch.
Automation Impact: Implemented targeted QA automation strategies (CYARA for IVR, API and data validation for financial systems), reducing testing cycle time, lowering defect leakage, and improving release confidence in regulated environments.
BMO (Banking): Supported the BOTW migration and successful rollout of Voice Authentication, validating IVR, Nuance Voice Biometrics, and Dynamics CRM integrations to enable secure customer authentication and a stable production launch.
Automation Impact: Implemented targeted QA automation strategies (CYARA for IVR, API and data validation for financial systems), reducing testing cycle time, lowering defect leakage, and improving release confidence in regulated environments.
Public Sector Experience
Yes
Reliability Clearance
Yes
Timeline
Senior Quality Assurance Consultant
Ontario Government
11.2023 - Current
UAT Lead/BTL
Bank of Montreal (BMO)
12.2022 - 11.2023
Technical Test Lead
Agam Infotech Inc
04.2020 - 11.2022
Senior QA Analyst
Telus International
08.2019 - 03.2020
Quality Engineering Lead
Saxo Bank
06.2018 - 03.2019
Senior QE Lead
RBC Bank
01.2018 - 06.2018
Senior IT Analyst
Vocera Communications
08.2017 - 01.2018
Test Lead
Infosys
07.2015 - 03.2017
Senior IT Analyst (Mobile Application)
VERIZON (United States)
08.2011 - 07.2015
Software Test Engineer
Syntel Ltd
10.2009 - 07.2011
MBA - International Business
Loyola College
B Tech - Information Technology
Sakthi Mariamman Engineering College