Senior QA & Release Engineer – Banking & Regulatory Reporting @ Swiss Himmel GmbH

Location: Basel, Switzerland

Company: Swiss Himmel GmbH

Employment Type: Full-time

Industry: Banking & Financial Services

About Swiss Himmel GmbH

Swiss Himmel GmbH is a Basel-based technology and consulting firm partnering with leading enterprises to deliver complex technology transformation and modernization initiatives. We combine strong industry expertise with practical engineering and consulting capabilities across banking technology, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, quality engineering, and digital transformation.

About the Role

Swiss Himmel GmbH is seeking an experienced Senior QA & Release Engineer – Banking & Regulatory Reporting to manage end-to-end testing, quality assurance, and release delivery for business-critical banking applications.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in software testing, release management, production support, and DevOps automation within banking or financial services environments.

This role requires close collaboration with development, QA, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure application stability, regulatory compliance, and successful production deployments.

The successful candidate will act as the primary point of contact for test coordination and release readiness, supporting complex banking platforms and regulatory reporting applications in an Agile environment.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Assurance & Testing

• Plan, design, and execute integration, system, regression, end-to-end, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for banking and regulatory reporting applications.
• Own end-to-end test coordination, including test planning, execution tracking, defect triage, retesting, and stakeholder reporting.
• Develop and maintain test plans, test cases, requirements traceability matrices, and defect documentation.
• Perform backend data validation using SQL to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across applications.
• Support testing activities for regulatory reporting initiatives, including ECB/Bundesbank reporting, IFRS, XBRL, and related banking requirements.
• Collaborate with business analysts, developers, and stakeholders to validate functional and technical requirements.

Release Management & Production Support

• Manage the complete release lifecycle, including deployment planning, release coordination, production go-live, validation, and post-deployment support.
• Act as the single point of contact for testing and release readiness across cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate release activities with development, infrastructure, DevOps, and production support teams.
• Support Day-End Processing (DEP), batch execution monitoring, and job scheduling using Redwood or similar tools.
• Investigate production issues, support troubleshooting activities, and coordinate defect resolution.
• Ensure successful implementation of platform migrations, application upgrades, and production releases, including RHEL upgrades.

DevOps & Automation

• Build, maintain, and improve CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD and Git.
• Develop and maintain deployment automation using Ansible.
• Perform application troubleshooting, log analysis, and operational support in Linux/Unix environments.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts using Bash and Python.
• Support secure file transfer pipelines, deployment validation, and environment configuration activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve test automation, deployment efficiency, and release reliability.

Agile Delivery & Collaboration

• Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Work closely with onshore and offshore teams to coordinate testing, releases, and production support.
• Maintain testing and defect records using tools such as JIRA, Xray, Squash, GitLab, ALM, and Confluence.
• Provide regular updates on test execution, defect status, release progress, and delivery risks.
• Mentor junior QA engineers and contribute to continuous improvement of testing and release management processes.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in software testing, quality assurance, and release management, preferably within banking or financial services.
• Strong hands-on experience in integration testing, system testing, regression testing, end-to-end testing, and UAT.
• Solid understanding of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC), Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and Agile/Scrum methodologies.
• Proven experience managing application releases, deployment coordination, and production go-live activities.
• Hands-on experience with GitLab CI/CD, Git, and Ansible for deployment and automation.
• Strong SQL skills for backend data validation and troubleshooting.
• Proficiency in Linux/Unix environments and Bash shell scripting.
• Working knowledge of Python for automation and operational support.
• Experience using test management and defect tracking tools such as Squash, GitLab, JIRA, Xray, ALM, or Confluence.
• Experience coordinating testing and release activities across development, DevOps, and business teams.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience working within Swiss or European banking and wealth management environments.
• Knowledge of regulatory reporting requirements, including IFRS, XBRL, ECB/Bundesbank reporting, Brexit-related reporting, and HGB.
• Experience with API testing and automation tools such as Postman, SoapUI, and REST Assured.
• Experience with UI automation frameworks such as Selenium and TestNG.
• Familiarity with Redwood job scheduling and Day-End Processing activities.
• Experience supporting RHEL upgrades, platform migrations, and secure file transfer solutions.
• Exposure to Microsoft Azure, Databricks, and CyberArk.
• Microsoft Azure certifications such as AZ-104 or AZ-305.
• Master's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• German language skills are an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strong understanding of software quality assurance and release management practices.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple testing and release activities in business-critical production environments.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly in regulatory reporting and data validation.
• Effective communication and coordination with technical and business stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of testing and release deliverables.
• Proactive approach to automation, process improvement, and operational reliability.
• Strong collaboration and teamwork skills in Agile and distributed environments.

Why Join Swiss Himmel GmbH?

• Work on enterprise-scale banking and financial technology platforms.
• Gain exposure to regulatory reporting, DevOps automation, and complex production environments.
• Collaborate with experienced professionals across quality engineering, cloud, and financial services technology.
• Contribute to business-critical transformation and modernization initiatives.
• Opportunity for professional development and career growth.
• Collaborative and technology-driven work environment.
• Competitive Swiss compensation and benefits.