Manager, User Testing & Support

AtAmerican Equity Investment Life Holding Company, we think of ourselves asThe Financial Dignity Company. Our policyholders work with independent agents, banks and broker-dealers through our wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, to choose one of our leading annuity products best suited for their personal needs to create financial dignity in retirement. We remain steadfast in our commitment to quality products, excellent customer service, integrity, safety and delivering on our promises to our policyholders. Our success comes from hiring people who embody the beliefs that drive our unique, energetic, fast-paced and caring culture of collaboration, ownership and innovation.

We currently fund over half a million retirements nationwide, and have been headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, for over twenty-five years, withsatellite offices slated to open in 2022 in Charlotte, NC, and New York, NY. We are a NYSE-listed company and maintain an "excellent" rating from AM Best. Our companyhas over $57 billion in assets, 26,000 active agents and over 800 employees.

*This position will be low hybrid reporting into our 6000 Westown Pkwy location in West Des Moines, Iowa.

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

The Manager of the User Acceptance Testing and Support Team is responsible for leading UAT Analysts who develop, document and execute end user test plans and specifications for technical and non-technical business solutions for the Customer Excellence/Operations, Customer Experience and Innovation Departments. The incumbent understands testing principles and leads the team to successfully communicate end user requirements to the development team and successful change delivery to our business partners.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads a team of User Acceptance Testing Analysts. Supports, motivates and coaches team members through regular team meetings, one on ones, performance management, reward and recognition, corrective action and employee development.
• Accomplish team objectives by managing team members, selecting and retaining talent, planning and evaluating team activities.
• Oversees the development and execution of user acceptance test plans, cases and specifications (scripts) for contractual requirements, business intent, user expectations, end to end tests, defect fixes and regression tests across the entire portfolio of projects effecting Customer Excellence/Operations. Systems may include, but are not limited to, the policy administration system/LifePro, PAG, CAG, Agent Site, Salesforce, Opus, eApp, and others.
• Reviews reported issues by users and analyzes trends regarding testing defects, missed requirements, out of scope findings, production issues, user errors or enhancement opportunities for Customer Excellence as it relates to processes and production issues. Communicates all trends to leadership and Business Impact Partners and ensures testing strategy is adjusted as needed.
• Builds relationships with Customer Excellence leaders, Business Impact Partners, and Technology leaders.
• Reviews user testing plans and follows up with requirements as necessary to ensure scheduled delivery time of the product. Enforces and redefines as needed.
• Ensures timeframes for UAT testing are communicated with partners in order to support company objectives and business goals.
• Plans team capacity and forecasts activities across team members.
• Reviews UAT Analyst findings through JIRA, Trello, qTest and/or Microsoft OneNote.
• Works with Business Impact Partners and Training team to ensure there is testing completed for technical or non-technical solutions.
• Participates in the UAT Center of Excellence.
• Maintain and develop team members through training and supporting personal growth opportunities.
• Performs other related work as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Direct Reports: up to 12 User Acceptance Testing Analysts

General Description of Indirect Reports (2 and 3-downs): 0

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in business administration or related field of study; plus four (4) years of related experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience in the annuity industry is preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:

N/A

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated ability to translate user feedback from stakeholders into actionable objectives for in-product training, design and product changes.
• Excellent analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills
• Exceptional listening, interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills with ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups.
• Ability to work and think iteratively starting with ambiguity and loosely structured requirements.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Experienced in working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Knowledge of Project Management, Bug Tracking, and Test Management tool such as Jira, qTest or Trello.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Proven experience in writing reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals and technical/operational procedures.
• Strong ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Skilled in solving practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Highly self-motivated and directed with the ability to handle pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.