Hi, I’m Nicky Pooley and I am a Lead QA Engineer at RDT.

I didn’t choose testing as a career – I fell into it at a previous company when there was an opportunity to test a new system and a manager there recognised some potential.  She realised that I had a knack for it, that it was something that I did well, and so she got me the training I needed to change my career.  I’ve never really looked back.

I came to RDT because I wanted more challenge than my previous role offered.  I stay because of what I gain by working here.  I am constantly learning new things, I have learnt more in the past three years than I had the previous ten!  The office is close to home so I have a great work-life balance which is important to me.  RDT make sure that salaries keep up with the market so all boxes are ticked. 

I am currently the Lead QA attached to an Agile scrum team which is moving aspects of our policy administration system, Landscape, to the web.  It is all pioneering work and green-field which means I get to define the overall testing strategy and other aspects of quality for the entire life cycle. Along with working within my agile team I also assist the Head of Quality with strategic initiatives as well as mentoring and growing the skills of the people who report to me.

This week, I have been buddying with a developer in my team, writing the integration level API tests in C#.  This enables me to write more than just the UI tests within Selenium, it allows me to support with tasks previously undertaken by developers. This multi-skilling assists the team in hitting their deliverables sooner.

RDT is a great place to work with good people.  There is a trust that I will get my work completed, I enjoy continuous learning, and a great work-life balance.  The social side of work is a definite plus for me, the team lunches and social events allow us to meet a wider group of people and enjoy the company of colleagues in a relaxed setting.

It can be stressful at times, but anything worthwhile has an element of pressure and it is definitely rewarding.  I feel like I have matured as a person here and I have been rewarded through promotion.  I often talk to people outside the company about how happy I am here and the benefits I get from working with the company.

If you are looking for a new position in a cutting-edge insurance software environment, please view all available positions on our job vacancies page. Alternatively, to find out more about what we do, please contact us.