The main purpose of the CatLab Technician role is to execute technical PC Performance oriented testing procedures for the assigned projects, working with key stakeholders to ensure that all EA products meet the necessary internal and 1st party performance guidelines before release and during live services. They will communicate risk assessments and best-practice in relation to performance/compatibility issues and associated procedures. CatLab Technicians are also responsible for conducting documentation reviews and delivering software testing expertise and answering queries from game teams. They will provide partners with performance/compatibility data and will forecast test efforts based on internal and market data applicable to the assigned projects. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain in-depth level understanding of new hardware, hardware related software, operating systems releases and dependencies following all internal guidelines relating to the platform at hand. 
• Always leverage new technologies, seek for automation solutions and assist with ROI for possible implementation.
• Gain a suitable understanding of the titles/genre assigned to and provide feedback/risk assessment to features regarding performance and compatibility as a priority. 
• Actively participate in and start initiatives at a department level to constantly better our current processes or create new ones. 
• Receive priorities from Development Manager and Quality Designers and help disseminate/clarify technical information within the testing team.
• Review concerns reported and provide issue severity assessment, publish/respond to issues where required.
• Use necessary game experience and technical expertise to conduct hands-on testing during the entire development cycle, perform compatibility/performance verification, regression and assist in ad-hoc requests as needed for both software and hardware reviews. Testing execution is required for this role.
• Contribute to project postmortem, compile potential technical improvements based on the results of the testing process. Interact with studio teams as appropriate.
• Perform EDA issue investigation if required by Project Management or Analyst Team.

Special Considerations

CatLab is a dynamic area where there are peak periods of activity and therefore the workload and the make-up of teams vary. Therefore, it is necessary that the incumbent has past-experience of working in a team environment of constant change. 

Experience and Knowledge:

Required:

• 2+ years Customer Service, QA or EACC experience
• Good understanding of hardware performance and features and compatibility dependencies across all manufacturers. 

Desired:

• Demonstrate ability to work effectively within a team, or alone when necessary.
• In-depth understanding of the technical guidelines and tools pertaining to at least one console/mobile/PC platform.
• Attention to detail and methodical working practices.
• Problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent written and oral skills.  
• Ability to work under pressure maintaining attention to detail
• Communicate in a clear and concise manner
• Skills/qualifications in non-English languages are beneficial

Behaviours/ Competencies

• Ability to multi task and work autonomously 
• Ability to positively influence and build relationships with the project stakeholders 
• Ability to proactively solve project issues appropriately with a clear understanding of when there is a need to escalate  
• Creative thinker
• Embrace change, react quickly and efficiently under pressure  
• Exhibit professionalism and maturity, respond to facts with facts, not emotion  
• Strong communication skills required.
• Training skills – ability to breakdown daily testing tasks into easy to understand pieces.