Testing Lead, Program Manager

Testing Lead, Program Manager —
Sand Cherry

At Sand Cherry Associates, we excel in the design and delivery of strategic customer‑centric initiatives through digitally native, data‑empowered solutions. Our client’s confidence in us is centered on exceptionally skilled, high‑energy talent working with the support of the full Sand Cherry team. Finding the right match for this role is a critical aspect of continuing that success.

Sand Cherry is looking for an experienced Testing Lead and Program Manager to oversee and manage an in‑flight, time‑sensitive, large, enterprise‑wide HRIS system and data integration following a corporate acquisition. This short‑term consulting role (4‑6 months+) is responsible for defining, documenting, executing, and tracking test progress for a large, highly visible program. The role requires a strong executive presence who can facilitate testing discussions, program readouts, status meetings, and collaborate with other team members and vendors.

Lead and manage test strategy and drive the integration of data and systems, and build test cases. The role requires strong program management and executive communication, facilitation, and deep hands‑on execution. Must be experienced with system testing, data testing, and building executive‑level reporting for senior leadership teams. This remote role requires candidates to live and work within the United States, be willing to work CST time zone, and be eligible to work without visa sponsorship.

Candidates must be available to begin immediately and throughout the initiative.

• Execute an end‑to‑end test strategy encompassing HRIS, payroll, benefits, talent, and data integration components across multiple legacy and acquired systems.
• Data reconciliation & validation expertise. Validate HR, payroll, and organizational data migrations — including mapping, transformation logic, reconciliation reports, and ensuring data integrity between legacy and new platforms.
• Lead system integration testing across APIs, middleware, and interfaces between HRIS, ERP, finance, and identity management systems.
• Collaborate with HR, IT, Finance, Security, and external vendors to ensure testing alignment across business processes, data governance, and system dependencies.
• Advanced proficiency in managing complex defect triage cycles, root‑cause analysis, and resolution tracking using enterprise tools (e.g., Zephyr).
• Simulate post‑integration scenarios (e.g., payroll cycles, employee onboarding/offboarding, access provisioning) and validate readiness for go‑live across multiple business units.
• Build automated regression suites to support ongoing releases and platform stabilization post‑merger.
• Validate HR data compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2) and access controls, PII security, and audit readiness.
• Test HR analytics, dashboards, and KPI accuracy across integrated data warehouses and business intelligence tools.
• Summarize test progress, quality metrics, risks, and mitigation plans for executive stakeholders and program governance teams.
• Define and document test approach and delivery plan for multiple work streams of a large program.
• Ensure all test phases have appropriate entry/exit criteria and clear sign‑off expectations before Go Live.
• Monitor and report status and progress of each test phase to stakeholders, including senior executive leadership.
• Implement structured defect management and incident reporting, standardize defect logging procedures, and derive metrics/KPIs.
• Facilitate defect triage calls when required.

• Experience with project/program management planning, defining, and documenting testing progress.
• Strong experience with test strategy and creating detailed test plans in a large enterprise organization.
• Knowledge of Zephyr for Jira, Confluence, and Smart Sheet.
• Experience with data testing, system integration, and support.
• Attention to detail in test plan documentation and program communications.
• Proficiency in MS PowerPoint and Excel and confident in creating and presenting executive‑level communications.
• Extracts and distills key requirements from conversations and investigates information…