William Gentry
EXPERTISE
BIO
Well-rounded Test Automation Engineer with extensive experience delivering scalable, maintainable test frameworks using Java, JavaScript, Cucumber, and Selenium. Skilled in white-box, black-box, and gray-box testing for cloud, mobile, and web applications. Resolution-oriented professional adept in Agile practices, quality engineering, CI / CD automation, and early defect detection through BDD. Known for mentoring engineers, optimizing test cycles, and providing quality software systems within established project schedules. As a weapons loader in the USAF, it was vital I quickly develop a "do the job right the first time" attitude and acute attention-to-detail skills. Core Competencies: Scalable Frameworks | CI / CD & BDD Integration | Automated Testing Development | Quality Assurance
WORK EXPERIENCE
Software Test Engineer
ADT LLC
March 2021 - March 2025
- Designed, documented, and executed robust manual and automated tests for UX / UI, APIs, and cloud components using Xray Test Management and Jira. - Developed Java-based automation suite for security alarm video verification, reducing regression time from 2 days to under 1 hour, contributing to successful go-live with zero reported defects. - Created BDD-aligned automation framework (Java, TestNG) for Alarm Messenger Demonstration app, enabling realistic customer demos and improving sales engagement. - Collaborated on migrating Google Nest security alarm system test automation from Java to NodeJS, aligning QA and development stacks to improve maintainability and enable developer support for test automation. - Executed end-to-end tests for Google Nest video verification system, contributing to 99.9% system uptime in 2024. - Onboarded and mentored offshore engineers, boosting team productivity 75% and freeing senior staff to focus on strategic initiatives. - Automated continuous improvement / continuous development test pipelines in Bitbucket, realizing years-long goal to execute pre-merge smoke / regression testing while reducing production defects 50%. - Recognized for commitment to excellence and connection to military service during its “When Every Second Counts” advertising campaign in 2024. Key Technologies: Java, NodeJS, Mocha, Chai, Selenium, TestNG, Cucumber, Bitbucket Pipelines, Jira, Xray, Agile Methodologies
Quality Assurance Engineer
Cognizant Softvision
July 2015 - February 2021
- Authored and executed modular, reusable automation scripts with Java, Selenium, Appium, and BDD tools to support clients across retail, e-commerce, agriculture, aviation, and pharmaceutical industries. - Designed and executed BDD-style test cases with Cucumber / Gherkin, leading mobile e-commerce apps and blockchain-based retail solutions. - Mentored junior engineers in Java-based automation for cross-platform mobile testing, enabling significant contribution to high-profile project. - Integrated automation with SauceLabs Real Device Cloud, improving platform coverage while reducing hardware dependencies and costs $5K. - Automated continuous improvement / continuous development test execution using TeamCity and Jenkins and performed pre-merge smoke and regression testing, reducing production defects 40%. Key Technologies: Java, TestNG, Junit, Cucumber, Gherkin, Selenium, Appium, MS Azure, Agile Methodologies
Quality Assurance Lead
Rocket Gaming (now Aries Technologies)
April 2012 - March 2015
Technical lead of a QA team of 3-6 QA Analysts within a game development studio. Involved in the test and verification of Class II game system software. Involved with transitioning the team and its processes from a waterfall development life cycle to a quasi-Agile/iterative life cycle. - Assisted with implementation of TestLink, an open source test management system, giving the company basic test case execution metrics, as well as test case version control, which were not available with the Excel based system previously used. - Manage, maintain, troubleshoot and repair 30+ Class II gaming machines and two server systems. These machines and servers are used in software development, quality assurance activities, sales and marketing presentations and demonstrations, and executive staff demonstrations. - Lead root cause analyses for escaped defects. Identify actions to be taken to prevent the same and similar defects from escaping the development process on future projects. - Prepare and release software packages to internal Compliance department, which is the first step in software approval for use in casinos in selected markets. - Provide technical expertise and test guidance to QA Analysts. Key Technologies: Class II gaming, databases, SQL, SAS, manual testing, Selenium IDE, bingo based gaming
Senior Test Engineer
BMM Compliance
February 2011 - April 2012
- Test Class II and Class III game and operating system software, casino management systems, lottery systems and hardware from a variety of manufacturing companies, ensuring compliance with state, tribal, and international gaming regulations. - Created an MS Excel application that calculates one or more estimated progressive award values based on the game's contribution rate and coin in using VBA programming. - Created an automated game accounting test application using MS Excel and SAS simulator data files. This application reconciles game accounting, ensuring accurate game accounting. It also calculates and reconciles all game accounting meters from game play data against accounting meter data sent from the gaming machine to the casino management system. - Created MS Excel application to automatically create reel stops for Class III game emulation for selected manufacturers. Also creates a script to use with GDB if the manufacturer supports GDB. - Served as project lead for the Illinois Lottery Test Project, ensuring the new lottery system met all Multi-State Lottery (MUSL) requirements and regulations. Key Technologies and Domain Knowledge: Class II gaming, Class III gaming, manual testing, SAS, IGT Advantage, Aristocrat Oasis, Bally One (and other Bally systems)
Quality Assurance Team Lead
Video Gaming Technologies
October 2007 - January 2011
Quality Assurance Manager Implement best practice and other test quality initiatives. - Developed and implemented test entry, exit and continuation criteria, resulting in substantially fewer critical defect escapes, certification laboratory failures, critical field errors reported, and rework costs. - Developed and implemented a defect triage process, substantially reducing triage meeting durations, submission of duplicate defect reports, deferment or improper closure of critical defects, critical defect escapes, certification laboratory failures, critical field error reports, and rework costs. - Developed and implemented a weekly test project status report; informs Project Management, Software Development, and senior management of critical issues, test status, and progress. - Developed defect metrics for evaluating software under test; aids in: risk based testing, determining when further testing produces diminishing returns, forecasting when exit criteria may be achieved, and forecasting future defect trends. - Introduced pairwise test models and orthagonal arrays, reducing redundancy of test efforts on test projects without significantly increasing risk. Evaluate personnel skill sets, experience levels and performance. - Implemented a skills matrix identifying required and desirable core knowledge and skills at each Quality Assurance Engineer level; identifies strengths and weaknesses in individual and departmental expertise and skills, allows for effective planning of training and aids in talent acquisition. - Facilitate career goal setting for all subordinates; aids in associates’ professional growth while meeting departmental and corporate goals; improves productivity, efficiency, self confidence, and self esteem; allows associates to explore alternative department roles. Key Technologies and Domain Knowledge: Class II gaming, SAS, test management, test execution Test Engineer Execute manual tests against Class II gaming machines and systems, third-party casino communications systems, firmware and more. - Developed a new test template, designed to collect various metrics, allowing QA Management to more accurately report test project status. - Redesigned several tests, making them more granular. This allows virtually anyone to execute the tests and reduces training time significantly. - Joined the SAS Development team. Assisted in the development and implementation of SAS protocol into VGT product lines, resulting in certification by internationally recognized gaming certification labs. Key Technologies and Domain Knowledge: Class II gaming, SAS, test execution
Software Quality Assurance Manager
Bally Technologies
October 2002 - July 2007
Responsible for all aspects of test management: scheduling, hardware, software and tool procurement, test process documentation and improvement, test metrics, test reporting (to senior management) and more. Also responsible for all aspects of personnel management, including recruiting, termination, training, goal setting, salary and bonus rates and increases, performance evaluations and more. - Implemented a formal quality risk analysis model (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) for identifying potential quality risks and critical functionality prior to testing leading to a more effective test plan and the ability to test critical areas early and often in the test project. - Initiated team testing: reduced test durations by 55%, increased production by almost 20% with an 80% utilization rate, improved software quality by 66%, reduced rework costs by at least $500,000 in the first year of implementation. - Mandated dual release documentation reviews for each release: reduced release documentation errors by nearly 70%. Key Technologies and Domain Knowledge: Class III gaming, SAS, SDS, test management, process improvement
EDUCATION
Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
Community College of the Air Force, Present
Aircraft Armament System
None
College of the Canyons, Present
Geology
Bachelor of Science
Mississippi State University, Present
Geology
Master of Business Administration
University of Phoenix, Present
Business Administration
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Tester, Foundations Level
International Software Testing Qualification Board
Issued: 9/15/2009
Certified Tester, Advanced Level, Test Manager
International Software Testing Qualification Board
Issued: 9/15/2010
Verified QA Engineer
8+ years of experience
Preferred commitment: Full Time
Languages
Skills
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