I am Maria Celeste Negron, a Senior QA Engineer with experience in Agile environments, focusing on functional, regression, API, and end-to-end testing. I contribute to automation and CI/CD pipelines to improve software quality. I’m passionate about shaping quality strategy, process improvements, cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring engineers to ensure reliable software delivery.

Maria Celeste Negron

I am Maria Celeste Negron, a Senior QA Engineer with experience in Agile environments, focusing on functional, regression, API, and end-to-end testing. I contribute to automation and CI/CD pipelines to improve software quality. I’m passionate about shaping quality strategy, process improvements, cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring engineers to ensure reliable software delivery.

Available to hire

I am Maria Celeste Negron, a Senior QA Engineer with experience in Agile environments, focusing on functional, regression, API, and end-to-end testing. I contribute to automation and CI/CD pipelines to improve software quality.

I’m passionate about shaping quality strategy, process improvements, cross-functional collaboration, and mentoring engineers to ensure reliable software delivery.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert

Language

Spanish; Castilian
Fluent
English
Fluent

Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)
November 1, 2024 - Present
Built an AI-assisted regression tool using Python, Streamlit, and SQLite to automate failed-test tracking and progress reporting, significantly reducing manual effort; currently prototyping an AI-assisted workflow using Claude to accelerate debugging and regression analysis. Analyzed production and client-facing SQL stored procedures to identify defects, expand code logic for edge cases, and implement targeted fixes that improved data accuracy and reliability. Updated tax compliance forms to reflect annual regulation changes, ensuring on-time year-end processing across payroll platforms.
Senior Software QA Engineer at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)
January 1, 2023 - November 1, 2024
Designed and owned the regression testing strategy aligned with Agile Scrum and Kanban release cycles, reducing manual testing effort by 40% and accelerating time-to-market across multiple product lines. Established and enforced engineering best practices, coding standards, and test refactoring guidelines to improve delivery consistency and reduce technical debt. Conducted technical and behavioral interviews, contributing to the hiring of 20+ engineers and supporting team expansion; received two UKG Silver Awards for process improvements and critical regulatory releases.
Software QA Engineer at UKG
March 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023
Developed functional and non-functional test plans covering usability, performance, security, and accessibility to ensure comprehensive coverage across compliance solutions and UI/UX updates. Formulated test strategies and team-wide testing checklists for tax calculations, payroll rules, and form validations; applied Boundary Value Analysis, Equivalence Class Partitioning, and Decision Table techniques to improve edge-case coverage. Proactively monitored, debugged, and resolved CI/CD pipeline failures, maintaining 100% successful build runs across integration and UI automation during releases.
QA Engineer II at Ascentis Human Capital Management Software
January 1, 2020 - March 1, 2022
Introduced automation practices in a previously manual testing environment by collaborating in the build of UI and API test frameworks, reducing manual effort by 80% and expanding critical test coverage. Identified functional and non-functional requirements gaps for Reporting & Analytics solutions, collaborating with the Product team for prioritization, reducing risk of critical defects reaching clients. Mentored 10+ interns and QA Engineers, co-launched a pilot QA internship program achieving a 50%+ intern-to-full-time conversion rate, and created technical training documentation and hands-on programs for new hires.
QA Engineer
November 1, 2018 - January 1, 2020
Reduced test duplication by standardizing manual test cases using Gherkin/BDD syntax with Cucumber, improving team efficiency and test maintainability. Designed and configured test environments including database backup/restore procedures, connection string management, and config file customization, enabling isolated and reliable testing across environments. Identified UI/UX gaps in collaboration with the Product team, contributing to reporting solution improvements.
QA Analyst at Tata Consultancy Services
June 1, 2018 - November 1, 2018
Implemented UAT for a Salesforce-based healthcare solution, ensuring full alignment with client requirements prior to release. Identified 20+ critical defects in a core feature caused by missed requirements, preventing delivery of flawed functionality to clients.

Education

B.S. in Systems Engineering at Universidad de Oriente
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2017
Automation Testing Workshop in C# and Selenium at CES
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2022
Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) at ISTQB
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2020
Salesforce App Builder at Salesforce
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2018

Qualifications

Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2020
Salesforce App Builder
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2018
Automation Testing Workshop in C# and Selenium
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2022

Industry Experience

Computers & Electronics, Software & Internet, Professional Services