Looking for something new and fulfilling in the New Year? Sony Ericsson's continued growth has created a role for someone with an outstanding test management record and knowledge of the mobile industry. Richard Bloor finds out more about this strategic role from Mikael Nerde.
Testing is gaining an increasing profile in the mobile industry; Java Verified and Symbian Signed are rapidly becoming the benchmark for all new applications. In parallel with this, Sony Ericsson has achieved impressive growth since its formation in 2001 and its Developer Program team is growing too.
"Testing has always been important to Sony Ericsson," says Mikael Nerde, head of Sony Ericsson Developer and Accessory Programs & Content Planning. "Until now however, responsibilities for the various aspects of mobile-applications testing has been shared among the Developer Program team. Our growth as a company and the increasing importance of testing means we have identified the need for a dedicated resource."
The key function of this role will be to represent Sony Ericsson on the Java Verified and Symbian Signed steering groups. To do this effectively the Manager, Application Testing Services will need to liaise with developers both within Sony Ericsson and across the broad mobile developer community.
"We are seeing an increasing demand for applications to be certified, through both Symbian Signed and Java Verified," says Mikael. "These applications are getting larger and more complex, particularly for our UIQ phones. So ensuring that the certification programs best reflect the needs of Sony Ericsson developers and the industry as a whole is very important."
The increasing demand for certification means that the number of independent test houses providing certification is growing. Working with these test houses will be an important feature of the role.
Mikael believes the ideal candidate will probably have experience of test management within the mobile industry, possibly with an operator or hardware manufacturer. "The ideal candidate will know what makes for good testing criteria and processes, both from a strategic and practical perspective," say Mikael. "However, mobile industry knowledge will be essential for them to effectively represent Sony Ericsson on industry bodies."
Ultimately this new role will be at the heart of Sony Ericsson's plans to grow the developer market for Java and Symbian application for its phones. "Sony Ericsson has made strong commitment to certification, to benefit developer and the quality of applications," says Mikael. "For the right candidate this role will be interesting and fulfilling. They will have a high profile in the mobile industry, as they will be defining Sony Ericsson's strategy for application testing."
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