Kai Lepler

Led Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) adoption and quality engineering initiatives for the Digital Banking Platform & Touchpoint streams, balancing innovation pressure with production stability.

• Invented and established the "Reliable Services Framework," covering quality aspects from user sentiment detection to engineering excellence, significantly enhancing production stability.
• Contributed to the Touchpoint modern tech initiative, evaluating and integrating AI technologies, Azure Cloud migration, and GitLab for requirements and test management.
• Piloted and adopted new ways of working, upskilling quality engineers in DevOps, CI/CD, IaC, Containerization, Automation, Digital Twins for AI testing, and network-virtualization.
• Established Application Performance Monitoring (APM) as a common practice for all e-Banking products, integrating into UBS internal and external workbenches.
• Consulted Group CTO on "1 Day to Prod" and UBS SDLC re-modeling, optimizing control frameworks to enable left-shifting and faster development with increased risk control.

Directed all quality aspects for digital banking products, encompassing E-Banking and Mobile Banking, driving release quality and production stability through strategic automation and process optimization.

• Ensured release quality and production stability, transitioning from yearly to monthly releases through standardization, precision planning, and automation, reducing reliance on manual testing.
• Established an automation strategy based on an early warning system and API-first contract-based testing, facilitating automation for non-developers.
• Developed a sustainable process for Nonfunctional Requirements testing and evidencing, sharing best practices across UBS Wealth Management technology.
• Built and fostered communities for collaboration and knowledge sharing within Digital Banking, the Business Cluster, and firm-wide, enhancing organizational learning.
• Nominated as a Learning Ambassador on UBS Group Level and led the WMPC Test Engineering & Management Steering Group, advancing testing knowledge certification.

Coached the Digital Banking Mobile Unit through an Agile QA migration, transitioning from traditional standards to a user-centric, automated testing approach.

• Migrated QA processes from QC and ISTQB/ISO29119 standards to Jira X-Ray, successfully implementing an agile testing approach.
• Adapted and established new testing processes, developing comprehensive guidance documentation and training programs for the team.
• Restructured Regression Testing to focus on user-centric functionality, significantly improving relevance and efficiency.
• Drove automation initiatives utilizing Gherkin, Cucumber, Jenkins, and GitHub, enhancing testing capabilities.
• Established centralized testing services, including a Device Cloud (Seetest for mobile) and Selenium (for Browser Configurations), to boost manual and automated test efficiency and coverage.

Accountable for Agile Transformation, toolset standardization, and compliance, driving delivery process improvement and agile methodology adoption within the Legal Technology Unit.

• Designed the program intake and agile project change processes, ensuring compliance with UBS governance while supporting agile methodology.
• Implemented Jira & Confluence solutions, enhancing business collaboration and delivery team efficiency.
• Developed an agile test automation strategy for IGCS and vendor COTS software, successfully deployed in the Legal matter and spend management tool Passport.
• Represented Legal Technology interests as an official delegate in company-wide governance bodies, including QA & Testing Expert Group and Group SDLC Design Board.
• Contributed to IT architecture solutions and ensured compliance with UBS governance processes within the Legal Technology context.

Led overall portfolio management activities across business lines, ensuring efficient portfolio delivery, adherence to standards, and optimized budgeted spend.

• Led overall portfolio management activities across business lines, ensuring budgeted spend was within tolerance.
• Managed portfolio review meetings, business metrics, and reporting, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting of key project milestones.
• Accountable for senior management reporting and acted as a stand-in project manager when required.

Headed the testing team, defining and implementing a global location and vendor strategy while building internal staff and managing cross-locational teams.

• Defined and implemented a location and vendor strategy aligned with group technology goals.
• Built up internal staff, successfully replacing and internalizing vendor resources.
• Managed a team of 8 testers across Zurich (CH) and Singapore (SGP), collaborating with stakeholders in Zurich, London (UK), and Weehawken (USA).

Headed the testing community, establishing offshoring capacities, driving business development, and leading training initiatives in agile testing methodologies.

• Established offshoring capacities and participated in business development & sales initiatives.
• Responsible for training and further education of testers through bbv Academy and apprenticeships, focusing on agile methods in testing.
• Developed and partnered with testing communities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Context Driven Community, ISTQB Community, HP Community).
• Responsible for leading trend campaigns in test automation, model-based testing, usability, mobile, and security testing.

Interfaced between business and IT on a core banking platform transformation project, focusing on payments, cards, and insurance products.

• Successfully interfaced between business and IT during the core banking platform transformation project (migration to Avaloq).
• Provided expertise on the business side for critical payments, cards, and insurance products, ensuring seamless integration and functionality.

Led software testing for the regulatory transformation project 'Too Big To Fail' at UBS AG, providing end-to-end testing support for business-critical processes.

• Served as Test Analyst for Business Process End-To-End tests in the regulatory transformation project 'Too Big To Fail' at UBS AG.
• Provided comprehensive testing support to business units, covering test analysis, design, management, execution, and reporting.
• Conducted functional acceptance testing for a complex European cross-border regulatory transformation project.
• Analyzed system and business requirements to implement mostly automated business process end-to-end testing.
• Supported business and IT units with end-to-end tests for business-critical processes, ensuring compliance and functionality.

Specialized in testing security features and network virtualization, leading test automation and managing nearshoring projects for the Industrial Division.

• Specialized in testing security features, including computer forensics and security testing.
• Specialized in network virtualization, utilizing Shunra software to model diverse network environments and reproduce test loads and failure domains.
• Led test automation initiatives and managed nearshoring projects, optimizing testing efficiency and coverage.

Managed a team of 5 software and release test engineers, overseeing project planning, execution, and reporting for system testing, compatibility, and customer support.

• Managed a team of 5 Software & Release Test engineers, ensuring high-quality project delivery.
• Led project planning, execution, and reporting for system testing, compatibility checking, development testing, and customer support.
• Responsible for ePS testing systems, encompassing planning, consulting, operations, and resource management.
• Developed and conducted training seminars for test installation, methodology, and ePS Network-Services products, and internal training programs for software developers.
• Managed and executed outsourcing of test projects in India and Hungary, achieving efficient project delivery.
• Created highly flexible test automation in the industrial environment, including the innovative "Test-To-Go" automation approach.
• Integrated security-relevant test features into default test methods and promoted test methodology, development, and support internally and externally.

Managed workflow, groupware applications, knowledge management, and mail infrastructure, serving as the main user helpdesk for the computing center.

• Responsible for workflow and groupware applications, knowledge management, SAP2Web middleware technology, push systems (BackWeb), content management, and portals.
• Managed mail infrastructure and served as the main user helpdesk for the computing center, ensuring smooth operations.

Provided instruction and consulting on intranet technology, specializing in graphic design, user training, web development, and systems administration for diverse clients.

• Provided user training on internet, intranet, general IT topics, databases, and office products including SharePoint.
• Served as Webmaster, operating the Active Net computing center with HP servers, Cisco routers, and NT Dial-In servers.
• Designed and implemented the UI concept for a web-based digital client advisor tool for a major German bank.
• Developed web design and systems administration for Windows NT and Novell Networks, creating interactive internet presences for clients in industrial and financial services.
• Contributed to creative projects for clients like Messe Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz, and debis Systemhaus as part of the advertising agency 'Hinterm Mond'.