Role: Tester

The person in this role is primarily responsible for the following tasks:

Identifying the tests that need to be performed
Identifying the most appropriate implementation approach for a given test
Implementing individual tests
Setting up and running the tests
Logging outcomes and verifying that the tests have been run
Analyzing and guiding the recovery from execution errors
Communicating test results to the team

Skills

A person filling the this role should have these skills:

Knowledge of testing approaches and techniques
Diagnostic and problem-solving skills
Knowledge of the system or application being tested (desirable)
Knowledge of networking and system architecture (desirable)

Where automated testing is required, consider requiring these additional qualifications:

Training in the appropriate use of test automation tools
Experience using test automation tools
Programming skills
Debugging and diagnostic skills

Note:
Specific skill requirements vary depending on the type of testing that you are conducting. For example, the skills needed to successfully use system load-testing automation tools are different from those needed for the automation of system functional testing.

Assignment Approaches

This role can be assigned in the following ways:

Assign one or more testing staff members to perform this role. This is a fairly standard approach and is particularly suitable for small teams, as well as for teams of any size where the team is made up of an experienced group of testers of relatively equal skill levels.
Assign one or more testing staff members to perform only this role. This works well in large teams. It is also useful to separate responsibilities when some of the testing staff has more test automation experience than other team members.
Assign one (or more) team member who is already playing other role in the project to be responsible for the testing of some part of the system's capabilities. The team member must have the appropriate test skills.