Gavin Gaydon
Reading,Berkshire
Summary
A highly skilled and versatile professional with hands-on experience in Quality Assurance, Operations Management and Field Technical Support With a strong background as a Senior QA Tester, Assistant Operations Manager in a logistics environment, and experience as both a Field Technician and Software Development Intern, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise and operational insight. Adept at managing complex systems, improving operational processes, and ensuring high-quality deliverables, I am committed to delivering results that enhance efficiency and client satisfaction. My problem-solving abilities, technical proficiency, and collaborative approach make me an asset to any team looking to drive innovation and success.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Retail Sales Assistant - Part Time
Smyths Toys Superstores
Reading, Berkshire
2025.03 - Current
- Provided technical customer support related to software, hardware, and consumer electronics, converting customer needs into technical solutions.
- Provided technical product demonstrations, explaining specifications, features and compatibility of hardware and software to customers.
- Conducted first line troubleshooting and diagnostics for hardware and software issues, detecting faults and providing resolutions or escalation where required.
- Conducted requirement analysis to recommend suitable products, including gaming systems, peripherals and electronic devices.
- Provided phone based customer support, assisting with product queries, troubleshooting steps and post purchase guidance.
- Assisted in implementing in store promotions and product positioning strategies to improve engagement and boost sales.
- Operated POS tools, ensuring accurate transactions and to support inventory updates.
- Strengthened skills in technical communication, problem solving, customer support workflow in a high pressure environment while studying MSc Network Engineering.
Senior Quality Assurance Tester
Rockstar Games
Bengaluru, India
2021.04 - 2024.10
- Worked on AAA titles including Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V Online, supporting end-to-end release cycles across 7 DLC cycles.
- Gained technical experience across multiple platforms, including PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PS5 dev kits, supporting testing and validation activities across retail and development environments.
- Documented, tested, and optimised build deployment processes across both retail and internal development environments to improve stability and efficiency.
- Contributed to improving internal QA tooling to increase accuracy and reliability of gameplay and performance data.
- Worked across multiple specialist QA teams, including Tunables, Telemetry, Vehicle QA, Art QA, Functionality QA, and internal QA tooling teams, gaining broad exposure to game systems.
- Performed code and system analysis to identify root causes of defects and reduce debugging and development time.
- Collaborated closely with production, marketing, network teams, stakeholders and live operations teams to support weekly event releases and live updates.
- Conducted full pre-release and post-release QA sweeps to ensure build stability and identify blocker issues before and after deployment.
- Developed and executed test plans to support QA teams in identifying edge cases, blockers, and improving overall test coverage.
- Used MS Office Suite, Perforce P4V, Confluence, Monday.com and internal tools to support defect tracking, documentation, and workflow management.
- Supported onboarding and training of new hires, ensuring clear understanding of QA workflows, testing standards, and internal processes.
- Produced regular QA reports and conducted junior reviews, identifying improvement areas and ensuring alignment with quality objectives.
- Ensured adherence to internal and external platform compliance standards across builds and releases.
Education
Master of Science - Computer Science (Network Engineering)
University of Greenwich
London 2025.01 - 2026.02
Bachelors of Engineering - Computer Engineering
Padre Conceicao College of Engineering
India 2018.07 - 2020.08
Diploma of Higher Education - Computer Engineering
Agnel Polytechnic
India 2014.06 - 2017.11
Accomplishments
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Credits - Received credits on Rockstar Games website for the critically acclaimed video game 'Red Dead Redemption 2' for significant contributions to the field of Quality Assurance.
- Grand Theft Auto Online Credits - Credited in 'Grand Theft Auto Online,' a widely popular multiplayer component of the 'Grand Theft Auto V' video game, for notable contributions to the field of Quality Assurance
- Directorate of Health Services Accreditation - Awarded a scholarship from the Directorate of Health Services for achieving an 80.72% score during my Diploma in Computer Engineering.
- StartupHustle - Represented Padre Conceição College of Engineering at StartupHustle with my Bachelor's project. StartupHustle was an initiative by the Department of Information Technology
- COMPCAST 2K16 - Hosted, managed and orchestrated "COMPCAST 2K16," an inter-departmental technical event at the college level, which garnered acclaim in "The Navhind Times" newspaper.
Internships
Software Development Intern - GoITWay Software Consulting & Services (July 2018 - Aug 2018)
- Developed front-end interfaces for websites and integrated them with backend services to support full-stack functionality.
- Worked with MySQL for data management, including storing, retrieving, and structuring application data.
- Built a form automation tool that converts user input into structured government form formats, improving accuracy and data processing efficiency.
- Designed and developed web applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, focusing on usability and interactive UI design.
- Applied data mapping techniques to transform user submissions into structured and standardised formats for backend processing.
- Collaborated with senior developers to identify, debug, and implement fixes for software issues.
- Gained experience working on Java-based applications, supporting development and debugging tasks.
- Contributed to basic native Android development, assisting in building and testing mobile application features.
Field Technician Intern - Ramnet Solutions (June 2015 - August 2015)
- Managed and supported 400+ PCs and peripherals across multiple government agencies, ensuring secure and reliable IT operations.
- Delivered installation, configuration, and troubleshooting of hardware, software, and network infrastructure across diverse environments.
- Provided on-site and remote technical support, resolving incidents efficiently to maintain service continuity and minimise downtime.
- Managed IT asset inventory, including procurement, deployment, tracking, and decommissioning of equipment.
- Installed and maintained inter- and intra-network systems to ensure stable and secure connectivity across agencies.
- Supported biometric systems, CCTV, and enterprise security solutions through installation and field deployment.
- Engaged with clients to gather requirements and deliver appropriate IT, networking, and security solutions.
- Assisted with cost estimation, procurement processes, and government tender documentation.
- Contributed to pre-sales activities by delivering technical demonstrations and supporting solution proposals.
- Built strong client relationships through consistent technical support and service delivery.
Timeline
Retail Sales Assistant - Part Time
Smyths Toys Superstores
2025.03 - Current
Master of Science - Computer Science (Network Engineering)
University of Greenwich
2025.01 - 2026.02
Senior Quality Assurance Tester
Rockstar Games
2021.04 - 2024.10
Bachelors of Engineering - Computer Engineering
Padre Conceicao College of Engineering
2018.07 - 2020.08
Diploma of Higher Education - Computer Engineering
Agnel Polytechnic
2014.06 - 2017.11