Principal Quality Engineering Architect (m/f/d)

About the role

The Principal QE Architect (m/f/d) functions as a technical leader, playing a central role in defining and establishing technical and strategic direction for the */dxg Engineering Excellence & Operations organization. Be a change leader, working with agile teams to plan, design, and implement effective test practices, and test automation as well as how and what to test. Be a part of improving quality and reducing release timelines of our products.

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Drive strategic quality initiatives at a divisional level working closely with CTOs & supporting technical leadership
• Provide comprehensive guidelines and practical examples for project plans, quality metrics, quality plans, and process improvement.
• Offer invaluable advice and serve as a reliable sounding board for */dxg leadership, focusing on QE innovation, guidance, and training.
• Lead QE teams when necessary, inspiring team members to elevate their performance and become leading professionals in their field.
• Cultivate a solid, resilient, and high-value QE Team for the organization, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to QE teams, helping them solve complex technical challenges, adopt new technologies, and improve testing efficiency and effectiveness.

Quality Engineering Standards

• Innovate quality engineering policies processes, standards, and procedures to ensure consistency andre-use across the organization.
• Implement metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure and monitor the effectiveness of quality engineering processes.

Innovation

• Challenge the status quo of the current Quality industry paradigms and determine the evolving role of QE in the new GenAI technology universe
• Provide insights into developing technologies and determine their implementation within the dxg QE environment.
• Continuously seek opportunities for process improvement and innovation, positioning */dxg at the forefront of cutting-edge quality practices.
• Consult on complex testing strategies for products, defining and redefining QE work procedures, guidelines, and designs for holistic testing processes.
• Advise on the strategic direction of Quality Engineering within */dxg, promoting awareness of the importance of quality engineering and driving initiatives to improve a quality culture, processes, and outcomes.

Test Architecture Design

• Design and implement robust test architectures and frameworks to support automated testing, performance testing, and continuous integration.
• Define standards and best practices for test case design, test data management, and test environment configuration.
• Ensure scalability, maintainability, and reusability of test assets across multiple projects.
• Design comprehensive QE solutions that align with the organization's business objectives, development methodologies, and technology stack.

Tools Framework

• Design and implement robust test architectures and frameworks to support automated testing, performance testing, and continuous integration.
• Define standards and best practices for test case design, test data management, and test environment configuration.
• Ensure scalability, maintainability, and reusability of test assets across multiple projects.
• Design comprehensive QE solutions that align with the organization's business objectives, development methodologies, and technology stack.

Automation

• Create automated test scripts for functional, regression, performance, and security testing.
• Integrate automated tests into continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for seamless execution.
• Ensure test scripts are efficient and reliable, and provide comprehensive coverage of application functionality.

Performance Testing

• Design and develop performance testing strategies to assess system scalability, reliability, and responsiveness.
• Identify performance bottlenecks, analyze test results, and provide recommendations for optimization.
• Collaborate with development teams to implement performance improvements and ensure scalability.
• Implement techniques such as parallel testing and distributed execution to accelerate testing cycles.
• Monitor test execution results and identify opportunities for performance improvements.

Collaboration

• Collaborate with development, product management, and operations teams to ensure alignment on quality objectives and priorities.
• Provide technical guidance and support to QA engineers, developers, and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practice dissemination across teams to promote a culture of quality and continuous improvement.

Guidance and Training

• Develop and maintain updated training materials based on the Center of Excellence's (CoE) Methods of Work.
• Oversee the management, review, and dissemination of the Method of Work library to ensure accessibility and relevance.
• Offer mentorship and training sessions to Quality Architects and Quality Engineers, focusing on tools, techniques, and best practices.
• Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the QA team, encouraging active participation and knowledge sharing.
• Share expertise and insights with cross-functional teams to foster collaboration and alignment on quality assurance initiatives.
• Equip individuals and teams with the knowledge and expertise required to excel in Quality Engineering through comprehensive training and mentorship.
• Enable Methods of Work (MoWs) writing and maintenance, fostering growth and proficiency in Quality Engineering among WK Groups/Divisions.
• Provide guidance in adopting Agile Scrum and SAFe ceremonies, ensuring project teams fully grasp the significance and implementation of Agile/Scrum methodologies.
• Conduct dxg Methods of Work (MoW) training tailored for various stakeholders, from project owners to development and quality assurance teams.

Reporting

• Provide regular progress updates and detailed reports to both peers and management regarding automation progress, test results, and key performance metrics.
• Effectively communicate with cross-functional teams to raise awareness of critical issues, risks, and recommendations for improvement.
• Prepare executive summaries and presentations that effectively convey the impact of automation initiatives on project outcomes and align with business objectives.
• Establish and co-lead the Quality governance process to identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could impact the quality of software products.
• Develop risk management strategies and implement controls to minimize the likelihood and impact of quality-related risks.

About you

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and tools.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a strong attention to detail.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and influence stakeholders.
• In-depth knowledge of software quality assurance principles, methodologies, and best practices.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and DevOps.
• Knowledge of Test Automation scripts and programming languages. Or equivalent experience or training
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in German and proficient skills in English

Experience

• Proven experience (5 - 10 years) in quality assurance and software testing, with a focus on test architecture and strategy.
• Experience designing and implementing comprehensive QE strategies, tools, frameworks, and solutions across complex software projects or organizations.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully leading QE initiatives, improving testing processes, and driving quality improvements.
• Able to Train, Coach, and mentor scrum cadence. Or equivalent experience or training

Other Knowledge, Skills, Abilities or Certifications

• Certification in quality engineering or related fields is a plus.
• Scrum experience or certifications
• Tricentis Tosca, and qTest
• Atlassian products as in Confluence, Jira, and BitBucket

Travel requirements

Less than 25 %

Benefits

• Work-life balance: 30 days' holiday, hybrid working possibilities and flexible working hours
• Work flexibly abroad: Up to 20 days within twelve months working from abroad
• Plan your future with us: Attractive salary and motivating bonuses We offer you a company pension scheme with personal advice
• Comprehensive further development: Whether as part of structured onboarding, learning on the job, international career options or through external further training measures, e.g. with LinkedIn Learning and PluralSight access
• Our contribution to sustainability: not only with the sales fleet but also by promoting the JobRad
• Health & wellbeing: In addition to fitness programmes, we offer resilience training and personal counselling in all situations through our external cooperation partners
• Social commitment: We promote your voluntary work with the Volunteer Day
• We are successful as a team: be part of our employee events and take part in the employee referral programme With us, you have short decision-making paths, flat hierarchies and room to realise your own ideas