Senior Principal SDET

Position Overview

We are seeking a distinguished and highly experienced Senior Principal Quality and Automation Engineering Leader to join our dynamic team. This senior role will drive the strategic direction and implementation of quality assurance and automation initiatives, ensuring the highest standards of product quality and performance. As a key leader, you will mentor and guide cross-functional teams towards continuous improvement and innovation in our testing methodologies and tools.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy

• Set the strategic vision for overall system quality and behavior
• Develop, communicate, and execute comprehensive quality assurance and automation strategies
• Provide senior-level technical leadership and guidance to software engineering teams, fostering their development and maximizing their potential
• Shape the technical roadmap and orchestrate the elimination of technical debt, balancing time, resources, and quality to achieve business and strategic objectives
• Partner with senior product management, software architecture, user experience, and engineering stakeholders to formulate technical solutions and align quality goals with business objectives

Automation

• Architect, develop, and sustain cutting-edge automated test frameworks and scripts
• Champion the integration of automated testing into the CI/CD pipeline to ensure swift and reliable software delivery
• Assess and incorporate new automation tools and technologies to bolster efficiency and effectiveness

Quality Assurance

• Define and institutionalize best practices for quality, testing, and methodologies
• Lead the creation and execution of comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts
• Ensure rigorous testing of applications, encompassing unit, functional, performance, security, and regression testing
• Oversee the tracking and resolution of bugs and issues, collaborating closely with development teams
• Collaborate with the operations team to ensure high availability and reliability of applications and services
• Validate that code adheres to established coding standards and meets design specifications, performance, and security goals

Continuous Improvement

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement in testing processes, methodologies, and practices
• Maintain a constant focus on technical excellence, secure coding principles, and thoughtful design to deliver simple and effective solutions
• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices in quality assurance and automation
• Lead regular reviews and audits of testing processes to identify and capitalize on areas for enhancement

Collaboration and Communication

• Foster an organization-wide culture of quality and accountability
• Effectively communicate with executive stakeholders, providing regular updates on testing progress and quality metrics
• Serve as a liaison across cross-functional teams to ensure the seamless integration of quality practices throughout the development lifecycle

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years in QA and automation engineering, with leadership experience in fast-paced environments
• Expert-level proficiency in object-oriented and multi-threaded programming in at least one of the following languages: Python, Java, or C++
• Proficiency in monitoring system performance, identifying issues, and maintaining system monitoring and alerting tools
• Extensive experience with AWS services, including API Gateway, Lambda, SQS/SNS, S3, CloudWatch, ECS, Load Balancer, and databases (Snowflake, Aurora, DynamoDB)
• Deep expertise in test automation frameworks and tools (e.g., Selenium, Appium, JUnit, TestNG)
• Strong knowledge of performance testing methodologies and tools (e.g., JMeter, LoadRunner)
• Advanced experience with CI/CD tools and processes (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Docker, Terraform)
• In-depth understanding of security compliance standards and regulations (e.g., SOC, FedRAMP, GDPR)
• Experience developing and maintaining system security policies and procedures
• Background in backend development with knowledge of Graph, SQL, and NoSQL databases
• Robust understanding of authentication/authorization frameworks (e.g., SSO, SAML, OAuth), secure transport (e.g., SSL, TLS), and identity management
• Proven track record of integrating complex systems
• Comprehensive knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and agile methodologies
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and keen attention to detail
• Outstanding communication and collaboration skills
• Demonstrated ability to thrive independently and as a team leader

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cloud-based testing environments and tools
• Familiarity with advanced security testing practices and tools
• Industry certifications in quality assurance or test automation (e.g., ISTQB, CSTE)