Software Quality Assurance Lead

Job Description Summary

The Software Quality Assurance Lead owns end-to-end quality for the Client Onboarding platform, which supports critical client, account opening, and maintenance functions. The role drives functional, automation, and performance test strategy; governs test cycles; and provides single-point accountability for quality and release readiness. By aligning development and testing efforts, the role helps deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes on time through a balanced mix of automation and manual testing.

Job Description

This position follows a hybrid work model, with an expectation to be in the office 3 days per week at the St. Petersburg, FL Corporate Office location.

Please note: This role is not eligible for Work Visa sponsorship, either currently or in the future.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end quality strategy, test governance, release readiness, and delivery quality for the Client Onboarding platform.

• Lead functional, automation, API, integration, end-to-end, and performance testing efforts across multiple initiatives and releases.

• Design, implement, and continuously improve scalable automation frameworks, testing standards, and quality engineering practices.

• Establish automated quality gates, release validation processes, test reporting, and quality metrics integrated into CI/CD pipelines.

• Drive Shift-Left Testing, Test-Driven Development (TDD), Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), and quality-by-design principles.

• Partner with Product Managers, Business Analysts, Architects, Developers, Platform Engineering, and DevOps teams to ensure solutions are testable, measurable, and production ready.

• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and coaching to engineering and quality teams while fostering a quality-first culture.

• Continuously improve automation coverage, release confidence, operational stability, and testing effectiveness through data-driven analysis and innovation.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Software Quality Engineering, Test Automation, Software Engineering, or Software Quality Management within large-scale enterprise environments.

• Proven experience leading quality engineering initiatives, test strategy, automation, release readiness, and quality governance across multiple teams.

• Strong experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale automation frameworks and testing solutions.

Technologies / Frameworks

• Java; JavaScript; SQL; Design for Testability and Observability, Playwright; Selenium WebDriver; Appium; TestNG; RestAssured; Spring Framework/Spring TestContext; Allure Reporting; UI/API/Regression/Integration/E2E/Performance Testing; Test Framework Design; POM; CSS Selectors; XPath, REST APIs; JSON; XML; Postman; JMeter; Gatling;

• Test Strategy/Governance; Quality Metrics/Reporting; Shift-Left Testing; TDD; BDD; Cucumber/Gherkin; Risk-Based Testing/Prioritization; Release Readiness.

• Technical Leadership; Mentoring; Cross-Functional Collaboration; Stakeholder Management; Excellent Written/Verbal Communication & strong problem-solving abilities;

Preferred Qualification:

• Experience in Financial Services, Wealth Management, Brokerage, Banking, or a related industry.

• Experience supporting Client Onboarding, Account Opening, Account Maintenance, or related operational workflows.

• Experience contributing to large-scale application modernization, legacy system migration, or digital transformation initiatives.

• Familiarity with testing frameworks and tools such as Katalon Studio, RestSharp, SpecFlow, and relevant Quality Engineering, Agile, DevOps, or Cloud certifications.

• Familiarity with AI-enabled development and testing practices, including AI-driven quality engineering, AI-assisted software development and testing, AI-powered test generation and validation, impact analysis, workflow automation, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Devin, ChatGPT Enterprise, or related AI certifications.

Education

Bachelor’s: Business Administration, Bachelor’s (Required)

Work Experience

General Experience – 10 to 15 years

Certifications

Travel

Less than 25%

Workstyle

Hybrid

The total compensation for this position includes base salary or wages, and may include components such as additional compensation (cash or equity), discretionary bonuses, or commissions. This position is eligible for a benefits package that may include medical, dental, and vision; life insurance; critical illness insurance and accident insurance; disability benefits; retirement savings; paid time off (including vacation, holidays, and sick leave); and parental leave.  Eligibility for benefits and specific offerings may vary based on position and employment status. To view more details of the benefits offered, visit Myrjbenefits.com.

At Raymond James our associates use five guiding behaviors (Develop, Collaborate, Decide, Deliver, Improve) to deliver on the firm's core values of client-first, integrity, independence and a conservative, long-term view. 
We expect our associates at all levels to:
•  Grow professionally and inspire others to do the same
•  Work with and through others to achieve desired outcomes
•  Make prompt, pragmatic choices and act with the client in mind
•  Take ownership and hold themselves and others accountable for delivering results that matter
•  Contribute to the continuous evolution of the firm

At Raymond James – as part of our people-first culture, we honor, value, and respect the uniqueness, experiences, and backgrounds of all of our Associates.  When associates bring their best authentic selves, our organization, clients, and communities thrive. The Company is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. 

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