Director of Quality Engineering

ILAB LLC•Indianapolis, IN

3d•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Quality Engineering – Automation & Performance is the senior technical, delivery, and practice leader for iLAB U.S. Automation and Performance Testing. The role manages U.S. engineering initiatives and resources while providing hands-on consulting leadership for strategic clients. The Director defines practice strategy, architecture, standards, delivery assurance, reusable solutions, and the capability roadmap for Automation and Performance Testing. Working within a global delivery organization, this leader combines technical credibility, client leadership, people management, and commercial judgment to deliver measurable quality outcomes, strengthen service offerings, and build scalable engineering capability. The role also collaborates with global delivery leaders and cross-functional teams to align standards, plan capacity, support growth, and represent iLAB as a Quality Engineering thought leader.

Requirements

At least 15 years of progressive experience in Quality Engineering, including senior leadership of complex Automation and Performance Testing solutions, consulting engagements, engineering teams, and CxO-level client relationships.
Deep knowledge of Automation and Performance Testing strategies, architectures, frameworks, tools, workload models, execution practices, analysis, reporting, and integration with modern software delivery pipelines.
Experience leading technical delivery across multiple clients, programs, or business units, including distributed teams and critical project recovery.
Working knowledge of CI/CD integration, testability, observability, test-data and environment readiness, cloud delivery, and AI-assisted engineering practices.
Proven people leadership, including resource planning, coaching, performance management, prioritization, utilization, and organizational development.
Strong consulting and client-advisory skills, with the ability to translate business needs into practical technical solutions and delivery plans.
Experience shaping proposals, SOWs, estimates, resource models, and commercial commitments.
Sound understanding of consulting engagement economics, including forecasting, utilization, margin, cost-to-serve, and measurable client outcomes.
Mature, politically astute leadership style; calm in a crisis and able to lead by influence and example, with excellent written and oral communication.
Willing and able to travel interstate and occasionally internationally for critical client-facing initiatives, project kickoffs, workshops, presentations, escalations, and recovery efforts.
Demonstrated experience in a Quality Assurance, Quality Engineering, Automation, or Performance Testing consulting or professional-services organization.

Nice To Haves

Experience across the consulting lifecycle and multi-country delivery teams.
Relevant industry expertise.
Advanced professional certifications.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day delivery, prioritization, staffing, allocation, utilization, performance, and technical direction for iLAB U.S. Automation and Performance Testing initiatives and resources.
Define and evolve Automation and Performance Testing strategies, capability roadmaps, service offerings, architectures, standards, frameworks, methods, tools, reusable accelerators, and intellectual property.
Oversee technical assurance for high-impact deliveries, including solution architecture, automation and performance engineering design, CI/CD integration, AI-enabled engineering guardrails, test-data readiness, and environment readiness.
Lead client-facing technical discovery, project kickoffs, solutioning workshops, executive presentations, steering reviews, escalations, and project recovery.
Serve as the senior technical escalation point for complex or at-risk engagements, providing architecture, assessment, technical review, troubleshooting, and recovery leadership until delivery is stabilized.
Lead the technical development and review of RFIs, RFPs, proposals, SOWs, estimates, staffing models, assumptions, deliverables, risks, acceptance criteria, and service commitments.
Establish and oversee engineering governance, including quality gates, code and architecture reviews, documentation standards, source-control practices, repository security, and technical approval processes.
Define and guide responsible, value-focused uses of AI in Automation and Performance Testing, applying company security, privacy, data-handling, and human-review requirements.
Hire, coach, develop, and retain engineering managers, architects, principal engineers, and technical specialists; establish competency expectations, career paths, succession plans, and backup coverage.
Collaborate with global delivery leaders to align technical standards, share reusable assets and expertise, and support strategic client and delivery needs in other geographies.
Partner with Sales, Professional Services, Operations, Finance, and Talent Management on capacity planning, forecasting, utilization, delivery margin, and growth opportunities.
Represent iLAB as a Quality Engineering thought leader through conferences, industry events, client advisory councils, publications, demonstrations, and market-facing content.