Director Quality Assurance

FHLBank Chicago•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Quality Assurance will lead the transformation and maturation of the Bank’s QA function, establishing a center of excellence that drives consistency, automation, and governance across all IT and digital solutions. This role is critical to accelerating the Bank’s digital transformation, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, secure, and scalable solutions through modern, integrated quality assurance practices. The Director of Quality Assurance will be responsible for defining and executing a forward-looking QA strategy, building and leading a high-performing team, and partnering with IT and business leaders to embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This role will champion the integration of AI-driven testing methodologies and oversee the formal documentation, ongoing maintenance, and continuous improvement of QA standards and procedures as an integral component of the Bank’s SDLC.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
15+ years of progressive QA experience, including 5+ years in QA leadership roles.
Demonstrated success in leading enterprise-wide QA transformation initiatives.
Deep expertise in designing and implementing test automation strategies across complex, multi-platform environments.
Comprehensive experience in functional, regression, integration, performance, and load testing.
Experience with AI-driven testing tools and methodologies.
Strong leadership in building QA teams and driving cultural change.
Experience in secure, efficient test data management and environment provisioning.
Deep understanding of QA governance, compliance, and risk management in regulated environments.
Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and change management skills.
In-depth understanding of software quality assurance principles, methodologies, and best practices, including test automation, AI-driven testing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD).
Strong knowledge of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and how QA integrates at each stage.
Deep understanding of best practices in Test Data Management (TDM), including secure provisioning, masking, and maintenance of test data across multiple environments to ensure consistency, compliance, and data privacy.
Expertise in region/environment management, including planning, provisioning, and maintaining diverse testing environments (e.g., SIT, UAT, production mirrors) to support parallel testing, minimize bottlenecks, and enable effective release management.
Familiarity with strategies for environment configuration, version control, and automation to optimize testing efficiency and reliability.
Comprehensive understanding of agile methodologies and frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban), with the ability to adapt QA strategies and processes to iterative development cycles.
Ability to evaluate and select appropriate tools, technologies, and frameworks to support QA objectives.
Ability to foster collaboration between QA, development, and business teams, support continuous integration and delivery, and ensure quality is embedded throughout agile ceremonies and sprints.
Ability to analyze complex problems, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
Ability to lead organizational change and foster a culture of quality and accountability.
Ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements to QA processes and documentation.
Must have outstanding communication (verbal, written, and listening) skills and be able to engage effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization.
Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter, work independently, and collaborate within high-performing teams.
High level of integrity, dependability, and attention to detail.
Exceptional time management, leadership, and team development capabilities.
Proven negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a comprehensive QA strategy that elevates and matures quality assurance practices across the Bank.
Champion a quality-first culture, driving organizational change and continuous improvement in QA maturity.
Establish and lead a QA Center of Excellence, driving adoption of best practices, automation, and governance.
Lead the evaluation, selection, and implementation of AI-powered testing tools and frameworks to enhance test coverage, efficiency, and defect prediction.
Design and implement robust, automated, and integrated QA processes for complex digital solutions.
Lead the adoption of advanced test automation frameworks and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
Oversee planning, provisioning, and maintenance of diverse testing environments (e.g., SIT, UAT) to enable parallel testing and reduce delivery bottlenecks.
Ensure secure, efficient test data management strategies across multiple environments for consistency and compliance.
Partner with IT and business leaders to embed quality and compliance requirements into every phase of the SDLC.
Develop, formalize, document and maintain comprehensive QA standards and procedures as part of the Bank’s SDLC.
Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing QA, introducing modern frameworks and tools to enable continuous testing.
Oversee hiring, development, and performance management of QA resources.
Ensure cross-training and professional growth opportunities for team members.
Provide technical and project leadership in application testing, defect resolution, and best practices.
Develop and implement processes and procedures to improve operating efficiencies and value to the business.
Stay current with emerging trends in AI for QA and proactively introduce innovative solutions to the enterprise.
Develop and maintain metrics-driven quality dashboards to provide transparency and actionable insights for delivery teams and leadership.
Gives input on department annual budget expenditures.