Director Quality Assurance

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago • Chicago, IL

23h • Onsite

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.

Benefits

• highly competitive compensation and bonus package
• access to a comprehensive benefits program designed to meet the needs of our employees
• Collaborative, in-office operating model
• Retirement program (401k and Pension)
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• Competitive PTO plan
• 11 paid holidays per year

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director