Lead Associate Principal, Software Engineering SDET

OCC • Chicago, IL

9d • $122,500 - $204,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead Associate Principal, Software Engineering SDET is responsible for understanding both the technical operation of systems under test and the expectations of business users. The role leads the design, development, maintenance, and continued improvement of automation frameworks, test coverage, regression testing, and tools that improve acceptance-test efficiency. The position works with Software Developers, Project Management, and Customer Support to establish and follow quality procedures, standards, and specifications, delivering high-quality projects on time and cost-effectively.

The role creates and executes test plans, writes automation code, estimates testing efforts, analyzes and communicates test results, tracks defects, and contributes to performance and scalability testing. It defines test strategies and plans, assesses requirements for testability, identifies scope and risks, and assists with test environments and data. Technical work includes UI automation with Selenium, Protractor, Cucumber, and TypeScript/JavaScript; CI/CD pipelines and deployments using Jenkins, Harness, and Rancher; and validation of batch jobs, logs, Kafka messages, and database loads.

The position also provides application support, coordinates workload and timelines, improves QA processes and technologies, and mentors team members in their career development. No supervisory responsibilities are listed.

OCC offers a hybrid work environment with up to two remote-work days per week. The listed salary range is $122,500–$204,600, with a target annual discretionary incentive range of 8%–15%.

Requirements

• Experience with automated testing frameworks such as Cucumber, Selenium, Mocha/Chai, or TestNG.
• Experience working in an Agile environment.
• Hands-on experience writing automation test code and using industry-standard tools and frameworks to simulate complex multi-system scenarios.
• Proficiency with automated testing types including unit, functional, behavioral, integration, and component testing.
• Experience in at least two of the following: web/mobile application development, Unix/Linux environments, transaction processing systems, distributed and parallel systems, large software systems development, security software development, or public-cloud platforms.
• Strong testing experience developing test plans, automating test cases, and working with test frameworks.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to describe testing methods for sophisticated systems, diagnose system defects, and communicate findings and learnings clearly.
• Understanding of the systems development life cycle (SDLC), including proven experience implementing software applications.
• Proficiency with test automation tools such as Gherkin, Cucumber, Selenium, or other automation frameworks.
• Java-based software development experience and fluency in object-oriented design, industry best practices, and architecture principles.
• Experience with API and high-volume data testing.
• Strong data experience, including SQL and databases.
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a similar technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Seven to ten years of experience working with manual and automation technologies as an expert, with a clear understanding of core practices, processes, and terminology.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with streaming and event-driven systems.
• Experience with message-queuing and event-sourcing tools such as IBM MQ or Kafka.
• Functional expertise in Clearing and Risk systems and familiarity with technical offerings such as integrations and Core Connectors.
• Previous experience testing Financial Services, Derivatives Clearing, Risk, and Data Warehousing systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain automation frameworks and tools; evaluate test cases for regression inclusion, test coverage, and automation of newly implemented functionality.
• Work with Software Developers, Project Management, and Customer Support to establish and follow quality procedures, standards, and specifications.
• Create, maintain, and execute automation test plans; write test code; estimate testing efforts; analyze and communicate results; track defects; and participate in day-to-day testing.
• Contribute to performance and scalability testing and advance an automation-first approach to quality.
• Identify quality tasks during sprint cycles and automate new features.
• Assist in planning, creating, and controlling test environments and test data.
• Define test strategy; analyze requirements for testability; identify scope; plan risk mitigation and configuration management; and write master and detailed test plans.
• Review test procedures and processes and recommend improvements to reduce redundancy and increase efficiency.
• Build automation to download files, compare data across heterogeneous source and target systems, and generate reports.
• Develop and automate UI screens using Selenium, Protractor, Cucumber, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Gherkin feature files.
• Create, maintain, and use Jenkins CI/CD pipelines; deploy applications; create services and environments; and override YAML values in Harness and Rancher.
• Run UC4 batch jobs; analyze Rancher logs; validate Kafka message loads and database loads; and deserialize Kafka topics.
• Provide accurate timelines to stakeholders and meet deadlines while maintaining product quality.
• Serve as a point of contact for assigned applications and provide support as needed.
• Prioritize, assign, and balance team workload against timelines.
• Continuously improve QA processes and technologies and drive automation across multiple areas.
• Guide and mentor team members, understand their career interests, and support their growth through Individual Development Plans.

Benefits

• Hybrid work environment with up to two days per week of remote work.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Student loan repayment assistance.
• Technology stipend for a device of the employee's choice to connect to the network while working remotely.
• Generous paid time off.
• Parental leave.
• 401(k) employer match.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Potential eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus; awards are not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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