Executive Director, Software Engineering : Software Development Test (SDET)

NOTE : This position is based in Chicago, Illinois and is hybrid 3 days per week on site minimum. Only local candidates already based in the Chicagoland area will be considered for the role.

• What You'll Do :
• Define and drive enterprise-wide quality engineering strategy, standards and governance. Lead adoption of modern engineering practices, metrics and compliance across all testing teams. Provide leadership in test automation, data driven quality reporting and risk-based validation while enabling alignment between product, dev, DevOps and testing teams. Establish governance forums, enforce quality policies and promote continuous improvement to enhance software delivery and reliability.
• Primary Duties and Responsibilities :
• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.
• Define and own the enterprise QE governance framework, standards and policies
• Establish and enforce quality metrics, reporting and compliance across all testing teams.
• Align QE practices with regulatory, security and audit requirements.
• Drive adoption of automation, DevOps quality practices including quality gates and shift-left testing to improve quality and cycle time reduction.
• Provide leadership, input, and oversight to project delivery, risk management and release readiness.
• Collaborate with architecture, development, and business teams to provide cohesive integration plans
• Lead governance forums, steering committees and executive reviews.
• Assist with driving consistency and standardization for process assurance across the development lifecycle (requirements management, development, functional and system test, release management etc.)
• Recommend, design, develop, and implement automation frameworks
• Oversee automation frameworks, systems for defect tracking, custom software and repositories.
• Develop and implement test data management and test environment management practices including appropriate tooling.
• Manage the integration of DevOps function, ensuring test environments are made available and are stable as needed
• Interact with Product Owners, Technology Leads, Project Managers, and Leadership Team members to embed quality in delivery, recommend solutions that best meet the strategic needs of the business
• Contribute to performance engineering practices by providing inputs on capacity planning, performance tuning, diagnostics, problem detection and resolution
• Manage project planning, including allocation of resources, assignment, and coordination
• Influence across organizational teams to create alignment and resolve conflicts
• Supervisory Responsibilities :
• Manages a team of people managers, individual contributors, and consultants / contractors
• Qualifications :
• The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.
• Minimum ten (7) years’ experience with leading the design and set-up of test automation frameworks, processes, and tools
• Strong experience of QE methodologies, automation frameworks, DevOps and CI / CD.
• Experience with BDD methodologies & automated acceptance testing
• Experience with Agile development processes for enterprise software solutions
• Solid understanding of options and derivatives clearing and settlement business processes
• Experience with governance, compliance and regulatory standards in technology delivery.
• Proven ability to define and implement enterprise-wide quality standards and lead organization change.
• Ability to manage cross-functional governance forums.
• Strong background in metrics-driven quality reporting and risk-based decision making.
• Strong organizational leadership skills
• Ability to manage multiple, competing priorities and make decisions quickly
• Capability to support processes and development teams across a diversified group of business segments
• Knowledgeable about industry trends, best practices, and change management
• Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate and interact with a variety of internal / external customers, coworkers, and Executive Management
• Strong work ethic, hands-on, detail oriented with a customer service mentality
• Team player, self-driven, motivated, and able to work under pressure
• Results-oriented and demonstrated record of developing initiatives that impact productivity
• Technical Skills :
• Proficiency with modern quality engineering tools including Jira, Jenkins, automation frameworks, test management tools.
• Software QA methodologies (requirements analysis, test planning, functional testing, usability testing, performance testing, etc.)
• Familiarity with microservices and event driven architecture and emerging technologies (AI / ML in QE).
• Utilizing best practices in software engineering, software test automation, test management tools, and defect tracking software
• Past / Current experience of 3+ years working on a large-scale cloud native project Experience with cloud technologies and migrations using public cloud vendor preferably using cloud foundational services like AWS’s VPCs, Security groups, EC2
• Education and / or Experience :
• BS degree in Computer Science or Information Systems Management or a similar technical field
• 15+ years of experience in Quality Assurance space preferably on complex systems and large programs.
• Certificates or Licenses :
• None RequiredThe Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.
• Benefits
• A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness. Some of these components include :
• A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work
• Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance
• Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely
• Generous PTO and Parental leave
• 401k Employer Match
• Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and visionVisit for more information.
• Compensation
• The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and / or education.
• In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.
• We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on
• All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.###
• Step 1 When you find a position you're interested in, click the 'Apply' button. Please complete the application and attach your resume.
• Step 2 You will receive an email notification to confirm that we've received your application.
• Step 3 If you are called in for an interview, a representative from OCC will contact you to set

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