IT Quality Senior Manager -Vice President

Job Description: As a SDET QA Manager, you will be a visionary and strategic leader responsible for defining and executing the long-term Quality Assurance strategy across multiple product lines or an entire enterprise division. This role demands a strong techno-functional leader who can drive significant improvements in software quality, accelerate delivery, and foster a culture of engineering excellence through advanced SDET practices, innovative automation solutions, and the strategic adoption of AI tools. You will lead and scale high-performing QA teams, champion best practices, and influence technology decisions at a senior level. Extensive experience within the Capital Markets domain is a critical requirement for this role. Responsibilities: Strategic Vision & Leadership: * Define and articulate the overarching QA vision and strategy, aligning it with business objectives and technological advancements. * Provide thought leadership in quality engineering, promoting a shift-left approach and continuous quality embedded throughout the SDLC. * Drive the adoption of cutting-edge testing methodologies, tools, and frameworks to enhance product quality and delivery speed. * Influence and shape product strategy from a quality perspective, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure solutions. * Leverage deep Capital Markets domain knowledge to inform QA strategy, risk assessment, and compliance adherence. Advanced Automation & AI Integration: * Architect and oversee the implementation of enterprise-level automation frameworks capable of supporting diverse technologies and project types (e.g., microservices, cloud-native, mobile). * Spearhead initiatives to research, evaluate, and onboard advanced AI/ML tools and techniques to optimize testing processes, predict defects, and improve overall QA efficiency and intelligence. * Ensure seamless integration of advanced automation into highly mature CI/CD/CT pipelines, driving continuous deployment with confidence. * Maintain hands-on familiarity with modern automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Playwright) and programming languages (Python, Java, Javascript, Typescript), capable of providing expert guidance and resolving complex technical challenges. Organizational Impact & Stakeholder Management: * Collaborate extensively with senior leadership across Engineering, Product Management, and Business units to embed quality assurance principles and goals. * Act as a key liaison for quality-related matters, representing the QA organization in strategic discussions and planning. * Establish and enforce enterprise-wide quality governance, standards, and metrics, ensuring adherence to regulatory and compliance requirements. * Communicate complex technical and strategic concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences. Team & Talent Development: * Build, lead, and mentor a distributed team of highly skilled SDETs, QA Engineers, and QA Leads, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. * Develop career paths, succession plans, and professional development programs to attract, retain, and grow top QA talent. * Drive organizational change and cultivate a mindset of proactive quality assurance across development teams. Operational Excellence & Risk Management: * Oversee the performance of the QA organization, ensuring efficient resource allocation, budget management, and timely delivery of quality objectives. * Implement robust risk assessment and mitigation strategies for quality-related issues. * Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on data analysis, feedback loops, and industry benchmarks. Qualifications: * 15+ years of extensive experience in Software Development Engineering in Test (SDET) and senior QA leadership roles, with a proven track record of managing large-scale QA organizations or functions. * Demonstrated success in defining and implementing transformative QA strategies, resulting in measurable improvements in product quality, time-to-market, and operational efficiency. * Significant experience in leading the adoption and integration of AI/ML technologies within QA processes. * Proven hands-on expertise in developing, maintaining, and scaling complex automation frameworks across diverse technological stacks. * Mandatory extensive experience within the Capital Markets domain, including a deep understanding of financial products, trading lifecycles, regulatory compliance and market data systems. Technical Skills: * Expert-level proficiency in designing and implementing automation frameworks using tools like Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, or similar. * Mastery of programming languages with a strong understanding of object-oriented design principles and software architecture. * Advanced database skills (SQL, NoSQL), including complex query optimization, data migration, and data integrity testing. * Deep understanding and practical experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices architecture, and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes). * Strong command of CI/CD/CT tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps) and best practices for integrating automated tests. * Experience with performance, security, and accessibility testing tools and methodologies. Functional Skills: * Ability to understand complex business requirements and translate them into effective test strategies and cases. * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Leadership & Strategic Skills: * Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and inspire at all organizational levels. * Proven ability to drive large-scale organizational change and foster innovation in quality engineering. * Strong business acumen and ability to align technical strategies with organizational goals. * Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities in complex environments. Education: * Bachelor’s/University degree, Master’s degree preferred \------------------------------------------------------ ## Job Family Group: Technology \------------------------------------------------------ ## Job Family: Technology Quality \------------------------------------------------------ ## Time Type: Full time \------------------------------------------------------ ## Most Relevant Skills Please see the requirements listed above. \------------------------------------------------------ ## Other Relevant Skills For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter. \------------------------------------------------------ Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. 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