Principal QA Architect

• Define and maintain the strategy for QA technology solutions in alignment with the broader QA organizational vision and roadmap.
• Translate QA organizational priorities into practical technology capabilities, solution roadmaps, and executable work.
• Identify quality capability gaps across teams and recommend solutions that improve speed, confidence, coverage, visibility, consistency, and customer outcomes.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI-enabled testing, intelligent automation, test data tooling, observability, analytics, and quality engineering platforms.
• Establish solution principles, technical standards, patterns, and best practices for quality technology across the organization.
• Ensure QA technology investments support measurable business, delivery, and quality outcomes.

Minimum five years technical leadership, architecture, lead, supervisory, management, or supervisory or leadership equivalent influence-based leadership experience preferred

Mobility in an office, and may occasionally meet with customers or business partners outside of the office.

• Design, build, implement, and evolve scalable quality technology solutions that can be reused across teams.
• Personally perform advanced technical work, including solution design, prototyping, software development, integrations, proof-of-concepts, troubleshooting, and implementation activities.
• Develop integrated solutions that may include automation frameworks, AI-enabled tooling, test data capabilities, reporting, dashboards, CI/CD quality gates, observability, quality analytics, and workflow enablement.
• Ensure solutions are practical, maintainable, secure, measurable, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
• Partner with engineering, DevOps, and architecture teams to integrate quality solutions into software delivery workflows and pipelines.
• Evaluate build-versus-buy options and provide clear recommendations based on cost, capability, scalability, maintainability, and adoption value.
• Create solution documentation, usage guidance, enablement materials, and support models.
• Lead technical implementation efforts for key quality technology initiatives.
• Ensure quality solutions improve the daily experience and effectiveness of QA engineers and delivery teams.

• Lead innovation efforts that apply AI, automation, analytics, and emerging technologies to improve quality outcomes.
• Design solutions that assist with test strategy creation, test generation, test execution, evidence collection, defect insight, risk analysis, reporting, and decision support.
• Treat automation frameworks as one component of a broader quality technology ecosystem.
• Continuously evaluate automation coverage, reliability, maintainability, execution efficiency, and business value.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort through intelligent solutions, reusable capabilities, and better integration across the delivery lifecycle.
• Promote responsible and practical adoption of AI-enabled quality capabilities.
• Stay current on technology trends and determine which capabilities are relevant to the organization's needs.

• Enable QA engineers and delivery teams to use quality technology solutions effectively.
• Create patterns, standards, training, and guidance that support consistent adoption across teams.
• Mentor QA engineers, automation engineers, quality leaders, and technical contributors on solution usage, engineering practices, and quality technology direction.
• Identify friction points in QA delivery and create solutions that simplify or improve how work gets done.
• Drive adoption through partnership, communication, documentation, training, and measurable results.
• Ensure solutions are understood by both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Build credibility through delivery, practical problem solving, and demonstrated value.

• Partner with QA leadership, Product Management, Engineering Managers, Architects, DevOps, Security, Data, and business stakeholders
• Align QA technology solutions with product, delivery, business, and enterprise architecture priorities.
• Balance enterprise consistency with the practical needs of individual delivery teams.
• Influence teams without direct reporting authority by creating clarity, demonstrating value, and building trust.
• Serve as a member of the QA leadership team and contribute to the development of QA strategy, priorities, operating models, and organizational capabilities.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to other architects and senior technical contributors across the organization.
• Establish technical direction and architectural guidance for quality technology solutions while partnering collaboratively with peer architects and engineering leaders.
• Help define and improve the operating model for how quality technology is planned, delivered, supported, and measured.
• Serve as a force multiplier across the software delivery organization.

• Define and track metrics that show the effectiveness, adoption, reliability, and value of QA technology solutions.
• Provide visibility into solution health, automation effectiveness, test execution outcomes, coverage, quality risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Use data to identify gaps, prioritize improvements, and guide investment decisions.
• Translate technical progress into business-focused outcomes for leadership and stakeholders.
• Ensure reporting helps teams make better decisions rather than simply producing activity based metrics.

• A documented QA technology product vision aligned to the QA organizational roadmap.
• A maintained roadmap and backlog for QA technology solutions.
• Prioritized initiatives tied to measurable quality, delivery, and business outcomes.
• Practical solutions that improve how QA engineers and delivery teams perform quality work.
• Increased effectiveness and adoption of automation, AI-enabled capabilities, tooling, and reporting.
• Reduced manual effort through reusable and intelligent quality capabilities.
• Improved delivery confidence, visibility, and quality decision-making.
• Improved quality metrics, reporting, and organizational transparency.
• Increased trust in QA technology solutions and QA’s ability to enable the business.
• Meaningful improvements for QA engineers, delivery teams, business partners, and customers.

• Treats QA technology as a product with users, problems to solve, roadmaps, priorities, feedback loops, adoption strategies, and measurable outcomes.

• Can design practical, scalable, maintainable, and integrated solutions that address real quality and delivery challenges.

• Demonstrates deep hands-on technical expertise across software engineering, quality engineering, automation, AI-enabled technologies, system integration, test data, analytics, DevOps, CI/CD, observability, and modern software delivery practices. Maintains the ability to personally design, prototype, build, troubleshoot, and implement technical solutions while providing architectural leadership and guidance to others.

• Can connect organizational priorities to technology capabilities and define a realistic path from current state to improved future state

• Turns ideas and concepts into delivered solutions that are adopted, supported, measured, and improved.

• Communicates clearly, simply, and with an outcome-focused mindset. Ensures stakeholders understand what is being built, why it matters, what decisions are needed, and what outcomes are expected. Translates complex technical concepts into business and delivery value.

• Understands that the customers of QA technology include QA engineers, delivery teams, QA leadership, product teams, business partners, and ultimately end customers.

• Continually evaluates whether solutions are working, where friction remains, and what improvements are needed to increase value.

Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities simultaneously

• Demonstrated experience designing, building, implementing, or leading enterprise-scale quality technology solutions.
• Demonstrated experience creating roadmaps, managing backlogs, prioritizing work, and delivering technology outcomes.
• Experience partnering across QA, engineering, product, architecture, DevOps, and business teams.
• Experience with modern software delivery practices, Agile delivery, CI/CD pipelines, test management, test data, and quality reporting.
• Proven ability to mentor technical team members, guide adoption, influence stakeholders, and drive outcomes without relying solely on direct authority.
• Strong understanding of quality engineering practices, automation strategy, software development practices, and modern delivery pipelines.
• Experience with automation frameworks and tools such as Playwright, Selenium, Cypress, Tosca, JUnit, TestNG, TestComplete, or similar platforms.
• Experience with programming or scripting languages such as Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, or similar languages.
• Advanced proficiency in one or more modern programming languages and the ability to develop production-quality code, prototypes, integrations, automation solutions, and technical proof-of-concepts.
• Experience with CI/CD tools such as Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled testing tools, intelligent automation, test generation, analytics, or emerging quality technologies.
• Advanced proficiency with AI-assisted development tools, large language model technologies, and emerging AI capabilities relevant to software quality and delivery.
• Ability to evaluate, prototype, and implement AI-enabled quality solutions.
• Ability to rapidly evaluate, learn, and apply new technologies, frameworks, platforms, and engineering practices.
• Experience designing and integrating enterprise-scale technology solutions across multiple systems, platforms, and delivery pipelines.
• Experience with integrated test management systems, test data management, quality reporting, and dashboarding.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, service testing, API testing, performance testing, security testing, and compliance considerations.
• Ability to evaluate technology options and make build-versus-buy recommendations, technical proof-of-concepts, and implementation approaches

• Ability to explain complex technical concepts in clear business terms.
• Ability to facilitate alignment across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to create clear documentation, roadmaps, status updates, and executive-level summaries.
• • Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
  • Highly organized and detail-oriented; ability to work in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment required.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Word, Excel, Wiki, collaborative cloud-based programs, and third-party software applications required.
  • Commitment to company values.
  • Customer Service - Proactive attention to each person
  • Integrity - Do and say what's right
  • Respect - Treat others with dignity
  • Collaboration - Listen and work together
  • Learning - Seek knowledge and strive for improvement

    Company Required Skills

  • Excellence – Deliver the unexpected

Ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards

Ability to accurately interpret sounds and associated meanings at a volume consistent with interpersonal conversation.

Regularly required to accurately perceive, distinguish and interpret information received visually and through audio; e.g., words, numbers and other data broadcasted aloud/viewed on a screen, as well as print and other media.

Office environment – moderate noise, no substantial exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

Must be able to adhere to process protocol. Must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner.

This role requires effective adaptation to workplace stressors, including customer service complaints, security responsibilities, and competing priorities.

Work is primarily performed during the business week, Monday - Friday

Supervision 

 Indirect Reports: 3

Guild offers a pleasant work environment, competitive compensation and excellent benefits package; including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, LTD and 401(k) with employer match. 

Guild Mortgage Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

REQ#: PRINC018547