Director Quality Assurance

WHO WE ARE

about the job

As the Director of Quality Assurance, you will lead our quality strategy and drive a culture of continuous improvement across all engineering teams. Your vision and leadership will ensure the delivery of exceptional software products that align with business objectives and exceed customer expectations.

What you’ll do

• Develop and execute the overall quality assurance strategy for information systems, aligning with organizational goals and industry best practices
• Define and enforce quality standards and best practices to ensure products and services meet organizational and end-user requirements
• Lead the creation and maintenance of comprehensive test plans and test cases, ensuring rigorous testing and validation of products prior to release
• Design, implement, and manage scalable test automation frameworks and tools to streamline testing processes and increase efficiency
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing QA team, fostering a culture of quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Oversee the full bug lifecycle, from identification and documentation through resolution, ensuring transparent and timely communication with development teams
• Continuously evaluate and enhance QA methodologies, processes, and toolsets to improve product quality and testing effectiveness
• Partner closely with engineering, product management, and other cross-functional stakeholders to embed quality assurance best practices into every phase of the software development lifecycle
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics related to product quality, testing effectiveness, and team performance; provide regular reporting and insights to senior leadership
• Identify potential quality risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies to address them before they impact users or delivery timelines
• Ensure QA practices adhere to regulatory requirements, industry standards, and internal policies—including oversight of CMMI and ISO standards
• Oversee the quality of all deliverables provided to clients and customers, ensuring they meet or exceed established quality benchmarks

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field 
• 8+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance with at least 3 years in a QA leadership or management role
• Proven success leading QA strategy and test automation efforts in agile, cloud-native environments
• Strong track record of building and managing distributed QA teams

Required Skills / Certifications

• Strong leadership skills are essential for effectively managing and inspiring design teams, setting direction, and driving innovation.
• The ability to develop and execute a comprehensive design strategy aligned with business goals and user needs is crucial for success in this role.
• Deep understanding of user research methodologies, usability principles, and user experience design best practices to create intuitive and user-friendly products.
• Experience in mentoring and managing a team of designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring collaboration and cohesion within the team.
• Excellent communication skills are essential for effectively conveying design concepts, gaining buy-in from stakeholders, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency in design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Figma, or other relevant software to create high-quality design deliverables.
• Basic understanding of front-end development technologies and constraints to collaborate effectively with engineering teams and ensure the feasibility of design solutions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify design challenges, develop innovative solutions, and iterate based on feedback and user testing.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, manage timelines, and deliver projects on schedule while maintaining high-quality standards.
• Understanding of business metrics, market trends, and competitive landscape to make informed design decisions that drive business outcomes.

Preferred Skills / Certifications

• Master’s degree in computer science, engineering or closely related field
• Deep understanding of QA methodologies, testing types (unit, integration, system, UAT, regression, performance), and software delivery processes
• Demonstrated experience designing and scaling automation frameworks using tools such as Selenium, Cypress, or similar
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS) and testing of distributed, microservices-based systems
• Strong technical knowledge of web services (REST/SOAP), APIs, databases, and CI/CD pipelines
• Experience collaborating with engineering, product, and business teams to define and implement test plans and quality goals
• Strong experience with test management, defect tracking, and source control tools (e.g., Jira, Git, TestRail)
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and analytical skills
• Effective leadership and people management capabilities, with a passion for mentoring and team development

Security clearance

• You must be able to obtain a security clearance (Secret or higher) – US Citizenship required

COMPENSATION

• $125,000-$175,000 per year based on skills, experience

benefits

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, paid time off, life insurance, 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer matching, and opportunities for professional growth and career development.

You have the legal right to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. Qualified candidates must live in the United States, with the ability to commute to the North Bethesda, MD office. Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. USAI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment.