Lead Associate Principal, Software Engineering: Software Development Test (SDET)

To be considered for this position, applications and resumes are accepted only through our careers site by directly applying to the posted job. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or sales solicitations from staffing agencies. Any OCC employee wishing to submit a referral must do so through their Workday account. Any resume submitted outside of an active job posting will not be considered for employment.What You'll Do:OCC's Enterprise Quality Engineering organization seeks an Associate Principal in Performance Testing to design and execute comprehensive performance and failover testing strategies across mission-critical clearing, risk, and settlement systems. This role combines hands-on performance engineering expertise to ensure systems meet regulatory RTO/RPO requirements, handling multi-region failover scenarios, cloud-native architectures, and distributed event-driven systems.Primary Duties and Responsibilities:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.Define test plans, load profiles, and ramp scenarios for high-volume transaction systemsExecute tests using LoadRunner, JMeter, and Gatling; analyze results and recommend optimizationsLead DR testing across primary, secondary, and tertiary regionsBuild and maintain performance test automation using Python, Java, and open-source toolsDevelop CI/CD-integrated pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) for continuous performance validationImplement regression testing to catch performance degradation from code changesValidate application behavior across multi-region deploymentsDefine and validate RTO/RPO targets for critical applicationsDesign failover scenarios (region switching, data replication, automation, post-failover validation)Partner with infrastructure/application teams to verify state consistency and data integrity during failoverTest replication lag, failover triggers, and cross-region data consistencyValidate Kafka producer/consumer behavior under failover conditionsConfirm performance SLAs hold during region-switching scenariosIntegrate test results with observability platformsMaintain and evolve LoadRunner scripts and environmentsDocument methodologies, baselines, and trend analysisMentor QE engineers on performance and failover testing techniquesCollaborate with development, DevOps, and infrastructure teams on requirements and capacity planningEnsure testing aligns with PGP compliance and financial market infrastructure regulationsDocument test evidence to support regulatory auditsValidate performance SLAs meet regulatory RTO/RPO requirementsSupervisory Responsibilities:NoneQualifications: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.7+ years hands-on experience in performance testing and engineering, including design and execution of complex performance test scenarios5+ years designing and executing failover/DR testing across multi-region architectures (cloud and hybrid environments)Strong expertise in performance testing tools: LoadRunner (enterprise scaling), JMeter, Gatling, with ability to evaluate tool trade-offsProficiency in scripting/programming: Python, Java, JavaScript, with ability to develop performance testing frameworksSolid hands-on experience with AWS cloud environments, including EC2, RDS, Kafka, and performance monitoringWorking knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized application performance testing (Docker, Kafka, event-driven systems)Experience with UC4 (Automic) job scheduling in test execution and orchestrationHands-on experience testing Kafka producer/consumer performance, lag validation, and message throughputStrong understanding of relational databases (SQL Server, Oracle, DB2) and ability to write queries for performance analysisExperience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab CI) and integration of performance tests into automationProficiency with APM/observability platforms (Splunk, Dynatrace, AppDynamics) and correlation of test results with production telemetryWorking knowledge of Linux operating systems and command-line tools for performance analysisExperience with test management tools (Jira, Zephyr, SpiraTest) and defect tracking integrationBackground in finance domain OR highly regulated, low-latency, high-availability systems (clearing, settlement, risk)Experience with multi-region testing (primary/secondary/tertiary architectures) with performance validation across regionsTechnical Skills:Familiarity with AI/ML-augmented testing tools for automated test case generation, self-healing automation, and predictive defect analysis.Experience with API and contract testing (Postman, RestAssured, Pact) and service virtualization for testing complex distributed and microservices architectures.Understanding of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles, SLIs/SLOs/SLAs, and how performance engineering feeds operational resilience metrics.Experience with observability/APM platforms (Splunk, Dynatrace, AppDynamics, AWS Vantage, Logic Monitor) and correlating test results with production telemetry.Testing Experience in multi region (primary/secondary/tertiary) hybrid architecture across cloud and on-premiseFamiliarity with FinOps or cost-aware performance engineering practices in cloud environments.Experience testing critical financial market infrastructure (clearing, settlement, risk management, or exchange systems) or other highly regulated, low-latency, high-availability environments.Education and/or Experience:B.S. Degree in Computer Science, an analytical field, or equivalent practical experience required.7+ years of experience in the IT industry with 5+ years in Quality Engineering, tool architecture and orchestration including opensource and commercial toolset.5+ years of experience in Agile methodology.5+ years of experience in integration of Jira and Test management tool.Strong communication skills, written and oral, analytical abilities, problem solving skills, sound judgment and time management skills.Experience in creating automation scripts.Experience in developing automation frameworks.Experience in developing Jenkins pipelines.Experience in the Options and Futures industry is preferredCertificates or Licenses:AWS certification and/or performance engineering certification preferredAbout UsThe 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 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 workTuition Reimbursement to support your continued educationStudent Loan Repayment AssistanceTechnology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotelyGenerous PTO and Parental leave 401k Employer MatchCompetitive health benefits including medical, dental and visionVisit for more information.CompensationThe 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.Salary Range$122,500.00 - $204,600.00Incentive Range8% to 15%This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.Step 1When you find a position you're interested in, click the 'Apply' button. Please complete the application and attach your resume. Step 2You will receive an email notification to confirm that we've received your application.Step 3If you are called in for an interview, a representative from OCC will contact you to set up a date, time, and location. For more information about OCC, please click here.OCC is an Equal Opportunity EmployerSummaryLocation: Chicago - 125 S FranklinType: Full time