QA Architect & Manager

Quality Assurance Architect & ManagerWe are seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Architect & Manager to lead the quality assurance strategy, automation architecture, and testing governance for enterprise applications supporting the City of Atlanta. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in enterprise software quality assurance, test automation, SDLC management, Agile delivery, and team leadership. This role will oversee the complete QA lifecycle, define enterprise testing standards, manage QA resources, and ensure the delivery of secure, reliable, and high-performing applications.The successful candidate will collaborate closely with business stakeholders, project managers, developers, infrastructure teams, and executive leadership to ensure software solutions meet business requirements and organizational quality standards.Key ResponsibilitiesQA Strategy & LeadershipLead and manage the complete Quality Assurance lifecycle across enterprise applications.Develop and implement enterprise-wide QA strategies, standards, methodologies, and best practices.Design scalable QA frameworks supporting manual, automated, integration, regression, performance, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).Establish quality metrics, KPIs, dashboards, and release readiness criteria.Build a culture of quality, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.Provide technical leadership and mentorship to QA engineers and automation specialists.Test Planning & ExecutionCreate comprehensive Test Plans, Test Cases, Test Scripts, and Testing Documentation.Manage Functional, Integration, Regression, Smoke, System, End-to-End, Performance, and UAT testing.Validate software functionality, reliability, security, accessibility, and performance prior to production releases.Coordinate testing activities across multiple projects and cross-functional teams.Ensure complete defect lifecycle management from identification through resolution and verification.Test Automation & QA ArchitectureArchitect enterprise-level automation frameworks for web, mobile, and API applications.Develop and maintain automated regression test suites using modern automation tools.Define standards for test data management, environment management, and automation governance.Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines to support continuous integration and continuous delivery.Evaluate and implement new QA technologies, automation platforms, and testing tools.Team ManagementLead, coach, mentor, and evaluate QA team members.Assign project responsibilities and balance workloads across multiple initiatives.Conduct performance reviews, career development planning, and technical mentoring.Develop training programs to enhance QA capabilities and cross-functional skills.Foster collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning.Cross-Functional CollaborationPartner with Project Managers, Business Analysts, Developers, Infrastructure Teams, Security Teams, and Executive Leadership.Participate in Change Management, Release Management, and IT Governance processes.Support enterprise application implementation and modernization initiatives.Communicate testing progress, risks, quality metrics, and project status to stakeholders.Manage vendor relationships and service-level agreements (SLAs) when applicable.Quality Governance & CompliancePerform root cause analysis (RCA) for production issues and implement long-term corrective actions.Ensure compliance with security standards, accessibility (ADA/WCAG), data governance, and regulatory requirements.Maintain QA documentation, policies, procedures, and audit readiness.Monitor software quality throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).Minimum 10 years of Quality Assurance experience in enterprise software environments.Minimum 5 years leading QA teams, automation initiatives, or enterprise testing programs.Strong experience managing the complete Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).Proven expertise designing enterprise QA strategies and automation frameworks.Experience leading User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and enterprise release validation.Excellent leadership, communication, analytical, and organizational skills. InstantServe LLC