Quality Engineering Architect

It's a new day with a new opportunity at 8am! 

About the role:

As our Quality Engineering Architect, you will define the strategic direction of our test automation capabilities, establish architectural standards, and guide our SDET team in building scalable, maintainable testing solutions that serve multiple product teams across our platform.

About us:

At 8am, our vision is to power a world where professionals thrive. We start every day on a mission to empower professionals with the most trusted, innovative technology to deliver world-class outcomes for their clients and exceptional financial results for their business. They count on our purpose-built solutions to simplify operations, ensure compliance, and fuel profitable growth, so they can focus on their clients and do more of the work that matters.

Founded in 2005, 8am™ (formerly AffiniPay) is the professional business platform built to help legal, accounting, and other client-focused professionals run stronger, more profitable businesses. Today, more than 250,000 professionals across the U.S. trust 8am to help them work smarter, serve clients better, and unlock their full potential. We have been recognized as one of Inc 5000’s fastest growing companies in the U.S. for 13 years in a row, and as a result, our teams continue to grow as well!

What you'll do:

• Design and build from scratch a comprehensive Python-based test automation framework that establishes new standards for quality engineering across the organization
• Define architectural guidelines, patterns, and best practices for test automation that scale across multiple teams and deployment environments
• Create reusable, modular tooling and libraries that enable both SDETs and QEs to efficiently develop and maintain test automation
• Establish technical standards for test code quality, maintainability, and performance
• Serve as the technical liaison between the QE organization and the Architecture Team, translating complex technical requirements and constraints
• Present architectural decisions and technical roadmaps to both highly technical audiences (Architecture Team, Senior Engineers) and non-technical stakeholders (Product Managers, Business Leaders)
• Document architectural decisions, design patterns, and implementation guidelines for various technical audiences
• Lead architectural review sessions and provide technical guidance on automation development strategies
• Partner with development team product owners and engineering managers to align testing architecture with business objectives
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to integrate testing seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines using Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure
• Mentor senior SDETs and quality engineers on architectural best practices and advanced Python development
• Work with leadership to prioritize architectural initiatives across multiple teams and products
• Humble attitude; understanding that good ideas can come from anywhere
• Develop sophisticated test automation solutions leveraging Python, PyTest, and modern testing frameworks
• Design and implement cloud-native testing solutions on AWS infrastructure
• Integrate AI-powered tooling responsibly while maintaining deterministic test behavior
• Ensure seamless integration with existing tools (Jira, DataDog, Sentry) and monitoring systems

About you:

• 10+ years of software quality engineering experience with significant focus on SaaS platforms
• Demonstrated experience architecting and building test automation frameworks from scratch, including initial design, implementation, and organizational rollout
• Expert-level Python proficiency with deep understanding of software design patterns, architecture principles, and best practices
• Proven track record of making and defending architectural decisions that impact multiple teams
• Advanced Python development skills including:
• Strong expertise in PyTest and modern Python testing paradigms
• Extensive experience with:
  • Linux/Unix systems and command-line interfaces
  • Kubernetes and container orchestration
  • CI/CD pipeline design (Jenkins, CircleCI)
  • Cloud platforms (AWS preferred)
  • Modern testing frameworks (Playwright, Selenium)
• Experience with:
  • Application performance testing
  • Development and specification of Key Performance Indicators
• Exceptional ability to communicate with diverse technical audiences:
  • Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives
  • Strong skills in technical writing and specification development
  • Proven ability to influence technical direction without direct authority
• Deep understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies at scale
• Experience with owning technical development guidelines within a team
• Experience with distributed team coordination
• Strong project management and prioritization skills
• Ability to balance technical excellence with delivery timelines

Bonus Points: 

• Experience with financial services, payment processing, or PCI compliance requirements
• Familiarity with AI/ML testing strategies and responsible AI implementation
• Professional certifications (ISTQB, CSTE, AWS Solutions Architect)
• Open source contribution experience
• Experience building developer tools and internal platforms

Why 8am 

At 8am, our culture is shaped by the people who bring it to life every day. Together, we build a company rooted in continuous learning, genuine community, holistic wellness, and meaningful engagement—values that empower us as individuals and unite us as a team. Our culture is grounded in our core values: Work Smart, Win Fast