Principal QA Architect

Guild Mortgage Company, closing loans and opening doors since 1960. As a mortgage banking firm we are dedicated to serving the home owner/buyer. Our goal is to provide affordable home financing for our customers, utilizing the best terms available while providing a level of professionalism and service unsurpassed in the lending industry. 

Position Summary 

The Principal QA Architect designs and evolves the organization's quality technology ecosystem, delivering tools and platforms that support test strategy, automation, AI-enabled capabilities, reporting, observability, and quality decision-making. Operating with a product mindset, this role identifies user needs, defines roadmaps, and delivers scalable solutions that improve efficiency, visibility, and quality outcomes across the software development lifecycle.

Serving as the bridge between QA strategy and execution, the role translates business priorities into trusted, integrated, and widely adopted technology solutions. Success is measured by increased delivery confidence, reduced manual effort, stronger quality outcomes, and measurable business value. The role partners closely with QA leadership, QA engineers, product teams, engineering teams, DevOps, architecture, and business stakeholders to identify quality challenges and build practical solutions that address them. The role is expected to remain hands-on and personally contribute to architecture design, software development, prototyping, integrations, proof-of-concepts, AI-enabled solutions, and complex technical problem solving while providing technical leadership across the QA organization. The Senior QA Architect is expected to move beyond technical recommendations and take ownership for solution outcomes, adoption, effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

Compensation 

This role is an exempt position with a targeted salary range of 144,001.00 - 210,601.13 

Compensation at Guild is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to local and federal minimum wage requirements, education, level of experience, and applicant’s geographical location. 

Essential Functions 

  Quality Solution Strategy and Direction

• 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.

Solution Architecture and Delivery

• 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.

AI, Automation, and Innovation Leadership

• 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.

Organizational Enablement and Adoption

• 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.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• 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.

Metrics, Reporting, and Outcomes

• 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.

The Principal QA Architect should consistently produce:

• 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.

Product Mindset

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

Solution Architecture

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

Technical Leadership

• 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.

Strategic Thinking

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

Execution and Ownership

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

Influence and Communication

• 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.

Customer Focus

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

Continuous Improvement

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

Qualifications 

 Education Level:

Bachelor's Degree or directly equivalent combination of education, technical experience, and related to the position or demonstrated leadership may be considered.

Years of Experience: Minimum 10 years' Experience in software quality, software engineering, automation, quality experience engineering, solution architecture, or related technology roles preferred.

Supervisory Experience

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

Skills

Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities simultaneously

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• 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

Communication and Collaboration Skills

• 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

Requirements 

Physical Demands

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

Manual Dexterity

Ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards

Audio/Visual

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.

Environment

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

Mental

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.

Schedules

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