Expert SQA Engineer

Job Description

Job DescriptionDescriptionThe Expert SQA Engineer is responsible for the strategy, testing, validation, governance, and continuous improvement of consumer/customer-facing applications that effectively help consumers and professionals meet their needs. This role operates as a technical authority in quality engineering, establishing enterprise standards, auditing SQA deliverables, and mentoring engineers to ensure consistent, high-quality outcomes. This candidate will drive improvements across internal processes and lead the implementation of scalable, corporate-wide quality standards. Daily work requires close collaboration with software developers, SQA, engineering management, project managers, and cross-functional teams including software, I.T., and marketing.
Role expectations

• Represent SQA as a technical authority in project and program-level discussions, collaborating across locations and functional divisions.
• Define and drive end-to-end test strategies covering functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring scalability and completeness.
• Create and audit test documentation (test plans, test cases, test reports) for quality, coverage, and adherence to standards.
• Iterate with stakeholders and business owners to clarify requirements and ensure testability and completeness.
• Test complex integrations across mobile, web, APIs, and distributed microservices-based systems.
• Own and govern defect lifecycle management, including root cause analysis and systemic quality improvements.
• Perform manual testing where needed to establish baselines and validate automation coverage.
• Architect, design, and evolve scalable automated test frameworks and suites across technologies.
• Validate complex API and web-based systems that integrate with back-end and third-party services.
• Create, maintain, and audit automated test assets, ensuring reliability, coverage, and maintainability.
• Design and integrate automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous quality feedback.
• Partner with engineering teams to embed testability and quality requirements throughout the SDLC.
• Reproduce, debug, and isolate complex issues, validating fixes across environments.
• Work cross-functionally in a disciplined agile environment to ensure alignment on quality objectives.
• Estimate and plan testing activities while independently driving execution across multiple initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and structured coaching to SQA engineers and SDETs.
• Conduct detailed code reviews and audits of automation frameworks, test design, and implementation quality.
• Establish and enforce quality standards, best practices, and governance across teams.
• Participate in and lead performance testing strategies and analysis for web service architectures.
• Analyze test logs, telemetry, and metrics to improve coverage, reliability, and system quality.
• Perform and guide security and penetration testing practices in collaboration with security teams.
• Lead load, performance, and stress testing efforts, including bottleneck identification and optimization guidance.
• Ensure adherence to high-quality standards, compliance requirements, and audit readiness where applicable.
• Document processes, standards, and frameworks to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Effectively articulate technical challenges and solutions across systems, integrations, and architectures.
• Propose and drive improvements to processes, tooling, and automation to increase efficiency, reduce toil, and improve quality outcomes.
• Other duties may be assigned

What we're looking for

• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills with ability to influence across multi-functional organizations.
• Ability to operate effectively in high-pressure environments while defining scalable, long-term solutions.
• Demonstrated track record of defining, implementing, and governing enterprise-level SQA processes.
• Proven track record in high-visibility, client-facing environments supporting multiple systems and technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries and influence without authority.
• Strong problem-solving skills with ability to operate in ambiguity and drive clarity through structure and strategy.
• High ownership mindset, creativity, and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• BS/MS degree or equivalent.
• 10+ years industry experience in QA, SDET, or Software Engineering roles with significant impact across teams or programs.
• Strong knowledge of software development methodologies and modern engineering practices.
• Experience with Build, Configuration, Change, and Release Management processes.
• Extensive experience with TDD/BDD and modern quality engineering practices.
• Strong understanding of full SDLC and quality engineering integration points.
• Proven experience with Python and Behave, or Java and Selenium, or similar technologies.
• Experience with JMeter, BrowserStack, LambdaTest or similar tools.
• Experience working with microservices architectures and API testing tools such as Postman/Insomnia.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills across performance, reliability, and system stability.
• Ability to identify automation gaps, tooling needs, and drive efficiency improvements across development processes.
• Strong experience with Agile, CI/CD, and DevOps tooling such as Jira, Bitbucket, Bamboo, or equivalents.
• Demonstrated ability to define and track quality metrics and drive continuous improvement.
• Experience conducting audits, reviews, and enforcing engineering quality standards.
• Certification from ISTQB or equivalent is a strong plus.

Pay TransparencyIf provided, base salary or wage rate ranges are the range in which Align reasonably expects to set a candidate’s pay for the posted position. Actual placement depends on the individual skills and experience level of a candidate plus the total compensation and equity across team members. For other locations outside of the primary location, the base salary range will be adjusted geographically. For Field Sales roles, the salary listed is the base pay only and does not include the applicable incentive compensation plan. A cost of living adjustment may be added to base pay for higher cost areas in the U.S. Our internship hourly rates are a standard pay determined based on the position and your location, year in school, degree, and experience.

General Description of All BenefitsWe are pleased to provide a general description of the benefits Align offers to full-time employees in this position. Family Benefits. Align offers employees and their eligible dependents medical (with a Health Savings Account option for some plan offerings), dental, and vision in accordance with those plans. Align also offers to employees:

• Discounts on Invisalign and Vivera to employees and their eligible dependents after 90 days of employment
• Back-up Child/Elder Care and access to a caregiving concierge
• Family Forming Benefits – Available to Employees, and their spouse or domestic partner, covered under one of Align’s health plans
• Breast Milk Delivery and Lactation Support Services
• Employee Assistance Program
• Hinge Health Virtual Physical Therapy – Available to all employees and eligible dependents (age 18+) enrolled in an Align medical Plan

Employee benefits. Align offers its employees:

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance in accordance with those plans.
• Basic Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment. Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse/Domestic Partner, and Child(ren) are available for purchase in accordance with those plans.
• Flexible Spending Accounts – Employees may be eligible to participate in a health care account (including a limited health FSA if enrolled in a HDHP), dependent care account, and a pre-tax commuter benefit plan.
• 401k plan (with a discretionary Company match of 50% up to 6% of eligible earnings up to a maximum match of 3%.). Employer match vests after two years – 25% year one and 100% at year two. Align offers traditional, Roth, and after-tax options.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (Employees must work 20 hours or more and be employed on purchase date to be eligible).
• Paid vacation of up to 17 days during the first full year of employment (currently accrued at the rate of 5.24 hours each pay-period), which carries over to a maximum cap of 30 days. Annual paid vacation time accrual increases based on tenure. Both exempt and non-exempt employees who work 32 hours or more per week receive prorated vacation accrual based on their regularly scheduled work hours and tenure.
• Sick time is accrued throughout the year at the rate of one hour for every thirty worked. Employees can carry over unused sick leave each year, up to a maximum balance of 80 hours.
• 11 Company-designated paid holidays throughout the year.
• If employed for at least 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 6 weeks of paid Parental Leave. If employed for less than 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 4 weeks of paid Parental Leave. All parental leave must be completed within one year of the birth or placement of the child. Parental leave is in addition to any state and/or local parental leave benefits. Three days of paid bereavement leave. In some cases, due to travel the amount of paid leave may be extended to 5 paid days off. To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.
• Non-exempt employees will receive full pay for up to 10 days of jury duty. Exempt employees will receive their full salary during any week they serve and perform any work. Other insurance such as legal, critical illness, voluntary accident, long-term care, auto, home and pet insurance are available for purchase.

To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.