Quality Assurance Architect

Location: AZ_Mesa_HQ Who we are... Verra Mobility is a global leader in smart mobility. We develop technology-enabled solutions that help the world move safely and easily. We are fostering the development of safe cities, working with police departments and municipalities to install over 4,000 red-light, speed, and school bus stop arm safety cameras across North America. We are also creating smart roadways, serving the world's largest commercial fleets and rental car companies to manage tolling transactions and violations for over 8.5 million vehicles. And we are a leading provider of connected systems, processing nearly 165 million transactions each year across 50+ individual tolling authorities. Culture Verra Mobility Corporation is a dynamic, entrepreneurial company that operates with a people-first philosophy and approach. The company lives by its core values—Do What’s Right, Choose Courage Over Comfort, Win Together, and Own It—in everything it does for its customers and team members. The company seeks to grow, both organically and through acquisition, to continue to be the undisputed market leader with a bias for action, customer focus, teamwork, drive for results, and commitment to excellence. Position Overview The QA Architect owns the vision, strategy, and hands on execution of quality engineering across the Platform, Credential, and Violations portfolios, reporting to the Senior Enterprise Architect. This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports: influence comes from technical credibility and direct partnership rather than organizational authority. You will personally build automation frameworks, write and review test code, and work directly inside a squad when a team needs help, including training engineers, pairing on hard problems, and doing the work directly when that is what moves a team forward fastest. Essential Responsibilities Quality Strategy & Standards Own the QA Vision: Define and own the enterprise QA vision and long term automation strategy across Platform, Credential, and Violations, informed by the shift left principle. Establish the Testing Standard: Establish the testing pyramid and automation approach, spanning unit, integration, contract, end to end, performance, and non functional testing, as a consistent standard while allowing for legitimate portfolio differences. Extend Strategy to Asynchronous Systems: Extend the quality tooling roadmap to test and validation strategies for asynchronous, event driven, and message based integrations, not only synchronous request and response calls. Hands On Execution Build Shared Frameworks: Personally build and maintain core automation frameworks and shared test libraries, and write and review test code, automation scripts, and test plans directly alongside squad engineers. Unblock Teams Directly: Step in directly when a team lacks the automation skill or capacity to implement the strategy, pairing with engineers, running training sessions, or writing the initial test suite to get a squad unstuck. Guide Non Functional Testing: Perform and guide non functional testing, including load, stress, performance, and basic security testing informed by OWASP principles, for services where the risk profile warrants it. Cross Portfolio Partnership Partner Without Authority: Work directly with QA Leads and Tech Leads across Platform, Credential, and Violations to implement the QA strategy in each specific context, leading through technical standards, coaching, and hands on partnership rather than direct reporting lines. Resolve Cross Portfolio Dependencies: Identify and resolve cross portfolio testing dependencies, for example ensuring Credential and Violations squads can reliably test the integration points between eligibility, provisioning, and citation workflows. Represent QA in Architecture: Represent QA in the Architecture CoE, flagging where automation or quality standards need to evolve, and track quality metrics such as defect escape rate, automation coverage, test execution time, and change failure rate. We’re looking for a hands on quality engineering leader with a proven track record of building automation strategy and capability from the ground up. The ideal candidate will bring the following capabilities: Automation Architecture Deep, current hands on ability to design and build test automation frameworks and shared libraries, not only maintain existing ones. Asynchronous Test Design Experience designing test and validation strategies for asynchronous, event driven, and message based integrations, not only synchronous REST and SOAP calls. Data Quality Fluency Working knowledge of test data management and data quality validation practices for shared or regulated datasets. Migration Testing Experience designing regression and cutover test strategies for live system migrations. Influence Without Authority Experience setting technical direction across multiple teams without direct command and control authority, leading primarily through credibility and hands on partnership. Executive Communication Strong written and verbal communication that translates quality strategy for engineers and portfolio or enterprise leadership alike. Qualifications Experience: 8+ years in QA, quality engineering, or software engineering, including 4+ years focused specifically on test automation strategy and architecture. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience required. Hands On Ability: Deep, current hands on ability is essential; candidates must be comfortable writing production quality automation code today, including stepping directly into a squad’s codebase and shipping tests. Testing Expertise: Senior level knowledge of testing processes, principles, and techniques at an ISTQB or equivalent depth, along with strong proficiency in QA automation and scripting using current tooling, with Python, pytest, and Playwright strongly preferred over older frameworks. Automation Craft: Excellent command of automation best practices, including clean coding and the Test Automation Pyramid, along with the judgment to know when to deviate from them. Non Functional & Security Testing: Working knowledge of non functional testing, including load, stress, and endurance testing, and basic security testing informed by OWASP fundamentals, along with practical, current experience with SQL, REST and SOAP APIs, CI/CD tooling, and browser and mobile testing tools. Asynchronous & Data Testing: Experience designing test and validation strategies for asynchronous, event driven, and message based integrations, along with working knowledge of test data management and data quality validation practices for shared or regulated datasets. Domain Expertise (Preferred): ISTQB or ASTQB certification, or a more advanced credential, is preferred, along with experience establishing a QA or automation function from an earlier or less mature state. Experience in mobility, transportation, tolling, parking, or other high volume transaction processing industries is a plus, as is familiarity with compliance relevant testing considerations such as PCI DSS and data privacy. Migration & Vendor Evaluation (Preferred): Experience designing regression and cutover test strategies for live system migrations is also a plus, as is experience evaluating third party test automation or quality tooling vendors, including basic build versus buy judgment. Verra Mobility Values An ideal candidate for this role naturally works in alignment with the Verra Mobility Core Values: Own It: We focus on high performance and drive toward breakthrough outcomes. Our employees ensure accountability, optimize and align work, focus on the customer, and cultivate innovation. Do What’s Right: We champion integrity and good character. Our team members model ethical behavior, demonstrate good judgment and are courageous. Choose Courage Over Comfort: We lean into the conversations, decisions and actions that move the business forward, even when they feel uncomfortable. We challenge assumptions, address issues early and prioritize progress over ease. Win Together: We believe in growing and inspiring people together. We seek people who collaborate, value differences, think and act globally, foster an engaging work environment, and recognize and develop others. Verra Mobility Values An ideal candidate for this role naturally works in alignment with the Verra Mobility Core Values: Own It. We focus on high performance and drive toward breakthrough outcomes. Our employees ensure accountability, optimize and align work, focus on the customer, and cultivate innovation. Do What’s Right. We champion integrity and good character. Our team members model ethical behavior, demonstrate good judgment and are courageous. Choose Courage Over Comfort. We lean into the conversations, decisions and actions that move the business forward, even when they feel uncomfortable. We challenge assumptions, address issues early and prioritize progress over ease. Win Together. We believe in growing and inspiring people together. We seek people who collaborate, value differences, think and act globally, foster an engaging work environment, and recognize and develop others. With your explicit consent which you provided as part of the application process, we will retain candidate personal data solely for the business purpose for which it was collected. In no event will we retain such data more than two (2) years following the closure of the recruitment process relating to the role for which you applied or in the event other related job opportunities arise within the company. Verra Mobility Applicant Privacy Notice Verra Mobility is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. .