Director of Quality Engineering
Our client is looking for a Director of Quality Engineering to lead and scale Quality Engineering, Performance Testing, Release Engineering, and Technical Documentation functions, while supporting the establishment and growth of a new engineering site in Costa Rica.
This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role responsible for defining how quality is embedded across the engineering organization. The role requires strong influence across teams, close collaboration with U.S.-based engineering groups, and the ability to build high-performing local teams that integrate seamlessly within a distributed environment. As a senior leader at the Costa Rica site, this role will also champion company culture, collaboration, and operational excellence.
The ideal candidate is a trusted leader, strong collaborator, and data-driven change agent with the ability to influence without relying on formal authority.
Key Responsibilities
Quality & Engineering Leadership
• Define and execute the long-term vision for Quality Engineering, Performance Testing, Release Engineering, and Technical Documentation
• Lead the transition to an automation-first testing strategy across the organization
• Embed quality practices throughout the software development lifecycle in partnership with Engineering and Product leadership
• Establish scalable performance engineering strategies, including load, stress, and scalability testing
• Own and continuously improve release engineering processes across cloud and on-prem environments
• Drive adoption of modern methodologies, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled quality tools
• Define quality standards, metrics, KPIs, and accountability frameworks
• Develop executive and team-level dashboards to communicate quality posture, trends, and business impact
• Use data and analytics to proactively identify quality risks and improvement opportunities
People & Site Leadership
• Support the establishment and scaling of the Costa Rica engineering site
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing engineering leaders and teams
• Build strong collaboration models between Costa Rica–based and U.S.–based teams
• Serve as a cultural ambassador, promoting company values and inclusive leadership practices
• Partner with HR and executive leadership to ensure compliance with local labor laws and employment practices
• Coach and mentor engineering leaders on quality practices across teams
Required Qualifications
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in senior leadership roles managing managers
• Deep expertise in quality engineering, test automation, performance testing, and release management
• Proven ability to influence without authority in complex, matrixed environments
• Strong experience leading remote and distributed teams
• Advanced data analysis and visualization skills, including executive dashboard development
• Strong business acumen, including budgeting, resource planning, and operational oversight
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Fluency in English and local language(s)
• Experience with Agile, DevOps, and modern engineering practices
Highly Desired Qualifications
• Experience managing engineering operations in Costa Rica or similar international environments
• Background in cybersecurity and/or networking
• Proven success transforming quality practices in decentralized organizations
• Advanced analytics experience using BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker, Power BI)
• Hands-on experience with modern tech stacks and cloud-native architectures
Technology Stack
JavaScript, Kotlin, Haskell, Cypress, Kubernetes, Kustomize, Argo, Concourse, GitHub