Lead Software Engineer

We're seeking an experienced lead developer with strong Java development and test lead skills to drive our testing automation strategy across FINRA's enterprise applications. This hands‑on role (approximately 40% QA strategy/leadership, 50% automation and test case development, 10% code reviews) combines quality leadership with advanced technical capabilities to champion best practices, implement automation frameworks, and influence stakeholders at all levels. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience with test automation tools and a passion for building quality into our diverse application portfolio, including Workday HCM and Finance systems.

Description

This position supports multiple Corporate Systems application teams across FINRA's enterprise, working with a diverse portfolio including SaaS, COTS, and custom-built software. The successful candidate will provide both direct hands‑on support and influence‑based leadership to 10+ analysts and developers across multiple peer teams, requiring strong communication skills to drive outcomes and champion quality practices. Key technical requirements include advanced hands‑on development capabilities, deep quality assurance practice knowledge, and the ability to understand application architectures to assess risk, set strategy, and communicate priorities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Define, implement, and evolve test automation strategy across multiple application teams.
• Lead Workday test automation and tool evaluation for HCM and Finance functional areas.
• Develop and maintain automated test cases and frameworks for both custom‑built applications and Workday systems.
• Mentor engineers and developers on testing best practices.
• Collaborate with application teams to integrate quality practices throughout the development lifecycle.
• Establish and track quality metrics, presenting findings to executive leadership.
• Drive cultural change around quality practices and shift‑left testing adoption.
• Software QA experience as well as being in a lead capacity role setting testing direction and mentoring others.
• Deep, hands‑on expertise designing, building, and maintaining test automation frameworks using tools (such as Playwright, Cucumber, or Selenium).
• Strong coding skills (Java preferred) with ability to develop, review, and maintain automation code.
• Experience defining and implementing comprehensive test strategies covering functional, integration, regression, and performance testing, including test data management and shift‑left testing practices.
• Strong communication and influence skills to champion quality practices and drive outcomes across multiple teams and stakeholders, up to senior leadership.
• Software QA experience with experience as well in a lead capacity role setting testing direction and mentoring others.
• Deep, hands‑on expertise designing, building, and maintaining test automation frameworks using tools (such as Playwright, Cucumber, or Selenium).
• Strong coding skills (Java preferred) with ability to develop, review, and maintain automation code.
• Experience defining and implementing comprehensive test strategies covering functional, integration, regression, and performance testing, including test data management and shift‑left testing practices.
• Workday testing experience across HCM and/or Finance functional areas (Kainos Smart Test or Opkey)
• Experience building test automation/frameworks and test data management for closed SaaS ecosystems.
• Experience with AWS and CI/CD pipelines for test automation (Jenkins and GitLab).

Education / Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline with at least 7 years of related experience, or equivalent training and/or work experience.
• Strong system design experience
• Strong experience in object‑oriented development
• Strong experience with cloud technologies
• Strong experience in data storage technologies
• Strong experience in performance tuning and optimization
• Strong experience in DevOps and CI\CD technologies
• Strong experience test automation and unit testing
• Strong experience software security

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work environment, with defined in‑person presence requirements.
• Occasional travel and extended hours may be required.

Salary

For work that is performed in CO, FL, TX, IL, PA, MA, MD, VA, Washington, DC, NY and NJ, please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. FINRA complies with all state and local pay transparency laws and regulations requiring the disclosure of salary ranges for the position. In addition to location, actual compensation is based on various factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s skill set, level of experience, education, and market considerations.
CO/FL/TX: Minimum Salary $114,200, Maximum Salary $207,200
IL/PA: Minimum Salary $125,900, Maximum Salary $228,000
MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $238,300
NY/NJ: Minimum Salary $131,200, Maximum Salary $248,700

Time Off and Paid Leave

FINRA encourages its employees to focus on their health and wellness in many ways, including through a generous time‑off program of 15 days of paid time off, 5 personal days and 9 sick days, unless otherwise required by law (all pro‑rated in the first year). Additionally, we are proud to support our communities by providing two volunteer service days (based on full‑time schedule). Other paid leave includes military leave, jury duty leave, bereavement leave, voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections, care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment); and childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment). Full‑time employees receive nine paid holidays.

Important Information

FINRA’s Code of Conduct imposes restrictions on employees’ investments and requires financial disclosures that are uniquely related to our role as a securities regulator. FINRA employees are required to disclose to FINRA all brokerage accounts that they maintain, and those in which they control trading or have a financial interest (including any trust account of which they are a trustee or beneficiary and all accounts of a spouse, domestic partner or minor child who lives with the employee) and to authorize their broker‑dealers to provide FINRA with duplicate statements for all of those accounts. All of those accounts are subject to the Code’s investment and securities account restrictions, and new employees must comply with those investment restrictions—including disposing of any security issued by a company on FINRA’s Prohibited Company List or obtaining a written waiver from their Executive Vice President—by the date they begin employment with FINRA. Employees may only maintain securities accounts that must be disclosed to FINRA at one or more securities firms that provide an electronic feed (e‑feed) of data to FINRA, and must move securities accounts from other securities firms to a firm that provides an e‑feed within three months of beginning employment.
You can read more about these restrictions here.
As standard practice, employees must also execute FINRA’s Employee Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement without qualification or modification and comply with the company’s policy on nepotism.

Legal / Equal Opportunity

FINRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected category, including race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex, or any other status or classification protected by state or local law.
FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability‑related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA’s Employee Relations team at 240‑386‑4865 or by email at Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding accommodations in the application process.
FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.
FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.

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