Quality Engineering SDET Architect

About the role:

As our Quality Engineering Architect, you will define the strategic direction of our test automation capabilities, establish architectural standards, and guide our SDET team in building scalable, maintainable testing solutions that serve multiple product teams across our platform.

About us:

At 8am, our vision is to power a world where professionals thrive. We start every day on a mission to empower professionals with the most trusted, innovative technology to deliver world-class outcomes for their clients and exceptional financial results for their business. They count on our purpose-built solutions to simplify operations, ensure compliance, and fuel profitable growth, so they can focus on their clients and do more of the work that matters.

Founded in 2005, 8am™ (formerly AffiniPay) is the professional business platform built to help legal, accounting, and other client-focused professionals run stronger, more profitable businesses. Today, more than 250,000 professionals across the U.S. trust 8am to help them work smarter, serve clients better, and unlock their full potential. We have been recognized as one of Inc 5000’s fastest growing companies in the U.S. for 13 years in a row, and as a result, our teams continue to grow as well!

What you'll do:

• Design and build from scratch a comprehensive Python-based test automation framework that establishes new standards for quality engineering across the organization
• Define architectural guidelines, patterns, and best practices for test automation that scale across multiple teams and deployment environments
• Create reusable, modular tooling and libraries that enable both SDETs and QEs to efficiently develop and maintain test automation
• Establish technical standards for test code quality, maintainability, and performance
• Serve as the technical liaison between the QE organization and the Architecture Team, translating complex technical requirements and constraints
• Present architectural decisions and technical roadmaps to both highly technical audiences (Architecture Team, Senior Engineers) and non-technical stakeholders (Product Managers, Business Leaders)
• Document architectural decisions, design patterns, and implementation guidelines for various technical audiences
• Lead architectural review sessions and provide technical guidance on automation development strategies
• Partner with development team product owners and engineering managers to align testing architecture with business objectives
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to integrate testing seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines using Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure
• Mentor senior SDETs and quality engineers on architectural best practices and advanced Python development
• Work with leadership to prioritize architectural initiatives across multiple teams and products
• Humble attitude; understanding that good ideas can come from anywhere
• Develop sophisticated test automation solutions leveraging Python, PyTest, and modern testing frameworks
• Design and implement cloud-native testing solutions on AWS infrastructure
• Integrate AI-powered tooling responsibly while maintaining deterministic test behavior
• Ensure seamless integration with existing tools (Jira, DataDog, Sentry) and monitoring systems

About you:

• 10+ years of software quality engineering experience with significant focus on SaaS platforms
• Demonstrated experience architecting and building test automation frameworks from scratch, including initial design, implementation, and organizational rollout
• Expert-level Python proficiency with deep understanding of software design patterns, architecture principles, and best practices
• Proven track record of making and defending architectural decisions that impact multiple teams
• Advanced Python development skills including:
• Strong expertise in PyTest and modern Python testing paradigms
• Extensive experience with:
  • Linux/Unix systems and command-line interfaces
  • Kubernetes and container orchestration
  • CI/CD pipeline design (Jenkins, CircleCI)
  • Cloud platforms (AWS preferred)
  • Modern testing frameworks (Playwright, Selenium)
• Experience with:
  • Application performance testing
  • Development and specification of Key Performance Indicators
• Exceptional ability to communicate with diverse technical audiences:
  • Experience leading cross-functional technical initiatives
  • Strong skills in technical writing and specification development
  • Proven ability to influence technical direction without direct authority
• Deep understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies at scale
• Experience with owning technical development guidelines within a team
• Experience with distributed team coordination
• Strong project management and prioritization skills
• Ability to balance technical excellence with delivery timelines

Bonus Points: 

• Experience with financial services, payment processing, or PCI compliance requirements
• Familiarity with AI/ML testing strategies and responsible AI implementation
• Professional certifications (ISTQB, CSTE, AWS Solutions Architect)
• Open source contribution experience
• Experience building developer tools and internal platforms

Why 8am 

At 8am, our culture is shaped by the people who bring it to life every day. Together, we build a company rooted in continuous learning, genuine community, holistic wellness, and meaningful engagement—values that empower us as individuals and unite us as a team. Our culture is grounded in our core values: Work Smart, Win Fast; Outshine Ordinary, and We Find a Way. These values drive how we serve our customers and work with each other in a collaborative, inspiring, and empowering environment, every day.

Here’s how we support our 8Team:

• Health Insurance Coverage: We offer our 8Team a variety of medical, dental, and vision plans, designed to fit your needs, including a 100% company-paid HDHP plan for employees.
• Financial perks: We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package including annual bonuses, equity options and 401(k) or RRSP if in Canada, with a company match for all team members.
• Time for what matters: Flexible Time Off, paid holidays, and a parental leave program for our new parents.
• Wellness: Wellness stipends, mental health support, and one-on-one nutrition coaching.
• Learning and Development: Continuous learning through 8am.edu, leadership programs, professional development funds, and individually focused talent development.
• Giving back to the communities around us: Participate in our charitable matching gift program, paid time off for volunteer service, and company-sponsored volunteer events (both local and virtually).
• Engagement: Virtual and in-person team-building events, quarterly award recognition through our Rise & Shine Award of Excellence Program, and our peer-to-peer appreciation platform.

At 8am, we don’t just offer benefits—we create an environment where people can thrive, grow, and make a real impact every day.

Diversity, equity & inclusion at 8am

At 8am, we recognize that innovation occurs with a strong team of people who are diverse in background, personality, talent and ideas. Experience comes in many forms and ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace where we continue to learn from each other is an integral part of our culture. We are committed to creating a welcoming and transparent environment for all that embraces those differences through education, equal access to opportunities and information, inclusionary programs, and community outreach. 

Security advisory

Our hiring teams at 8am are dedicated to recruiting top talent that share our passion for serving the professional services industry through innovative financial technology.  As such, our Talent Acquisition Team only follows legitimate hiring practices.  We will always communicate with our candidates using emails with the 8am domain and will never ask for sensitive/personal data during the application process.  All interviews take place over phone call, Zoom/Google Meet or in person.  All offers are communicated verbally by our Talent Acquisition Specialists with a written offer letter as a follow up.