Associate QA Automation Engineer

Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k match

Life insurance

Health benefits

Wellness programs

Educational assistance

Job summary

Morningstar Inc. in Chicago is seeking an Associate QA Automation Engineer to join the Investment Management Technology team.

You will design, develop, and execute automated tests for web, API, cloud, and AI-enabled applications to ensure high quality software across the lifecycle. Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and other quality engineers to identify risks, expand test coverage, and improve automation frameworks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain automated tests for web apps, APIs, and backend services.
• Create and execute functional, integration, regression, and end-to-end tests based on requirements.
• Partner with engineers and product teams to identify quality risks early in the SDLC.
• Develop and enhance reusable test automation frameworks and utilities.
• Perform exploratory and manual testing when appropriate and identify automation opportunities.
• Validate REST APIs, data integrations, cloud-native apps, and asynchronous workflows.
• Contribute to CI/CD quality controls by integrating tests into pipelines.
• Investigate, document, and communicate defects with developers to root cause issues.
• Participate in code reviews and improve testing practices.

Skills

QA Automation

Java

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

Git

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Selenium

Playwright

Cypress

TestNG/JUnit

Job description

The Role At Morningstar, helping investors is what brings us together and drives our work. We are looking for an Associate QA Automation Engineer to join our Investment Management Technology team in Chicago. In this role, you will help ensure the delivery of high-quality software by designing, developing, and executing automated testing solutions across modern web, API, cloud, and AI-enabled applications. You will partner closely with software engineers, product managers, and fellow quality engineers to validate functionality, improve test coverage, identify risks, and enhance software quality throughout the development lifecycle. The ideal candidate combines a strong quality mindset with coding and automation skills, is curious about how systems work, and enjoys solving complex technical problems. As our platforms continue to evolve with cloud technologies and Generative AI capabilities, you will have opportunities to contribute to the testing and quality assurance of innovative AI-powered solutions. This position is based in our Chicago office.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain automated tests for web applications, APIs, backend services, and end-to-end business workflows.
• Create and execute functional, integration, regression, and end-to-end test plans based on business and technical requirements.
• Partner with engineers and product teams to identify quality risks early in the software development lifecycle.
• Develop and enhance reusable test automation frameworks and supporting utilities.
• Perform exploratory and manual testing when appropriate and identify opportunities to automate repetitive testing activities.
• Validate REST APIs, data integrations, cloud-native applications, and asynchronous workflows.
• Contribute to CI/CD quality controls by integrating automated tests into deployment pipelines.
• Investigate, document, and communicate defects while collaborating with development teams to identify root causes and resolutions.
• Participate in code reviews and continuously improve testing, automation, and engineering best practices.
• Work with cloud-based technologies, including AWS services, to support testing and troubleshooting efforts.
• Support the validation of AI-powered applications, including large language model (LLM) integrations, AI agents, and intelligent automation solutions.
• Develop test approaches for AI-enabled systems, evaluating areas such as response quality, accuracy, reliability, grounding, and workflow effectiveness.
• Explore emerging AI-assisted engineering and testing tools to improve automation efficiency, quality, and productivity.
• Stay current with industry trends and advancements in quality engineering, automation, cloud technologies, and AI.

Qualifications

• Required Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 1-2 years of experience in QA Automation, Software Engineering, SDET, or a related technical role.
• Understanding of software quality assurance principles, testing methodologies, and software development best practices.
• Experience programming in at least one language such as Java, Python, C#, JavaScript, or TypeScript.
• Experience building and maintaining automated tests using tools such as Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, TestNG, JUnit, or similar frameworks.
• Experience testing APIs, web applications, and backend services.
• Familiarity with source control systems such as Git and modern CI/CD practices.
• Exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.
• A continuous learning mindset and curiosity for emerging technologies.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with AWS-based applications and services.
• Exposure to Generative AI, machine learning, or AI-enabled software applications.
• Familiarity with AI development platforms such as Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI APIs, or similar technologies.
• Experience validating AI applications involving prompts, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), tool calling, AI agents, or knowledge-based systems.
• Experience with AI-assisted development and testing tools.
• Personal or professional projects demonstrating the practical application of Generative AI technologies.

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health: 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
• Stock Ownership: Potential Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
• Physical Health: Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
• Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
• Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
• Emotional Health Trust-Based Time Off
• Paid Sabbatical Program 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave Adoption Assistance
• Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
• Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
• Tuition Reimbursement Social Health Charitable Matching Gifts program Dollars for Doers volunteer program Paid volunteering days 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range $59,900.00-87,850.00 Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive.

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

Company overview

001_MstarInc Morningstar Inc. Legal Entity Morningstar is a global independent investment research and financial data company. Here, you'll help uncover what’s hidden, simplify what’s complex, and create insights that empower investor success. Company overview Morningstar Development Program

Morningstar is strongly committed to creating and preserving equal opportunity for all employees and applicants.

We make all employment decisions—including recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and other personnel matters—without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship, gender identity and expression, parental status, or other legally protected characteristics or conduct.