Principal QA Automation Engineer

Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 121,389 - 151,563; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k match up to 6%

Tuition Reimbursement

Six-week Paid Sabbatical

Comprehensive health benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC in Chicago seeks a QA Automation Engineer to design and maintain testing frameworks for web, mobile, and APIs. The ideal candidate has over 8 years of experience in software quality assurance and test automation, along with proficiency in Java, Python, and CI/CD integration.

This role offers a hybrid work environment and competitive benefits, including a comprehensive health plan, 401k matching, and a six-week paid sabbatical.

Qualifications

• 8 years in software quality assurance and test automation.
• Experience with exploratory and integration testing.
• Ability to write test automation scripts in JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or Java.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute automated tests for various applications.
• Lead automated testing frameworks across platforms.
• Monitor application metrics to identify risks.

Skills

Test Automation

Exploratory Testing

CI/CD Pipelines

Monitoring Tools

Scripting Languages

Cloud Environments

QA Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or related field

Tools

Selenium/Webdriver

TestNG

JUnit

Job description

Job Duties

• Develop and execute automated tests for user interfaces, APIs, and mobile applications using industry-standard automation frameworks (5%).
• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of enterprise-grade automated testing frameworks and tools across web, mobile, and API platforms (10%).
• Conduct structured exploratory testing to uncover edge‑case scenarios and proactively identify gaps in automated and manual test coverage (5%).
• Collaborate with product managers, developers, and DevOps teams to ensure quality standards and testing coverage (10%).
• Stay current with evolving test automation trends and mentor junior team members in QA best practices (5%).
• Drive QA strategy and set standards for test coverage, performance, security, and reliability across 6 AWS environments supporting 200M+ monthly requests (20%).
• Build and execute complex automated test suites using modern languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or Java (5%).
• Implement automated visual regression, integration, and exploratory testing to safeguard brand‑critical user experiences (5%).
• Integrate automated test suites in over 5+ CI/CD pipelines supporting release confidence and early bug detection (10%).
• Execute comprehensive integration testing across internal systems and third‑party platforms to validate seamless interoperability and data flow (5%).
• Monitor 100+ key application metrics and synthetic tests daily using observability platforms to proactively identify degradation or downtime risks (10%).
• Review content‑driven applications and participate in quality assurance for content management system workflows (5%).
• Produce and maintain test plans, execution reports, and audit‑ready documentation using industry‑standard project management tools (5%).

Remote work requests will be considered consistent with company's remote work policy.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field, or a foreign equivalent, and 8 years of experience in software quality assurance, test automation, and QA strategy development.
• 8 years of experience with development and execution of automated test cases for web, mobile, and API applications.
• 8 years of experience writing test automation scripts using scripting or programming languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or Java.
• 8 years of experience using issue tracking and project collaboration platforms for QA documentation and defect lifecycle management.
• 5 years of experience with performance of exploratory and integration testing with external enterprise platforms.
• 5 years of experience designing and maintaining automation within CI/CD pipelines using industry‑standard tools.
• 4 years of experience working with cloud environments, including quality assurance in cloud‑native applications (e.g., on AWS or similar).
• 4 years of experience building QA automation frameworks.
• 4 years of experience with object‑oriented programming.
• 4 years of experience with tools such as Selenium/Webdriver, TestNG, and JUnit.
• 3 years of experience validating workflows in content management systems.
• 3 years of experience applying monitoring and observability tools to assess system health and performance.
• 3 years of experience implementing visual validation tests using automated regression testing tools.
• Will accept any suitable combination of education, training, and experience.
• Must possess unrestricted right to work in the U.S.

Compensation and Benefits

Base Salary Compensation Range: $121,389 - $151,563

• 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
• Stock Ownership Potential
• Company provided life insurance – 1x salary + commission
• Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company‑provided HSA contributions (up to $500‑$2,000 annually)
• Additional medical Wellness Incentives – up to $300–$600 annual
• Company‑provided long‑ and short‑term disability insurance
• Trust‑Based Time Off – 6‑week 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 – $1,000 annually to cover personal education & well‑being expenses
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Social Health Charitable Matching Gifts program – Dollar for Doers volunteer program, Paid volunteering days 15+
• Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

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 perks 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Morningstar is an equal opportunity employer. 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.

US Applicants: Morningstar is an E-Verify program participant. Right to Work (English) Right to Work (Spanish). EEO is the Law Pay Transparency Notice. 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.