QA Engineer

Charles Schwab; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Competitive benefits package

Bonus opportunities

Job summary

Charles Schwab is seeking a QA Manager in Software Development & Engineering to lead testing strategy and execution for trading and margin-related applications. You will mentor QA engineers, drive test planning, and ensure release readiness through cross-functional collaboration with development teams, business analysts, and product owners.

The role emphasizes on-site collaboration in Chicago and strong leadership across the SDLC to strengthen acceptance criteria and testing standards.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software testing or Quality Assurance experience with test planning and release validation.
• Demonstrated expertise in margin concepts in financial/trading systems.
• Understanding of order and trade lifecycle across equities, options, futures, FX, or crypto.
• Experience with problem solving, root-cause analysis, and risk mitigation for defects and release issues.
• Ability to lead manual and automated testing and produce high-quality documentation.
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead test planning and execution for QA initiatives.
• Establish effective testing strategies and risk-based testing approaches.
• Guide defect resolution prior to production releases.
• Mentor QA engineers and improve testing standards.
• Collaborate with development teams, analysts, and partners across SDLC.

Skills

Software testing

Margin concepts

Order/trade lifecycle

Option-matching strategies

Problem solving

Root-cause analysis

Manual & automated testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Decision making

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related discipline

Tools

Windows

Linux

UNIX

Oracle

REST APIs

Swagger

MongoDB

PostgreSQL

Jira

Job description

Your opportunity

At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us challenge the status quo and transform the finance industry together. We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in the specified location(s).

As a QA Manager, Software Development & Engineering, you will help protect the quality and reliability of applications supporting complex trading and margin-related capabilities. You will lead test planning and execution, establish effective testing strategies, identify risks, and guide defect resolution before software is released to production.

Working closely with QA engineers, application development teams, business analysts, product owners, and external technology partners, you will apply Quality Assurance, Problem Solving, and Cross-Functional Collaboration to strengthen acceptance criteria and deliver high-quality test plans and test cases. You will use sound Decision Making to evaluate testing approaches, environments, tools, and release readiness.

This role also provides an opportunity to mentor QA engineers, improve testing standards, and recommend process or technical changes. Your leadership will promote consistent execution, stronger partnerships, and continuous improvement across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

What you have

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of software testing or Quality Assurance experience, including test planning, test-case development, defect management, and release validation
• Demonstrated expertise in margin concepts and their application within financial or trading systems
• Understanding of the order and trade lifecycle across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange, or cryptocurrency
• Understanding of option-matching strategies
• Experience performing Problem Solving, root-cause analysis, and Risk Mitigation for software defects and release issues
• Ability to lead manual and automated testing activities and produce high-quality testing documentation
• Ability to collaborate with application development teams, business analysts, product owners, and internal or external technology partners
• Strong Analytical Thinking, Decision Making, Communication, and Attention to Detail
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience managing small-to-medium-sized projects
• Experience providing technical leadership, mentoring QA engineers, and coordinating work across distributed or offshore testing teams
• Knowledge of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), product lifecycles, test environments, and system integrations
• Experience with Windows, Linux, UNIX, Oracle, REST APIs, Swagger, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, or Jira
• Experience supporting release planning, implementation timelines, defect tracking, and Process Improvement
• Strong financial markets or operations knowledge
• Ability to serve as a Subject Matter Expert and provide guidance across projects and initiatives

In addition to the salary range, this role is eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.

What’s in it for you

At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration—so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.

We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you – both today and in the future:

• 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
• Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
• Paid parental leave and family building benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health, dental, and vision insurance