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# Lead Associate Principal, Software Engineering: Software Development Test (SDET)

- **Company:** The Options Clearing Corporation
- **Location:** Chicago, IL, United States (Remote available)
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $122,500.0 - $204,600.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), JavaScript (Programming Language), Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Agile Methodology, Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, JIRA, Automation of Tests, Command-Line Interface, Cloud Computing, Continuous Integration, Data Integrity, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, DevOps, Github, HP Loadrunner, Apache JMeter, Job Scheduling, Python (Programming Language), Microsoft SQL Server, Open Source Technology, Oracle (Applications), Regression Testing, Reliability Engineering, Service Virtualization, Software Engineering, Test Execution Engine, Scripting, Cloud Platform System, Performance Testing, Postman, Gatling, ReadyAPI, Event Driven Architecture, Amazon Relational Database Service, Gitlab-ci, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Low Latency, Performance Monitor, Apache Kafka, Database Replication, Splunk, Appdynamics, Dynatrace, Docker, SDET, Jenkins, Microservices
- **Published:** August 12, 2026
- **Apply:** https://theocc.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/Chicago---125-S-Franklin/Lead-Associate-Principal--Software-Engineering--Software-Development-Test--SDET-_REQ-4771-2

## About the Role

The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.

 * 7+ years hands-on experience in performance testing and engineering, including design and execution of complex performance test scenarios
 * 5+ years designing and executing failover/DR testing across multi-region architectures (cloud and hybrid environments)
 * Strong expertise in performance testing tools: LoadRunner (enterprise scaling), JMeter, Gatling, with ability to evaluate tool trade-offs
 * Proficiency in scripting/programming: Python, Java, JavaScript, with ability to develop performance testing frameworks
 * Solid hands-on experience with AWS cloud environments, including EC2, RDS, Kafka, and performance monitoring
 * Working knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized application performance testing (Docker, Kafka, event-driven systems)
 * Experience with UC4 (Automic) job scheduling in test execution and orchestration
 * Hands-on experience testing Kafka producer/consumer performance, lag validation, and message throughput
 * Strong understanding of relational databases (SQL Server, Oracle, DB2) and ability to write queries for performance analysis
 * Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab CI) and integration of performance tests into automation
 * Proficiency with APM/observability platforms (Splunk, Dynatrace, AppDynamics) and correlation of test results with production telemetry
 * Working knowledge of Linux operating systems and command-line tools for performance analysis
 * Experience with test management tools (Jira, Zephyr, SpiraTest) and defect tracking integration
 * Background in finance domain OR highly regulated, low-latency, high-availability systems (clearing, settlement, risk)
 * Experience with multi-region testing (primary/secondary/tertiary architectures) with performance validation across regions

Technical Skills:

 * Familiarity with AI/ML-augmented testing tools for automated test case generation, self-healing automation, and predictive defect analysis.
 * Experience with API and contract testing (Postman, RestAssured, Pact) and service virtualization for testing complex distributed and microservices architectures.
 * Understanding of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles, SLIs/SLOs/SLAs, and how performance engineering feeds operational resilience metrics.
 * Experience with observability/APM platforms (Splunk, Dynatrace, AppDynamics, AWS Vantage, Logic Monitor) and correlating test results with production telemetry.
 * Testing Experience in multi region (primary/secondary/tertiary) hybrid architecture across cloud and on-premise
 * Familiarity with FinOps or cost-aware performance engineering practices in cloud environments.
 * Experience testing critical financial market infrastructure (clearing, settlement, risk management, or exchange systems) or other highly regulated, low-latency, high-availability environments., * B.S. Degree in Computer Science, an analytical field, or equivalent practical experience required.
 * 7+ years of experience in the IT industry with 5+ years in Quality Engineering, tool architecture and orchestration including opensource and commercial toolset.
 * 5+ years of experience in Agile methodology.
 * 5+ years of experience in integration of Jira and Test management tool.
 * Strong communication skills, written and oral, analytical abilities, problem solving skills, sound judgment and time management skills.
 * Experience in creating automation scripts.
 * Experience in developing automation frameworks.
 * Experience in developing Jenkins pipelines.
 * Experience in the Options and Futures industry is preferred

Certificates or Licenses:

 * AWS certification and/or performance engineering certification preferred

## Description

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.

 * Define test plans, load profiles, and ramp scenarios for high-volume transaction systems
 * Execute tests using LoadRunner, JMeter, and Gatling; analyze results and recommend optimizations
 * Lead DR testing across primary, secondary, and tertiary regions
 * Build and maintain performance test automation using Python, Java, and open-source tools
 * Develop CI/CD-integrated pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) for continuous performance validation
 * Implement regression testing to catch performance degradation from code changes
 * Validate application behavior across multi-region deployments
 * Define and validate RTO/RPO targets for critical applications
 * Design failover scenarios (region switching, data replication, automation, post-failover validation)
 * Partner with infrastructure/application teams to verify state consistency and data integrity during failover
 * Test replication lag, failover triggers, and cross-region data consistency
 * Validate Kafka producer/consumer behavior under failover conditions
 * Confirm performance SLAs hold during region-switching scenarios
 * Integrate test results with observability platforms
 * Maintain and evolve LoadRunner scripts and environments
 * Document methodologies, baselines, and trend analysis
 * Mentor QE engineers on performance and failover testing techniques
 * Collaborate with development, DevOps, and infrastructure teams on requirements and capacity planning
 * Ensure testing aligns with PGP compliance and financial market infrastructure regulations
 * Document test evidence to support regulatory audits
 * Validate performance SLAs meet regulatory RTO/RPO requirements


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