Principal - Test Lead

We are seeking an experienced Principal Test Lead to drive quality assurance strategy and execution for our Deposits engineering team. This role requires deep banking domain expertise combined with hands-on test automation experience to coordinate integrated testing across multiple teams and vendors, ensuring comprehensive full stack testing coverage.

The Work Itself

Strategic Planning

• Design and coordinate integrated test plans across Agile teams, vendors, Contact Center, Operations, and Enterprise
• Define comprehensive full stack test strategy covering UI, API, services, database, and integration layers
• Establish test environment requirements for complete stack validation
• Define test data management and data conditioning frameworks
• Drive end-to-end testing execution across all testing teams and technology layers

Test Execution & Coordination

• Facilitate full stack testing activities across multiple workstreams:
• Frontend/UI Layer: User interface, user experience, accessibility
• API Layer: REST services, GraphQL, microservices
• Business Logic Layer: Application services, workflows, business rules
• Data Layer: Database operations, data integrity, persistence
• Integration Layer: Third-party systems, vendor integrations, internal services
• Ensure proper test coverage for deposits functionality across entire stack
• Coordinate performance testing initiatives (load, stress, scalability)
• Monitor test script execution and burndown metrics

Defect Management

• Create and maintain defect tracking dashboards in JIRA
• Establish defect reporting standards (CIF, environment, reproduction steps, screenshots, request/response, expected vs. actual, stack layer affected)
• Coordinate defect remediation across teams and technology layers
• Facilitate assignment and defect triage meetings
• Track defect aging and escalating blockers
• Set defect priorities (Critical/High/Medium/Low, MVP classification)

Reporting & Metrics

• Provide initiative-level test status reporting (Daily/Weekly/Governance)
• Define testing health status criteria (Red/Yellow/Green) across all stack layers
• Track environment metrics (availability, outages, uptime targets)
• Generate defect and test script burndown charts
• Report test coverage by stack layer (UI, API, services, database, integration)
• Identify and communicate blockers, issues, risks, and watch items
• Develop remediation plans and mitigation strategies

Facilitation & Governance

• Lead routine testing ceremonies:
• Assignment Meetings: Record team assignments, set priorities
• Defect Meetings: Review assignments, set fix dates, identify blocked scripts
• Ensure structured status reporting from individual teams and vendors
• Coordinate with vendor testing teams
• Validate full stack test coverage across all initiatives

• 7+ years in software testing with 5+ years in banking/financial services
• Full Stack Testing Expertise: End-to-end testing across all application layers (UI, API, middleware, database, integration points)
• Expert proficiency in test automation frameworks: Cypress, Maestro, Cucumber, Watchmen, Rest Assured
• Frontend testing (web and mobile interfaces)
• Backend services and microservices testing
• Integration testing across system boundaries
• Test data management and data conditioning strategies
• Proven track record leading enterprise-level testing initiatives

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• High school Diploma or GED equivalent

Ally’s compensation program offers market-competitive base pay and pay-for-performance incentives (bonuses) based on achieving personal and company goals. Our Total Rewards program includes industry-leading compensation and benefits plus additional incentives that are designed to meet your needs and those of your family so you can get the most out of your career and your life, including:

Time Away: Program starts at 20 paid time off days in addition to 11 paid holidays and 8 hours of volunteer time off yearly (time off days are prorated based on start date and program varies based on full or part-time status and management level).

Planning for the Future: plan for the near and long term with an industry-leading 401K retirement savings plan with matching and company contributions, student loan pay downs and 529 educational save up assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, employee stock purchase plan, and financial learning center and financial coach access.

Supporting your Health & Well-being: flexible health and insurance options including medical, dental and vision, employee, spouse and child life insurance, short- and long-term disability, pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions, Healthcare FSA, critical illness, accident & hospital indemnity insurance, and a total well-being program that helps you and your family stay on track physically, socially, emotionally, and financially.

Building a Family: adoption, surrogacy and fertility assistance as well as paid parental and caregiver leave, Dependent Day Care FSA back-up child and adult/elder care days and childcare discounts.

Work-Life Integration: other benefits including Mentally Fit Employee Assistance Program, subsidized and discounted Weight Watchers program and other employee discount programs.

Ally Financial only succeeds when its people do - and that’s more than some cliché people put on job postings. We love this stuff! We see our people as, well, people - with interests, families, friends, dreams, and causes that are all important to them. Our focus is on the health and safety of our teammates as well as work-life balance and diversity and inclusion. From generous benefits to a variety of employee resource groups, we strive to build paths that encourage employees to stretch themselves professionally. We want to help you grow, develop, and learn new things. You’re constantly evolving, so shouldn’t your opportunities be, too?, Ally Financial is a customer-centric, leading digital financial services company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions. We are relentlessly focused on “Doing it Right” and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.ally.com ., We all work better as allies. Join a team that thrives on doing it right - whether we’re helping people live their best financial lives or helping each other grow in our careers.

Share your resume with our recruiters so we can reach out to chat about roles that match your background and skillset.

We’re a leading financial services company serving over 11M customers through banking, auto financing, insurance and investment services. Our team’s approach of celebrating differences and lifting each other up is consistently recognized on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Here, you’ll find people who care about doing work that matters and making an impact in the communities we serve. Good enough is never enough for us - we’re always looking for ways to be better, together.

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