Director, Quality Engineering

Come join one of America’s fastest-growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures.

Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard.

We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good.

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Role Summary 

The Quality Engineering (QE) Domain Lead position at National Life Group is a key leadership role responsible for end-to-end quality within a portfolio of business domains. This is a unique opportunity to affect change and directly improve the lives of our customers and employees. 

This role demands a high degree of independence, organizational skills, emotional intelligence, and ability to juggle multiple projects and competing schedules. Collaboration, an open mind, humility, and ability to influence others will be instrumental to success. 

The position reports to the Head of Quality Engineering. You will be part of a 100+ member team that continuously drives innovation while delivering end-to-end solutions in support of National Life’s business needs. 

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days.  Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Lead QE delivery teams by example 
• Motivate and inspire QE delivery teams 
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, innovation and shared responsibility for quality 
• Understand the business “why” behind the solutions we deliver 
• Oversee the definition and execution of test plans 
• Collaborate with engineering teams to identify and proactively resolve quality issues 
• Monitor capacity of highly outsourced, global teams and address constraints and key person risks 
• Roll up your sleeves and help teams overcome challenges 
• Mature our test automation portfolio, requirement traceability practices, and promote transparency of testing activities 
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, technologies, and QE best practices 
• Experiment with emerging technologies and leverage the most promising to mature our quality practices and deliver business value 
• Foster and maintain trusting relationships with all parties 
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including business, engineering, and external vendors to ensure quality objectives are met 
• Communicate quality metrics, issues, and progress to senior management and stakeholders 
• All other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree in computer sciences, related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience 
• 14+ years of progressive technology experience, including significant experience in Quality Engineering, software testing, engineering, or related disciplines.
• 3–5 years of demonstrated progressive technical leadership experience leading a geographically dispersed, global workforce.
• Life & Annuity insurance industry experience 
• Strong QE knowledge and skills with demonstrated ability to lead teams through complex initiatives 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities 
• Experience with automated testing tools and Agentic AI 
• Ability to think creatively and drive innovation 
• Ability to work collaboratively across business units and IT customers 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, both technical and non-technical 

Preferred Qualifications  

• Hands-on experience with QE tools such as Zephyr Enterprise, Tosca, and/or NeoLoad 

• Broad IT technical experience 

AI Proficiency Expectations (All roles):

At National Life Group, we view AI as an enabler of human potential. We use AI to help us work smarter, serve more clients, and keep our promises, while remaining a relationship-driven business where our people are our greatest strength. 

All applicants are expected to: 

• Leverage approved AI tools, where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work. 
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working. 
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content. 
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life's AI guiding principles. 
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention, and intellectual property. 

Core Competencies 

Cultivates Innovation - Fosters innovation by taking calculated risks; Work cooperatively with others to produce innovative solutions. 

Ensures Accountability - Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments and performance goals. 

Directs Work - Provides direction, delegates, and removes obstacles to get work done. 

Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence - Exhibits the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions and how emotions can influence others; Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and opportunities. 

Exhibits Critical and Creative Thinking - Engaging thinking skills that focus on logic and reasoning to make decisions (critical) and innovative solutions to solve problems (creative). 

Leads Change - Facilitates change and transition at the individual and team level; Develops strategic goals for aligning with change. 

Develops Talent - Builds team(s) equipped for the future by applying coaching techniques for developing team members to meet their professional/personal goals and the organizational goals; Listens and responds with empathy; Asks thought provoking questions. 

Inspires Others - Motivates and influences others by creating an environment where teams can do their best work; Partners across the organization to achieve results. 

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!

Base Pay Range.  The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job-related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors.  The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances.

Additional Compensation and Benefits. The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life’s discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an "at-will position" and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

National Life is accepting applications for this role on an ongoing basis and the role remains open until filled.

Salary Pay Range$131,250—$192,500 USD

National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT – founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX – chartered in 1955, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser affiliate of National Life Insurance Company. All other entities are independent of the companies of National Life Group.

Fortune 1000 status is based on the consolidated financial results of all National Life Group companies.

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National Life Group

1 National Life Dr

Montpelier, VT 05604