Director Software Quality Assurance

Johnson Controls is a global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. Our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places, and the planet. Join a winning team that enables you to build your best future through meaningful work projects, learning opportunities, and a company culture focused on supporting your physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time
• Comprehensive benefits package including 401K, medical, dental, and vision care
• On-the-job and cross-training opportunities
• Encouraging and collaborative team environment
• Dedication to safety through our Zero Harm policy

About the Role

The Director, Software Quality Assurance Engineering will lead the software quality strategy, execution, and transformation for the Fire Solutions Business Unit. This role is responsible for driving software quality across a portfolio of mission-critical fire solutions including embedded systems, firmware, cloud platforms, mobile applications, web applications, and connected products. A key focus is leveraging AI, automation, modern quality engineering practices, and data-driven decision making to improve efficiency, product quality, release predictability, and organizational performance.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Define and execute the software quality strategy for the Fire Solutions Business Unit.
  • Lead and develop global Software Quality Assurance teams across multiple locations.
  • Evolve quality standards, processes, tools, and governance across product development organizations.
  • Drive a culture of quality, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• AI, Automation & Quality Engineering
  • Lead adoption of AI-driven quality engineering capabilities.
  • Drive test automation strategies across embedded, mobile, web, desktop, cloud, and IoT solutions.
  • Utilize AI and analytics to improve testing effectiveness, resource planning, defect prevention, and engineering productivity.
  • Expand automated testing coverage across functional, integration, system, performance, reliability, and security testing.
  • Lead adoption of Digital Twin testing capabilities to improve product validation, test coverage, and release confidence.
  • Drive the use of virtual testing environments and simulation technologies to accelerate testing and reduce dependence on physical lab environments.
  • Integrate Digital Twin and simulation-based testing into automation frameworks and CI/CD workflows.
• Development Lifecycle & Quality Integration
  • Ensure quality is integrated throughout the software development lifecycle.
  • Partner with development and DevOps teams to implement quality practices within CI/CD pipelines.
  • Lead release readiness reviews and quality governance activities.
  • Drive quality improvements using customer feedback, operational metrics, and defect analysis.
• Global Labs & Infrastructure
  • Lead software quality assurance labs across global R&D locations.
  • Drive lab ongoing modernization through automation, virtualization, and remote-access capabilities.
  • Optimize utilization of test environments, lab resources, and validation infrastructure.
  • Occasional travel to global R&D sites to support team development, quality initiatives, and business objectives.

Requirements

• Education
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
  • Master's degree preferred.
• Experience
  • 15+ years of Software Quality Assurance or Quality Engineering experience.
  • 5+ years leading managers and globally distributed quality engineering teams.
  • Experience developing and executing quality strategies for complex product organizations.
  • Proven success driving test automation, process improvement, and quality transformation initiatives.
  • Experience in Agile, DevOps, SDLC, and CI/CD environments.
• Preferred Experience
  • Complex Systems & Integrated Solutions
    • Experience with complex hardware and software systems, including connected and distributed product ecosystems.
    • Experience validating integrated solutions involving hardware, firmware, software, cloud services, networking, and mobile technologies.
    • Experience supporting highly available, mission-critical products.
    • Experience with Digital Twin technologies, virtual test environments, or simulation-based testing.
  • Multi-Platform Technologies
    • Experience supporting quality engineering across multiple technology layers, including:
      • Embedded Software
      • Firmware
      • Desktop Applications
      • Mobile Applications
      • Web Applications
      • Cloud and SaaS Platforms
      • IoT and Edge Devices
      • Connected Product Ecosystems
  • Global & Regulated Environments
    • Experience supporting globally deployed products and globally distributed engineering teams.
    • Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
    • Experience in highly regulated or mission-critical industries such as Fire & Life Safety, Building Automation, Industrial Controls, Medical Devices, Aerospace, Defense, Transportation, Energy, or Telecommunications.
  • Metrics & Continuous Improvement
    • Proven ability to define, measure, and continuously improve software quality KPIs.
    • Experience building quality dashboards and reporting focused on product quality, automation effectiveness, defect trends, customer satisfaction, and engineering productivity.
    • Strong data-driven approach to continuous improvement and organizational performance.
• Leadership Competencies
  • Strategic Leadership
  • Global Team Development
  • Organizational Change Management
  • Executive Communication
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Talent Development
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Technical Competencies
  • Software Quality Assurance Leadership
  • AI-Driven Quality Engineering
  • Test Automation Strategy & Execution
  • CI/CD and Continuous Testing
  • Digital Twin Testing & Virtual Validation
  • Quality Metrics, KPIs & Analytics
  • Software Quality Governance & Release Readiness
  • System Integration & End-to-End Solution Testing
  • Reliability, Availability & Performance Validation
  • Cybersecurity Testing & Risk-Based Quality Practices
  • Engineering Tool Chain Development & Optimization
  • Test Lab Operations & Infrastructure Management
  • Defect Prevention & Root Cause Analysis
  • Agile, DevOps & Continuous Improvement Practices
  • Data-Driven Decision Making

Success Measures

• Establish a unified quality strategy across the Fire Solutions Business Unit.
• Increase automation coverage and testing efficiency.
• Successfully implement AI-enabled quality engineering capabilities.
• Improve release quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
• Reduce escaped defects and field quality issues.
• Maintain and improve high caliber global quality labs and testing infrastructure.
• Strengthen quality ownership throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop meaningful KPIs that drive measurable quality and productivity improvements.

About the Business Unit

The Fire Solutions Business Unit develops products that customers trust to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure. This role is responsible for ensuring software quality across a global portfolio of fire and life safety solutions while enabling faster innovation through AI, automation, and world-class quality engineering practices.

Pay

Salary range: $141,000 - $237,000 (determined by education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data). This role offers a competitive bonus plan based on individual, group, and corporate performance, along with a comprehensive benefits package.