Engineering Manager I- SQA

In this role, you will lead a high-performing Software Quality Assurance organization responsible for ensuring the quality, reliability, safety, cybersecurity, and compliance of next-generation Fire Detection and Life Safety products. You will partner closely with Product Management, Systems Engineering, Firmware, Embedded Software, Hardware Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Program Management teams to deliver innovative and customer-focused solutions.

As an Engineering Manager, you will define and execute the Quality Engineering strategy across the product lifecycle, driving adoption of modern testing methodologies, AI-enabled quality practices, test automation, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. You will lead teams responsible for verification, validation, system testing, automation, and release readiness while ensuring products meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

You will work within a multidisciplinary engineering organization consisting of electronics engineers, firmware engineers, software engineers, quality engineers, and system architects focused on delivering industry-leading Fire Detection and Life Safety solution.

How you will do it

• Define, develop, and execute the Software Quality Engineering strategy for Fire Detection and Life Safety products across all phases of product development.
• Lead and mentor Software Quality Assurance Team Leads, Quality Engineers, Automation Engineers, and System Test Engineers, supporting career growth, succession planning, and technical excellence.
• Drive an automation-first quality culture by implementing scalable test automation frameworks and continuous testing practices.
• Champion AI-driven Quality Engineering initiatives including automated test generation, intelligent defect analysis, predictive quality analytics, and engineering productivity improvements using Generative AI technologies.
• Establish quality processes that support Shift-Left and Shift-Right testing methodologies to improve product quality, reduce release risk, and accelerate time-to-market.
• Own quality planning, resource allocation, project schedules, budgets, and execution to meet business commitments and product release goals.
• Lead verification and validation activities for embedded software, firmware, system integration, and end-to-end product functionality.
• Collaborate with Project and Program Managers to establish schedules, quality milestones, testing strategies, and release readiness criteria.
• Ensure effective communication of quality metrics, project status, risks, issues, and mitigation plans to stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using quality metrics, root cause analysis, defect trends, and customer feedback.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators including automation coverage, defect containment effectiveness, escaped defects, release quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction metrics.
• Manage and resolve product quality issues in collaboration with Software Development, Systems Engineering, Product Management, and Technical Support teams.
• Ensure robustness, scalability, and effectiveness of quality engineering tools, automation frameworks, and test environments.
• Integrate automated quality gates into CI/CD pipelines to improve release quality and deployment confidence.
• Drive compliance with applicable regulatory, certification, safety, cybersecurity, and product security requirements.
• Anticipate program risks and proactively implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful releases and customer satisfaction.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, technical excellence, inclusion, and continuous learning across the organization.
• Ensure compliance with workplace operating procedures, environmental health and safety requirements, and company policies

What we look for

• Bachelor's Degree in Electronics, Instrumentation, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related engineering discipline.
• 14+ years of experience in embedded software development, software quality assurance, verification and validation, or quality engineering within product development organizations.
• Minimum 3-5 years of people leadership experience managing engineering or quality assurance teams.
• Proven experience leading Quality Engineering organizations responsible for complex software-enabled products.
• Strong understanding of embedded software testing, system testing, verification and validation processes, and product quality management.
• Demonstrated experience defining and implementing enterprise-scale test automation strategies and frameworks.
• Experience working in Agile, Iterative, and Waterfall software development environments.
• Strong understanding of DevOps practices, Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Delivery (CD), and Continuous Testing methodologies.
• Experience with AI-assisted software development and quality engineering practices, including Generative AI applications for test generation, defect prediction, root cause analysis, and engineering efficiency improvements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated experience using software quality metrics and data-driven decision making.
• Excellent project management, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong leadership capabilities with demonstrated success building, mentoring, and developing high-performing engineering teams.
• Deep commitment to product quality, customer satisfaction, reliability, and operational excellence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence technical and business stakeholders.

Specialized Skills:

Quality Engineering and Automation

• Expertise in Software Quality Engineering principles and modern testing methodologies.
• Strong knowledge of automated testing frameworks and tools such as Python, Robot Framework, PyTest, Selenium, Cucumber, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience implementing enterprise-scale automation strategies for embedded software and system-level validation.
• Strong understanding of test architecture, test data management, test environment management, and automation governance.
• Experience implementing AI-driven testing solutions, intelligent automation, predictive quality analytics, and automated defect triaging.

Embedded Systems and Product Validation

• Thorough understanding of embedded software, firmware testing, hardware-software integration testing, and system-level validation.
• Experience validating connected products, networked systems, and safety-critical applications.
• Knowledge of software development lifecycle processes, release management, and product certification activities.

Fire Detection Domain Knowledge

• Strong understanding of Fire Detection and Life Safety systems.
• Knowledge of Fire Alarm Control Panels, Smoke Detectors, Heat Detectors, Multi-Criteria Detectors, Notification Appliances, and Networked Fire Systems.
• Familiarity with industry standards and regulations such as UL 268, UL 864, EN54, NFPA 72, IEC 61508, and related testing and certification requirements.
• Understanding of safety-critical product development and regulatory compliance requirements applicable to Fire Detection solutions.

Leadership and Business Skills

• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to lead geographically distributed engineering teams.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, and talent development capabilities.
• Experience driving organizational transformation and engineering excellence initiatives.
• Strong business acumen and customer-centric mindset.
• Knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean Engineering, Root Cause Analysis, and Continuous Improvement practices.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, engage, and inspire highly skilled technical teams.

Information Security Responsibilities:

• • Adhere to JCI policies, guidelines and procedures pertaining to the protection of information assets
  • Adhere to Johnson Controls policies, guidelines, and procedures pertaining to protection of information assets.
  • Ensure compliance with product security standards and secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) practices.
  • Champion cybersecurity testing and secure-by-design principles throughout product development.
  • Ensure all software, tools, and licenses are used in accordance with contractual and licensing obligations.
  • Implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets.
  • Ensure prompt reporting and escalation of information security incidents, vulnerabilities, and compliance concerns

Johnson Controls is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information, please view EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/tomorrowneedsyou.