Salary: $130,000.00 - $160,000.00 Annually
Location : Aurora, CO
Job Type: Full-Time
Department: IT
Division: Software Engineering
Opening Date: 10/15/2026
Closing Date: 11/5/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Exempt
DescriptionE-470 Public Highway Authority is seeking a strategic, hands-on
Quality Engineering Lead to champion quality assurance excellence, testing automation, and system reliability across our core transit and tolling platforms. In this high-impact role, you will lead quality engineering standards for critical, high-throughput systems-including our API integrations, mobile applications, and automated tolling pipelines.
If you are passionate about building robust testing frameworks, driving observability, and leading high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced public sector environment, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities - Lead Quality Strategy: Define, implement, and scale end-to-end testing strategies, frameworks, and quality gates across all software development lifecycles (SDLC).
- Drive Test Automation: Champion test automation initiatives (utilizing modern frameworks like Playwright and API testing tools) to accelerate release velocity while ensuring zero-defect production deployments.
- Observability & Telemetry: Partner with software and data engineering teams to establish deep system observability, performance metrics, real-time telemetry dashboards, and anomaly detection.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product managers, developers, and external agency partners (such as DMV and GAS integrations) to validate data flows, system interoperability, and high-stakes data migrations.
- Mentorship & Team Leadership: Mentor QA and software engineers, foster a culture of quality-first thinking, and establish automated quality metrics and testing standards across the engineering organization.
- Risk & Compliance Management: Oversee pre-production testing readiness, validation protocols, and rigorous regression testing for critical public infrastructure rollouts (e.g., mobile app launches and interoperability programs).
Typical Qualifications - Experience:
- 6+ years of experience in software quality engineering
- 2+ years in a lead, senior, or management capacity overseeing complex distributed systems, APIs, or high-volume transaction platforms
- Technical Proficiency:
- Deep expertise in modern test automation frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Selenium, RestAssured).
- Strong background in building and utilizing observability tools, telemetry, and monitoring platforms (e.g., Dynatrace, Splunk, Prometheus/Grafana).
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) and feature flag management.
- Analytical Mindset: Proven track record of analyzing complex data validation challenges, managing pre-prod to prod data validation, and turning raw telemetry into actionable engineering improvements.
- Communication: Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to bridge technical details to executive summaries and align cross-functional teams.
Education - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
2026 E470 Public Highway Authority Summary of BenefitsE470 Public Highway Authority provides a competitive, comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, financial stability, professional development, and overall well-being.
Medical & Prescription Plan: 3 plan options to choose from
- United Healthcare Low-Deductible Plan (PPO4)
- Coverage plans for employee, spouse and/or dependents (100% PHA-paid)
- No monthly premium for employees
- Plan is eligible for an employee funded Flex Spending Account (FSA)
- Kaiser Permanente No-Deductible Plan (KP-HMO 45)
- Coverage plans for employee, spouse and/or dependents (100% PHA-paid)
- No monthly premium for employees
- Plan is eligible for an employee funded Flex Spending Account (FSA)
- United Healthcare High-Deductible Plan (HDHP5)
- The Authority will cover 90% of the plan premiums.
- The Authority will fully fund the employee HSA Account
PlanEmployee Monthly PremiumHSA Employer ContributionEmployee Only
$56.00
$4,400
Couple
$118.00
$8,750
EE w/child
$93.00
$8,750
Family
$160.00
$8,750
Dental Plan: Delta Dental
- Coverage for employee, spouse and dependents (100% PHA-paid)
Vision Plan: VSP
- Coverage for employee, spouse and dependents (100% PHA-paid)
Life Insurance & Disability Coverage- Life Insurance coverage for employees at two times annual salary (100% PHA-paid)
- Short- & Long-Term Disability for employee at 2/3 of salary (100% PHA-paid)
Employee Assistance Plan- EAP for employees and dependents (100% PHA paid)
- The Employee Assistance Program provides confidential support for counseling, personal matters, financial issues, and family challenges.
- Modern Health & All One Health - 6 counseling sessions per year, per incident
Retirement Plans- International City Management Association (ICMA)
- PHA employees are eligible to participate in three retirement plans:
Plan TypeParticipationVestingPercentage401(a)
Automatic
100% upon enrollment
10%
401(a)
Mandatory
100% at hire
6.2% each from employer & employee
457
Voluntary
100% upon enrollment
Employer match up to $3,000
ROTH
Voluntary
Employee only
Employee election; post-tax
Time Off - PTO is a combination of Sick & Personal Leave
- Employees may accumulate up to a maximum of 500 PTO hours
Length of ServicePTO EarnedOne month through four years
16 Hours for each full month of service
Four years, one month through nine years
18 Hours for each full month of service
Over nine years
20 Hours for each full month of service
Paid Holidays- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Day
- President's Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veteran's Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Day After Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
- Float (Executive Director designated
Toll Reimbursement- All commuting and business-related tolls
Professional Development- Employees have access to paid professional development opportunities, including workshops, conferences, training programs, and certifications.
- Work directly with your manager to identify opportunities and budget allocations.
01
Which statement below best describes the highest level of education you have completed?
- High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (GED)
- Associate degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Master's degree
- Professional degree
- Doctorate degree
02
How many years of professional software quality engineering experience do you have?
- No experience
- Less than 3 years of experience
- More than 3 years but less than 6 years of experience
- 6+ years of experience
03
Do you have at least 2+ years in a lead, senior, or management capacity overseeing complex distributed systems, APIs, or high-volume transaction platforms?
04
Do you currently live in the State of Colorado or are you able to relocate at your own expense?
- Currently live in the State of Colorado
- Able to relocate at my own expense
- Do not currently live in Colorado and am unable to relocate.
Required Question
