Senior SDET - Architect

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Job Description: Senior SDET - Architect

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Test Automation Architect to lead enterprise-scale Azure Infrastructure as Code ( IaC ) quality assurance initiatives . This role focuses on test strategy, automation framework design, security testing, compliance validation, and continuous quality practices for cloud infrastructure. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in test automation architecture, Azure IaC validation, DevOps quality gates, and security-focused testing.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa)

Role Overview

As a Test Automation Architect, you will be responsible for defining and implementing scalable quality engineering frameworks for Azure-based IaC solutions, embedding automated validation into CI/CD pipelines , and ensuring infrastructure reliability, security, compliance , and operational readiness across environments. You will lead test architecture decisions, establish reusable automation patterns, and partner with cloud, security, platform, and operations teams to strengthen the overall quality posture.

Key Responsibilities

Architect and evolve comprehensive automated test strategies for Azure IaC , focusing on Terraform, ARM/Bicep, and policy compliance.

Define and guide Python-based test automation utilities and orchestration scripts for test execution, resource validation, configuration checks, and infrastructure reporting.

Design automation reporting patterns, quality dashboards, and test evidence models that provide visibility into IaC test coverage, drift management, policy adherence, and security posture.

Integrate IaC quality gates into CI/CD systems such as GitHub Actions, ensuring all code deployments pass automated test suites and drift detection scans before promotion.

Establish automated security testing practices for infrastructure deployments, including policy-as-code validation, vulnerability checks, secrets exposure detection, RBAC validation, network security controls, and compliance guardrails.

Establish and refine frameworks for drift detection, root cause analysis, and remediation, leveraging both native Azure services and custom-developed solutions.

Collaborate with architects, security specialists, and application developers to align infrastructure test practices with organizational goals, compliance requirements, and evolving cloud technologies.

P romote best practices through code reviews, technical workshops, and documentation.

Design, implement, and maintain comprehensive automated testing suites for Azure IaC using python .

Develop, execute, and refine test cases to validate infrastructure modules, deployments, and policies in Azure environments.

Partner with engineering teams to define requirements for supporting automation tools, dashboards, and reporting capabilities; hands-on application development ownership is not required .

Monitor, report, and remediate infrastructure drift, using tools and frameworks for continuous compliance and configuration management.

Maintain detailed documentation on test coverage, drift findings, and corrective actions taken to ensure auditability and traceability.

Conduct root cause analysis for infrastructure failures and propose solutions to improve test coverage and resilience.

Stay up-to-date with Azure platform enhancements, test automation tools, cloud security testing practices, and industry trends in IaC quality and governance .

Required Skills & Qualifications

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa)

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science , Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

14 + years of experience in cloud infrastructure engineering and automated testing, with a minimum of 3 years focused on Azure public cloud.

Expertise in infrastructure automation using Terraform, ARM templates, and Bicep within Azure environments.

Strong proficiency in Python or similar scripting languages for test automation design , orchestration , validation logic, and data -driven test execution .

Demonstrated ability to architect reusable test automation frameworks, quality gates, test data strategies, reporting models, and evidence capture approaches for cloud infrastructure validation.

Required knowledge of security testing practices for cloud infrastructure, including policy compliance testing, identity and access validation, vulnerability scanning concepts, secrets management validation, network security verification, and secure configuration assessment.

Hands-on experience with configuration management, monitoring, and compliance tools native to Azure, as well as industry-standard frameworks (e.g., Terratest , Pester).

Track record of integrating infrastructure quality assurance into modern CI/CD pipelines.

Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with an emphasis on technical documentation and cross-functional collaboration.

Relevant Azure and DevOps certifications (AZ-104, AZ-305, DevOps Engineer Expert) are strongly preferred.

Ability to collaborate with development teams on automation enablement and testability requirements; direct ownership of application development is not required .

Extensive hands-on experience with Azure-native monitoring tools such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights, enabling proactive detection and resolution of infrastructure issues.

Proficiency in integrating monitoring frameworks with automated test suites and reporting dashboards, ensuring visibility into resource health, compliance drift, and system performance.

Preferred Skills

Experience with multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP) and hybrid IaC strategies.

Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes/AKS) and microservices architectures.

Background in building secure, compliant platforms within regulated industries.

Experience with workflow automation, event-driven validation, and test reporting solutions that support infrastructure quality and security assurance.

Familiarity with security testing tools and practices such as SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, container image scanning, IaC scanning, and policy-as-code frameworks.

Familiarity with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions.

Understanding of secure engineering practices, including OWASP concepts, authentication and authorization controls, secrets management, least privilege, RBAC, and secure configuration baselines.

Background in performance optimization, caching strategies, and application monitoring.

Exposure to automated infrastructure, API, int