About the position
Whisker is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox.com. At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better. As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it’s a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better. Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Austin, Texas and Juneau, Wisconsin with 600+ passionate team members.
Responsibilities
- Defines and implements a comprehensive quality strategy that spans Software Quality Assurance, Firmware Quality Engineering, integration testing, performance and security testing.
- Builds, mentors, and inspires a high-performing team of Quality Engineering / SDET professionals to achieve technical excellence and continuous improvement.
- Drives the adoption of advanced testing methodologies, tools, and automation practices to accelerate development cycles while maintaining quality.
- Aligns quality engineering initiatives with organizational objectives and advocates for quality best practices across engineering and product teams.
- Oversees the end-to-end testing lifecycle for web, mobile, and backend systems, including functional, regression, and exploratory testing.
- Collaborates with software engineers to embed quality into the development lifecycle through code reviews, unit tests, and test-driven development (TDD).
- Establishes rigorous testing protocols for embedded systems, focusing on reliability, performance, and compatibility with hardware.
- Partners with firmware engineering team to validate system-level functionality and ensure robust integration with software components.
- Ensures seamless interoperability across complex hardware, software, and third-party systems through comprehensive integration testing.
- Develops automated integration test frameworks to validate real-world use cases and edge conditions.
- Leads initiatives to identify and address latency issues or bottlenecks through data-driven performance testing.
- Leads initiatives to identify and address security vulnerabilities through penetration testing, secure code analysis, and risk assessments.
- Partners with security and compliance teams to ensure adherence to regulatory standards such as GDPR, or similar.
- Collaborates with product management, engineering, and operations teams to define clear quality benchmarks and acceptance criteria.
- Acts as a quality advocate, bridging communication gaps between stakeholders and ensuring alignment on quality priorities.
- Partners with Whisker DevOps teams to enhance CI/CD pipelines and integrate automated quality checks, enabling rapid and reliable releases.
- Leads the evaluation, selection, and implementation of testing tools and frameworks suitable for cloud, mobile, and embedded platforms.
- Drives advancements in test automation across all layers of the technology stack to increase coverage and efficiency.
- Continuously refines QA processes to adapt to evolving business and technological needs, ensuring agility in fast-paced development cycles.
- Defines, measures, and reports key performance indicators (KPIs) for quality, such as defect escape rates, test coverage, release velocity, and system uptime.
- Uses data-driven insights to proactively identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement across quality processes.
- Fosters a culture of accountability and continuous learning through root cause analysis and post-release retrospectives.
- Will perform additional responsibilities when required.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in quality engineering, with at least 3 years in a management role overseeing cross-domain QA efforts.
- Proven track record in leading QA teams for software, firmware, and integrated systems in dynamic, innovation-driven environments.
- Proficiency in testing methodologies and tools for software applications (e.g., Selenium, Appium, Cypress) and embedded systems (e.g., hardware-in-the-loop testing, simulation).
- Strong knowledge of security testing tools and practices, such as OWASP, SAST, and DAST frameworks.
- Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Demonstrated ability to build, scale, and inspire high-performing QA teams across multiple domains.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.
- Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information.
- Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions.
- A high degree of initiative, self-motivation, and ability to motivate others.
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues.
- Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs).
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with compliance and regulatory frameworks such as GDPR.
- Knowledge of IoT systems, edge computing, and their quality requirements.
- Advanced understanding of agile and lean principles as applied to quality engineering.
Benefits
- Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Whisker Parents Program
- 1 day 'pawternity' leave for new pet adoption
- Pet Insurance Discount
- 401K match
- Flexible spending accounts
- Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Generous paid time off
- 14 Paid Holidays
- Top of the line equipment
- Pet-friendly office
- Whisker products and swag
- Continuing education Support
- On-site gym with Peloton
- Referral program
