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This position has closed. Morningstar removed this listing from their careers page on Oct 6, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Principal QA Automation Engineer

Morningstar · Chicago, IL · $121,389–$151,563 a year · Full time

Posted Jun 29, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 4, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

How do you mentor junior QA engineers?

What they are checking: Whether they raise the skill of the team at a principal level.

What would you do

A release is scheduled but your tests found a serious issue. Developers say it's an edge case. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they can make a sound risk call and communicate it clearly.

About the work

How would you design a test automation framework that covers web, mobile and API testing across teams?

What they are checking: Whether they can architect enterprise-scale frameworks that many teams can use.

How do you set a QA strategy for performance, security and reliability across six AWS environments handling over 200 million monthly requests?

What they are checking: Whether they can think about quality at real production scale.

How do you keep automated tests from becoming flaky and slow as the suite grows?

What they are checking: Whether they know how to maintain trust in automation over time.

How do you integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines so they help releases instead of blocking them?

What they are checking: Whether they can balance coverage with fast feedback.

What's your approach to visual regression testing for brand-critical pages?

What they are checking: Whether they can protect user experience with the right tools.

How do you do structured exploratory testing, and how does it complement automation?

What they are checking: Whether they know automation can't find everything and value human testing.

How do you test integrations with third-party platforms you don't control?

What they are checking: Whether they use mocks, contract testing and monitoring sensibly.

How do you use production monitoring of key applications as part of quality?

What they are checking: Whether they see quality as extending past release into production.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Morningstar from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

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The full job description

As published by Morningstar.

Job Duties: Develop and execute automated tests for user interfaces, APIs, and mobile applications using industry-standard automation frameworks (5%). Lead the design, development, and maintenance of enterprise-grade automated testing frameworks and tools across web, mobile, and API platforms (10%). Conduct structured exploratory testing to uncover edge-case scenarios and proactively identify gaps in automated and manual test coverage (5%). Collaborate with product managers, developers, and DevOps teams to ensure quality standards and testing coverage (10%). Stay current with evolving test automation trends and mentoring junior team members in QA best practices (5%). Drive QA strategy and set standards for test coverage, performance, security, and reliability across 6 AWS environments supporting 200M+ monthly requests (20%). Build and execute complex automated test suites using modern languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or Java (5%). Implement automated visual regression, integration, and exploratory testing to safeguard brand-critical user experiences (5%). Integrate automated test suites in over 5+ CI/CD pipelines supporting release confidence and early bug detection (10%). Execute comprehensive integration testing across internal systems and third-party platforms to validate seamless interoperability and data flow (5%). Monitor 100+ key application metrics and synthetic tests daily using observability platforms to proactively identify degradation or downtime risks (10%). Review content-driven applications and participating in quality assurance for content management system workflows (5%). Produce and maintain test plans, execution reports, and audit-ready documentation using industry-standard project management tools (5%). **Remote work requests will be considered consistent with company's remote work policy. Job Requirements: This position requires a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field, or a foreign equivalent and 8 years of experience in software quality assurance, test automation, and QA strategy development in QA Automation Engineer, Sr. QA Automation Engineer, Lead QA Automation Engineer, or relevant position. This position also requires 8 years of experience with development and execution of automated test cases for web, mobile, and API applications. 8 years of experience with writing test automation scripts using scripting or programming languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or Java. 8 years of experience using issue tracking and project collaboration platforms for QA documentation and defect lifecycle management. 5 years of experience with performance of exploratory and integration testing with external enterprise platforms. 5 years of experience with design and maintenance of automation within CI/CD pipelines using industry-standard tools. 4 years of experience working with cloud environments, including quality assurance in cloud-native applications (e.g., on AWS or similar). 4 years of experience with building up QA Automation framework. 4 years of experience with object-oriented programming. 4 years of experience with tools, including Selenium/Webdriver, Test NG, and Junit. 3 years of experience with validation of workflows in content management systems. 3 years of experience with applying monitoring and observability tools to assess system health and performance. 3 years of experience with implementation of visual validation tests using automated regression testing tools. **Will accept any suitable combination of education, training, and experience. Must possess unrestricted right to work in the U.S. in this position Base Salary Compensation Range: $121,389 - $151,563 Morningstar is an equal opportunity employer. "#LI-DNI" Compensation and Benefits At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide: • Financial Health • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary • Stock Ownership Potential • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission • Physical Health • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance • Emotional Health • Trust-Based Time Off • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave • Adoption Assistance • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses • Tuition Reimbursement • Social Health • Charitable Matching Gifts program • Dollars for Doers volunteer program • Paid volunteering days • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues. 001_MstarInc Morningstar Inc. Legal Entity