Lead, Enterprise Quality Engineering; QA Governance & Transformation

Position: Lead, Enterprise Quality Engineering (QA Governance & Transformation)
ICF is looking for a Lead, Enterprise Quality Engineering (QA Governance & Transformation) to support a large, mission-driven federal client as they modernize and standardize quality practices across a complex technology and business ecosystem. This role will operate at an enterprise level, partnering closely with senior IT and business leadership to assess current-state quality practices, define a future-state QA operating model, and drive adoption across multiple teams.

This position blends hands-on assessment and design work with enterprise governance and change leadership. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in quality management and engineering, Agile and Dev Sec Ops  environments, and enterprise transformation initiatives. If you are motivated by driving measurable improvements in delivery quality, reducing rework, and establishing sustainable quality governance at scale, this role offers a high-impact opportunity.

This position is Hybrid, with a preference for on-site presence in Washington, DC. Remote candidates will be considered with the ability to travel quarterly.

What you'll be doing:

* Work with Sr. technology leaders to lead an enterprise-wide assessments of current Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering practices across IT and business teams, including requirements quality, development quality, testing practices, and business/UAT quality.

* Facilitate workshops, interviews, and working sessions with QA teams, product owners, developers, and business stakeholders to document the current-state ("As-Is") quality landscape.

* Design a future-state ("To-Be") enterprise quality management operating model aligned with Agile and Dev Sec Ops  best practices and the client's broader operating model.

* Define and standardize enterprise QA governance, including:

o Quality standards and guardrails

o Roles and responsibilities

o Quality metrics, reporting, and accountability mechanisms

* Develop a phased, actionable roadmap to roll out quality management standards across previously siloed teams.

* Drive adoption of standardized quality practices, working through organizational resistance with executive sponsorship.

* Improve upstream quality by strengthening requirements readiness, acceptance criteria, and Definition of Ready practices to reduce downstream defects and rework.

* Partner with Agile, architecture, delivery, and business leaders to ensure quality is embedded across the full delivery lifecycle.

* Establish and track quality-related metrics and trends (e.g., defect leakage, requirements quality, delivery predictability) to inform leadership decisions.

* Provide executive-level briefings and recommendations on quality risks, opportunities, and progress.

* Conduct knowledge transfer and coaching to ensure sustainability of QA governance beyond initial implementation.

* Align QA governance with regulatory, compliance, and security considerations in a federal environment.

Required Skills:

* 9+ years of experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Engineering, or software delivery roles.

* 5+ years of experience leading enterprise-level QA governance or quality transformation initiatives.

* 5+ years of experience supporting Agile and Dev Sec Ops  delivery environments.

* 5+ years of experience driving organizational change and enforcing standards with executive backing.

* 5+ years of experience defining QA governance across multiple platforms (Appian strongly preferred, but not required)

Preferred Skills/

Experience:

* Proven ability to operate as a director-level individual contributor with light team leadership responsibilities.

* Prior experience supporting federal or highly regulated organizations.

* Consulting or large-scale enterprise transformation background.

* Experience standardizing QA practices across multiple teams, platforms, or programs.

* Familiarity with modern quality engineering practices, including test automation strategy and CI/CD integration.

* Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

* Ability to assess complex environments, identify systemic issues, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.

* Experience presenting findings and…