Freelance Python Automation Engineer Jobs in Naperville, IL

Credit Technology, Senior QA Automation Engineer - Chicago

The Team

Morningstar DBRS is a Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization (NRSRO) that has earned a reputation for innovation and excellence in the financial market. This group aims to increase market transparency and provides the highest quality ratings through securities research, monitoring services, data, and technology solutions. We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our Credit Technology group as a Senior QA Automation Engineer in Chicago.
Technology drives our business. Our team is made up of talented software engineers, infrastructure engineers, leaders and UX professionals. We care about technology as a craft and a differentiator.
The Role

The Senior QA Automation Engineer will work closely with cross functional teams, Development teams, and other development teams to ensure a timely and high-quality delivery. Will have to coordinate and work with the members in a global team. We are looking for an individual who can apply discipline, create solid software products, and be accountable for deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Define and establish the automation strategy, framework, and testing processes.
• Understand complex application architecture and design effective automation test frameworks.
• Build end-to-end web QA automation with Python for the back end, using GitHub Copilot where appropriate.
• Help establish AI standards and practices to support faster and more reliable adoption across the QA group.
• Analyze requirements, design test scenarios, and develop automation test cases.
• Own QA requirements and provide testing guidance to the broader technology team.
• Contribute as an individual contributor while also leading key QA initiatives.
• Lead and coordinate application enhancement and TechOps testing activities with technology and business teams.
• Participate actively in team ceremonies, including stand-ups, planning sessions, and retrospectives.
• Communicate regular project updates, including completed work, work in progress, next steps, risks, quality metrics, KPIs, and costs.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in Quality Assurance and Testing, including 3+ years of hands-on automation experience.
• Strong understanding of test frameworks, Selenium WebDriver, test management tools, bug-tracking tools such as ALM, TestRail, and Jira, and Agile methodologies.
• Proven experience in automated testing of financial applications and web portals.
• Expertise in UI automation using Selenium WebDriver and automation framework development.
• Understanding of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, and MCP development.
• Experience with Python, SQL/NoSQL databases, and AWS.
• Hands-on experience using GitHub Copilot as an AI assistant during software development.
• Proficiency in Java and JavaScript.
• Expertise in API testing, both manual and automated, using Rest Assured and ReadyAPI.
• Exposure to performance testing and security testing too
• Self-driven with a practical, professional approach to QA standards, procedures, and issue resolution.
• Ability to write use cases from product requirements, execute them, and report defects in a bug-tracking system.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, contribute independently, and help build a robust and flexible automation framework.
• Passion for mentoring and helping the QA community build automation skills.
• Current hands-on experience designing, building, and scaling cross-functional automation frameworks across back-end integration, database, and UI layers.
• Experience integrating test automation into CI/CD pipelines and supporting SDLC automation, including cloud-based test execution and reporting through tools such as ALM and Jira.
• Ability to improve quality and processes through automation strategy and technology selection based on architecture and process assessments.
• Strong SQL skills, including writing and understanding queries and stored procedures.

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 plansand coverages

  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual

  • Company-provided long- and short-termdisabilityinsurance

• 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 & FormalMentorshipOpportunities

  • 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

Total Cash Compensation Range

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

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.