Manager, Quality Engineering & IPA

ABOUT THE POSITION

Although we're an apparel and footwear-focused company, technology is central to everything we do. Columbia Sportswear’s Digital Technology (CDT) group enables an IT infrastructure and applications across four global brands, a global supply chain, and 500+ geographically dispersed stores. These teams support in-store, mobile, and data platforms to enhance customer interface and service in an ever-evolving industry.

We’re seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead our Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) and Quality Engineering (QE) team in designing, building, and deploying scalable automation solutions that drive digital transformation across the enterprise. The ideal candidate combines deep technical knowledge of automation platforms with strong leadership skills to guide multidisciplinary teams in delivering business impact.

You will oversee engineers and developers working with platforms such as:

• Intelligent Process Automation: Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps), Pega Systems, and Automation Anywhere, ensuring the team delivers efficient, secure, and compliant automation solutions.

• Quality Engineering: Tricentis Tosca, Node.js (Playwright or TestCafe) or Java (Selenium Webdriver) frameworks.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of automation engineers and solution developers.
  • Define and execute the intelligent automation roadmap aligned with business and IT strategy.
  • Partner with business stakeholders to identify, evaluate, and prioritize automation opportunities.
• Technical Delivery
  • Oversee design, development, testing, and deployment of automation solutions using Power Platform, Pega, and Automation Anywhere.
  • Oversee delivery on test automation frameworks and test suites.
  • Good to have Test automation development experience with Tricentis Tosca, development experience with Node.js (Playwright or TestCafe) or Java (Selenium Webdriver) frameworks.
  • Solid knowledge and experience of software engineering in the areas of Automation, Continuous Integration (CI) & Continuous Delivery (CD), scripting and development languages, command line interface (CLI), OS interfaces, and SysOps, including account creation and permissions structures.
  • Ensure best practices in solution architecture, security, and integration with enterprise systems.
  • Establish governance, standards, and reusable frameworks to scale automation initiatives.
  • Drive continuous improvement in automation quality, performance, and maintainability.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with IT, business units, and data teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
  • Communicate progress, risks, and metrics to executive leadership.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert for automation technologies and evangelize adoption across the organization.

YOU ARE

• Strategic and Visionary Thinker
  • Sees the big picture — not just automating tasks but transforming business models through intelligent automation.
  • Understands how technology can deliver measurable business outcomes (efficiency, quality, cost savings, customer experience).
  • Balances innovation with practicality, prioritizing scalable, sustainable solutions over one-off automations.
• Technically Fluent but Business-Minded
  • Has deep hands-on knowledge of platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, Pega, and Automation Anywhere, but knows when to delegate technical work.
  • Can translate complex technical possibilities into simple, outcome-focused language that resonates with business leaders.
  • Enjoys bridging the gap between IT and the business units, ensuring technology delivers real value.
• Empowering, Collaborative Leader
  • Leads by influence rather than authority — fosters trust, autonomy, and accountability within the team.
  • Mentors’ engineers and developers, helping them grow technically and professionally.
  • Creates an environment where innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement are encouraged.

• Change Agent and Innovator
  • Thrives on transforming traditional processes into intelligent, automated workflows.
  • Comfortable driving organizational change and influencing senior stakeholders to embrace automation.
  • Stays on top of emerging technologies (AI copilots, process mining, machine learning) and proactively experiments with new tools.
• Delivery-Oriented and Disciplined
  • Has a strong sense of ownership — ensures automation projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with measurable results.
  • Skilled in Agile or hybrid delivery, balancing flexibility with structure.
  • Uses data and KPIs to measure automation success and identify areas for improvement.
  • Thrives in a dynamic environment with multiple competing priorities.
• Exceptional Communicator and Influencer
  • Articulate and persuasive when presenting to executives or non-technical stakeholders.
  • Can negotiate resources, manage expectations, and gain buy-in for automation roadmaps.
  • Listens actively and builds credibility across technical and business domains.
• Curious, Adaptable, and Resilient
  • Naturally curious — constantly learning about new automation, AI, and digital tools.
  • Adaptable to changing technologies and business conditions.
  • Resilient when faced with ambiguity, setbacks, or competing organizational priorities.
  • Maintains composure and focus under pressure, modeling a growth mindset for the team.

YOU HAVE

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in software engineering, digital process automation, or intelligent automation.
• 3+ years in a leadership or managerial role overseeing technical teams.
• Hands-on expertise with:
  • Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI)
  • Pega Platform (workflow automation, case management)
  • Automation Anywhere (bot development, orchestration, and deployment)
  • Tricentis Tosca, Playwright or TestCafe.
• Strong understanding of process design, RPA, AI/ML integration, and API-based automation.
• Experience with cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or similar) and DevOps pipelines.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Preferred:
  • Certification(s) in Power Platform, Pega, or Automation Anywhere.
  • Experience implementing AI-driven process automation or document understanding solutions.
  • Familiarity with Agile methodologies and CI/CD practices.

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.