Resume

Joe Doran

Apex, NC 27502 jobs@joedoran.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdoran

Executive summary

Technology executive specializing in AI-powered quality engineering and digital transformation. Excel at leading diverse, high-performing teams in any industry to drive innovation, operational excellence, and rapid delivery. Proven ability to deliver significant cost savings, engineering productivity, quality improvements, and customer satisfaction through strategic adoption of DevOps, cloud platforms, AI and intelligent automation. Adept at building trusted partnerships with leaders up to the C-suite while fostering cultures of autonomy, accountability, and continuous bold experimentation.

Professional experience

CAPTRUST — Raleigh, NC (on-site) · 2026

Application Development Manager

A leading independent wealth management firm that serves clients in a fiduciary capacity—providing comprehensive financial advisory and technology solutions to high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions.

Led AI transformation of the quality engineering practice, implementing intelligent automation and ML-driven test suites that reduced manual planning and testing effort by 36%.
Designed and deployed AI-powered defect analytics and automated risk-based testing frameworks, decreasing critical defect escapes by 46% and improving application security along the way.
Integrated generative AI tools for automated test case generation and visual regression testing, increasing test coverage from 1% to 40% while cutting regression testing time by 50% within 60 days.
Mentored 14 engineers on AI-augmented practices, prompt engineering, and responsible AI implementation, fostering a culture of innovation in a regulated financial services environment.

BuildOps — Raleigh, NC (hybrid) · 2025

Engineering Manager, Quality

A unicorn startup with over 500 employees disrupting the specialty contractor space by developing online and mobile solutions for managing small, medium and enterprise businesses that serve US and Canadian customers to construct and service the electrical, plumbing, HVAC/R and mechanical systems of commercial buildings.

Created detailed metrics via custom APIs to summarize Jira, Github, AWS, Logrocket and DataDog data streams to better understand code quality, engineer productivity, deployment and system health to focus on customer support improvements, stability, performance and other scaling initiatives.
Utilized Jellyfish to identify rework and other defect correlation patterns to help improve code reviews and also new hire and existing team training on tools and processes available to prevent issues.
Utilized AI testing technology Meticulous in delivery cycles reducing defect escapes of sev1 by 40%.

VF Corporation — Greensboro, NC (remote) · 2023–2025

Director Software Quality Engineering

An international retail company selling apparel, shoes and gear from brick and mortar stores, online and through retailers generating over $11 billion in revenue.

Championed an enterprise-wide quality engineering practice, empowering cross-functional IT and engineering teams with clear context and tools to prioritize customer-centric quality culture.
Consolidated five testing vendor contracts into a single managed service contract, cutting costs by 40%, reducing defects, and accelerating delivery—demonstrating judgment and resilience under ambiguity.
Pioneered AI-driven visual testing tools for UI/UX validation enhancing team velocity by 18%.
Led on-premise-to-cloud migrations for SAP, product catalog, warehouse automation, and commerce platforms (Salesforce, Shopify), adapting quickly to complex challenges and driving long-term value.

Rite Aid — Philadelphia, PA (remote) · 2020–2023

Director Software Quality Assurance

A retail pharmacy company selling pharmaceuticals and retail goods from brick and mortar stores and online with over 55,000 employees generating over $25 billion in revenue.

Led a diverse, matrixed team of FTEs and contractors, fostering inclusion and selflessness by aligning efforts to modernize legacy systems and test digital assets with agility in multi-cloud (AWS/GCP).
Engineered quality processes from scratch using SonarQube, Delphix, and SAST/DAST, integrating AI to automate testing, reflecting curiosity and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Oversaw Pharmacy Benefits Management platform testing, scaling it 3x to support member growth.
Co-developed a COVID-19 vaccine scheduling system on AWS, operationalizing pharmacist vaccinations for 14M+ people in 12 months—embracing uncomfortably exciting challenges.
Applied Lean methodologies to eliminate waste, trained IT teams to address issues independently, and advocated for quality funding with executives, promoting candor and long-term solutions.

Bottomline Technologies — Portsmouth, NH (remote) · 2014–2020

Senior Manager Quality Assurance and Production Support

A financial services company selling payment automation, security and legal products with 2,000 employees generating over $400 million in revenue.

Managed a global, cross-functional team of 50+ engineers, building a high-performance culture by prioritizing automation and securing resources—reflecting judgment and selflessness.
Achieved a 6x increase in automated test cases (90% coverage) and 400% expansion in unit/integration testing, enabling early defect detection and team empowerment.
Reduced production defects by 73% with a risk management process, encouraging candid feedback and resilience to adapt to evolving needs.
Validated migrations and data for vendor accounts payable/receivable, collaborating across units to ensure seamless integration and performance.

Pearson — Baltimore, MD (on-site) · 2012–2014

Quality Assurance Manager

A provider of digital and print educational products generating $5 billion in revenue.

Led diverse teams and offshore vendors, ensuring 100% on-time, high-quality project delivery by fostering inclusion and providing clear decision-making context.
Expanded quality resources by 67%, empowering teams to excel and adapt, aligning with a people-over-process philosophy.

Agora — Baltimore, MD (on-site) · 2010–2012

Quality Assurance Manager

A publishing services company with a global staff of 800 selling digital and print subscriptions and some merchandise.

Built a quality department from the ground up, achieving 100% automated test coverage for e-commerce flows using Selenium, showcasing creativity and initiative.
Reduced release cycle duration by 27% with a 265% budget increase, driving bold improvements in process and team accountability.

Education & professional development

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Towson University
Certified Scrum Master
Lean Methodology Trainer

Core competencies

Leadership & Strategy

AI & Digital Transformation

Quality & Engineering Excellence

Operations & Delivery