Karla Hinsman

About Karla Hinsman

As Director of Quality Engineering and Technical Program Manager at John Hancock, I lead QE governance, standards, and delivery excellence for 230+ Quality Engineers across U.S. Segment Technology.With more than two decades of leadership experience, I’ve shaped the evolution of Quality Engineering from traditional QA into a mature, scalable, risk-aware function that accelerates delivery and strengthens customer experience. My leadership blends people-first values with strong operational discipline, helping teams navigate change with clarity, consistency, and confidence.I own QE governance, demand management, onboarding, Standard Operating Procedures, QE controls, UAT strategy, vendor quality oversight, SDLC metrics, and QE knowledge management. I also serve as Technical Program Manager for cross-functional initiatives, driving strategic alignment, risk mitigation, and delivery execution.From 2022–2024, I led a major QE transformation—modernizing frameworks, consolidating toolsets, optimizing headcount, reducing critical-risk dependencies, and improving efficiency. This work delivered significant financial value, strengthened consistency, and elevated the organization’s quality maturity.I’m passionate about partnering across segments to drive consistent standards and value-driven outcomes. Whether developing AI capability models or advancing governance, my focus is on creating an environment where teams feel supported, empowered, and equipped to deliver high-quality technology that matters. I consider myself an Energy CEO—living the dream through purpose, passion, and people.

Experience

1. Director Quality Engineering

   John Hancock

   May 2022 — Present · Boston, MA, US

   QA/QE Transformation Leadership: directed transformational shift prioritizing automation-first approach enabling squads to accelerate delivery of high-quality products. • Implemented standard test automation framework resulting in $2.1M cost avoidance, and 3,500 effort hours savings.• Introduced $400K annual cost savings through tool optimization.• Improved team efficiency by ~37%, supporting more teams with less.• Reduced average regression cycle time by 50% by automating key testing processes.• Regression automation increased from 75%- 85%

Education

• New England Court Reporting Institute

  CSR, Certified Shorthand Reporter

  1996 — 1998

• Emmanuel College (Boston)

  Bachelor's Degree, Business Administration and Management, General