QA Lead

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Quality Engineering (QE) Lead - Automation to lead quality

engineering for complex, product‑centric platforms. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role,

responsible for defining and executing automation strategy, building scalable test frameworks,

embedding quality into CI/CD pipelines, and leading high‑performing QE teams within an Agile,

product‑led delivery model.

The role combines technical depth, leadership, and strong collaboration with engineering,

product, and architecture teams to ensure quality is built in from the earliest stages of

development.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities Quality Engineering Leadership

 Own and evolve the Quality Engineering and automation strategy aligned to

productcentric delivery

 Lead QE activities across integration, system, endtoend, regression, and nonfunctional

testing

 Act as the quality custodian, ensuring adherence to enterprise testing standards and

quality gates

 Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and coaching to QE engineers (onshore and

offshore)

Automation & Engineering Excellence

 Design, build, and maintain scalable automation frameworks across UI, API, and

integration layers

 Drive shiftleft testing and testability across development teams

 Embed automated testing within CI/CD pipelines, enabling fast and reliable feedback

 Lead API and microservicesled testing strategies

 Champion the use of modern tools, lowcode/nocode solutions, and AIassisted testing

where appropriate

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Delivery & Stakeholder Management

 Take full ownership of QE planning, estimation, execution, and reporting within

complex programmes and product teams

 Produce key test artefacts including Master Test Strategy and Test Completion

Reports

 Monitor and publish test metrics, quality indicators, and risk assessments

 Manage and coordinate thirdparty/vendor QE resources

 Work closely with developers, architects, product owners, and IT stakeholders to

ensure quality outcomes

Collaboration with Engineering Teams

 Work handinhand with developers throughout the development lifecycle to ensure

quality is builtin

 Participate actively in requirements analysis, sprint planning, standups, and

retrospectives

 Collaborate with developers to define test scenarios, acceptance criteria, and quality

standards

 Provide continuous feedback on code quality, performance, and test coverage

 Foster a strong culture of shared ownership of quality

NonFunctional & Performance Engineering (Good to Have)

 Take a leading role in performance engineering within product teams

 Support security, vulnerability, and penetration testing activities as part of the wider

quality strategy

 Control acceptance of software delivered by external suppliers

Core Skills (Aligned to SFIA v8)

TEST – Functional Testing (Level 4)

 Selects and applies appropriate manual and automated testing approaches

 Designs and executes test plans and scalable automation frameworks

 Analyses and reports on test results, risks, and issues

QUAS – Quality Assurance (Level 3)

 Supports audits and reviews of testing and quality control activities

 Assesses compliance with organisational standards and procedures

BPTS – Acceptance Testing (Level 4)

 Defines and validates acceptance criteria aligned to functional and nonfunctional

Requirements  Ensures systems deliver expected business outcomes

METL – Methods and Tools (Level 3)

 Configures and supports testing methods and tools

 Maintains documentation and best practice guidance

RELM – Release and Deployment (Level 4)

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 Supports release planning and deployment assurance

 Maintains release processes and supporting tools

Essential Skills & Experience  Strong handson experience leading automationfirst Quality Engineering

 Proven expertise in API and microservices testing

 Handson Experience With

• Playwright (TypeScript / JavaScript)
• Karate (API & integration testing)

 Strong experience embedding automation into CI/CD pipelines

 Experience working in Agile, productcentric delivery models

 Strong SQL skills (Oracle or equivalent)

 Experience with source control and build tools (e.g. Git, Bitbucket, TeamCity)

Good to Have

 Experience with lowcode / nocode automation tools

 Exposure to AIenabled testing approaches

 Performance testing and observability experience

 Security testing awareness (vulnerability / penetration testing)

 Productcompany background (vs purely projectbased delivery)

Qualifications & Professional Standards  ISTQB / ISEB Foundation (minimum)

 Strong Understanding Of

• Testing principles, techniques, and lifecycle models
• Enterprise testing standards and governance

 Experience: 5–10 years overall, with minimum 2 years in a senior/lead QE role

Behavioural & Leadership Expectations

 Acts as a role model for Testing and Quality Engineering practices

 Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills

 High collaboration mindset with full endtoend delivery ownership

 Passionate about building highperforming QE teams

 Calm, decisive, and resilient under pressure

 Proactive, consultative, and transparent in approach

 Champions continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

 Ownership, initiative and positive approach (‘can-do’ attitude)

 Accepts change and manages the effects well

 Likes to develop individuals and to transfer knowledge widely

Required Skills ['Manual and Performance Testing']

Additional Information