QA Manager in Leeds

At IDHL, we’re more than a digital agency; we’re a strategic partner to ambitious brands, helping them accelerate growth in the digital economy. Our expertise is delivered through three core divisions: Performance, Web & eCommerce, and Intelligence – all working closely together to create impact across channels.

Your role as QA Manager:

• Team Leadership & Coaching: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of QA professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development planning. Identify skills gaps and create tailored training plans for team members. Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing within the QA team and across departments. Encourage innovation and adoption of best practices in testing methodologies. Set clear goals and OKRs for the QA team aligned with business objectives. Support team members in resolving technical and process challenges. Build succession plans and ensure team scalability for future growth. Champion wellbeing and psychological safety within the team.
• Delivery Oversight: Oversee QA activities across multiple projects to ensure timely and high-quality delivery. Monitor and report on QA progress, risks, and issues to senior stakeholders. Ensure test coverage meets functional, non‑functional, and regression requirements. Drive adherence to agreed timelines without compromising quality standards. Implement risk‑based testing approaches for efficient resource allocation. Coordinate with project managers and technical leads to align QA schedules with overall delivery plans. Validate readiness for releases through structured sign‑off processes. Continuously improve QA delivery metrics and reporting dashboards. Monitor team performance and delivery metrics, identifying opportunities for process improvement.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate QA strategy, progress, and risks clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Collaborate with Clients, Technical Leads, Developers, and Solution Architect to clarify requirements. Influence decision‑making by providing data‑driven insights on quality and risk. Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment. Advocate for quality throughout the software development lifecycle. Manage expectations around testing timelines and deliverables. Facilitate workshops and demos to showcase QA processes and outcomes. Lead client‑facing discussions on delivery progress and technical strategy to reduce escalation of quality issues during project build. Partner with Account Managers to support long‑term client relationships and identify growth opportunities.
• Technical Oversight: Define and implement modern QA frameworks, tools, and automation strategies. Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of QA technologies and industry trends. Drive the transition from manual testing to automation where appropriate. Ensure robust test environments and data management practices. Oversee integration, performance, and security testing initiatives. Establish standards for test documentation and defect management. Increase visibility of testing outputs within both internal and external teams. Evaluate and recommend tools for test management, automation, and reporting. Ensure compliance with relevant quality and security standards. Maintain comprehensive knowledge of our core business platforms; Shopify, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Kentico & Umbraco. Keep up to date with developments and new features on the above platform ecosystems. Stay informed on platform updates and industry trends to guide team strategy. Work closely with the partnership team to understand key integration & testing requirements for partner technologies.
• Leadership & People Skills: Inspire and motivate the QA team to achieve excellence. Demonstrate strong decision‑making and problem‑solving capabilities. Handle conflicts and challenges within the team professionally and constructively. Communicate effectively at all levels of the organization. Exhibit resilience and adaptability in a fast‑paced environment. Lead by example in upholding company values and ethical standards. Foster an environment of trust and accountability. Promote diversity, inclusion, and a positive team culture.
• Delivery & Process: Define and continuously refine QA processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Implement best practices for Agile, Scrum, or other delivery methodologies. Ensure proper defect tracking, triage, and resolution processes. Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on retrospectives and metrics. Standardize test planning, execution, and reporting across projects. Introduce automation into CI/CD pipelines for faster feedback loops. Monitor and optimize QA resource allocation across projects. Establish clear SLAs and quality benchmarks for all deliverables.