Test And Automation Principal/Lead

We\’re looking for an exceptional Test and Automation Principal/Lead who possesses strong technical expertise to join our Fintech team here at N Brown Group, working on an exciting venture to assemble a new financial services platform.

You\’ll be proficient in writing automation tests, particularly for the backend using Jest, and demonstrate extensive experience with JavaScript/TypeScript. Additionally, you will be skilled in conducting performance testing with Artillery. As an effective leader, you will have a clear vision of excellence, guiding and supporting a team of manual and automation testers responsible for validating our services, APIs, and customer journeys.

We\’re looking for a senior, strategic, and technology- driven individual who can identify areas for improvement and lead the adoption of best practices within the testing community. As a hands-on leader and line manager, you will inspire your team, manage performance, and coach your testers. You will be responsible for crafting and directing the overall test strategy

What will you do as a Test and Automation Lead at N Brown?

• Lead the Testing Centre of Excellence to drive best practices, consistent standards, and strategic direction for all aspects of testing-both manual and automated-across all squads.
• Define and maintain the overall test strategy, ensuring that quality is embedded throughout the software delivery lifecycle and that no gaps exist in test coverage or approach across the platform.
• Line manages a team of manual test analysts and automation testers who are embedded within agile delivery squads, supporting their career development, coaching, and technical growth.
• While squad leads are responsible for day-to-day work allocation, you\’re accountable for ensuring that testing is carried out to a consistently high standard, aligned to the organisation\’s testing strategy, tooling, and processes.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Leads, Product Owners, and QA team members to ensure that testing practices support reliable, secure, and scalable delivery.
• Identifying and driving opportunities for test automation, continuous testing, and quality improvements, working hands-on where needed to implement tools, frameworks, or improvements that uplift testing capability across squads.
• Identifying and assessing new and emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques.

What skills and experience will you have?

• Proven experience defining and executing QA strategies that blend manual and automated testing; able to lead testing initiatives end-to-end across the SDLC.
• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining automated functional/E2E tests using TypeScript and Jest, with a focus on stability and maintainability.
• Experience designing and executing performance and load tests using tools like JMeter, with a deep understanding of interpreting metrics and tuning systems.
• Strong manual testing background with a knack for identifying edge cases, usability issues, and high-risk areas; able to guide exploratory testing efforts when automation is insufficient.
• Experience setting up test data strategies, using fixtures/factories, and implementing mocks/stubs for services, APIs, and external dependencies to support reliable automation.
• Deep integration of test suites into CI/CD pipelines, enabling early feedback and fail-fast workflows; collaborates with developers to promote testability and quality from the start.
• Leads by example with code, test design, and reviews; mentors testers and developers in quality practices, and fosters a culture of shared responsibility for quality.

Technical Skills

• Agile development methodologies
• Application lifecycle management: Jira, Confluence
• Monitoring tools, including Grafana, Kibana
• Executing tests in line with test plans
• Writing test plans, scripts and cases
• Test management
• Test data management
• Test progress and outcome reporting
• Performance testing, including tools, e.g., JMeter
• Knowledge and experience of target platform, e.g.
• Microservices, APIs, etc
• Source control: Git, GitLab
• Javascript/Typescript
• Javascript runtime and package management, e.g., Node, NPM, etc
• Automated functional testing (e.g., Jest, Cypress, Playwright, etc.)

What\’s in it for you?

• Hybrid working (minimum of 2 days in the office per week)
• 24 days holiday (+ 8 bank holidays)
• Annual bonus scheme
• Enhanced maternity and adoption leave
• Company pension with up to 8% N Brown contribution
• Mental Health support both internally and externally, including access to our wellbeing champions and counselling services
• A range of financial wellbeing support
• Colleague discount across all N Brown brands
• Onsite café with subsidised rates and local restaurant discounts!
• Life Assurance and Private Medical Insurance
• Paid volunteer time – all our colleagues can take a full day paid to volunteer for a charity of their choice

N Brown – who we are and why work for us?

At N Brown, we\’re committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment that values equality for all. Our vision is that by \’championing inclusion, we\’ll become the most loved and trusted fashion retailer\’. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are, therefore, at the heart of our culture.

We\’re a forward-thinking digital retailer with a financial services proposition to be proud of. We\’re customer-obsessed, serving them through three core brands: JD Williams, Simply Be, and Jacamo. We\’re experienced, with over 160 years of trading under our belt. We\’re inclusive, as we believe in fashion without boundaries; and we\’re sustainable, striving to make as little impact on the planet as possible.

In May 2024 we were delighted to be named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. We work hard to create a happy and inclusive culture for everyone and we\’re so proud to have made this list – as voted for by our very own colleagues!

Ways of Working

We offer hybrid working which varies across the business depending on the role you\’re in. Our Head Office is located in the Northern Quarter in Manchester City Centre. So if you are travelling by train, tram or bus we\’re perfectly located, plus we\’re surrounded by cool cafes, trendy bars and the best places to eat!

Our working hours are 36.17 per week and our core working hours are between 10am – 4pm. Given we don\’t have strict working hours you can find the working pattern that\’s right for you.

Our promise to you:

We\’re an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

What happens when you apply to a role at N Brown?

As soon as we receive your application, we\’ll send you an email to let you know. We always aim to come back to you as soon as possible with an update and we really appreciate you taking the time to apply for a role with us. Good luck! #J-18808-Ljbffr