Software Test Lead (Automation)

Overview

Pinewood.AI is seeking a technically strong, hands-on Test Lead to own and deliver our quality strategy for our Automotive Intelligence Platform. You\’ll drive an automation-first testing approach, combining robust automated frameworks with practical, risk-based manual testing to ensure stable, high-quality releases as we expand into new markets. In this role, you\’ll define testing standards, build and maintain automated UI, integration and regression suites (we favour Playwright and the Microsoft tech stack), introduce data-driven test metrics, and mentor a small team of testers. Working closely with developers, product managers, support and implementation teams, you\’ll close quality gaps, reduce recurring issues and improve release cadence. This is a hands-on leadership role where you\’ll set strategy and also write tests, build frameworks, and integrate testing into CI/CD pipelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the QA strategy with a focus on automation-first testing across UI, integration and regression suites.
• Design, build and maintain automated test frameworks (Playwright preferred) and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead hands-on testing, including writing automated tests, performing manual exploratory testing, and triaging defects.
• Collaborate with Product, Development and Support teams to create test plans, acceptance criteria and release gates.
• Implement automated UI and API/integration tests to ensure robust regression coverage for critical user journeys.
• Establish and report on test metrics (defect trends, coverage, release health) to drive continuous improvement.
• Mentor and guide other testers/engineers, acting as a technical lead while remaining hands-on.
• Investigate live issues, support post-release troubleshooting, and expand automated coverage where gaps are found.
• Work in a hybrid model (approx. 2 days onsite at Birmingham Business Park) with occasional travel to other offices or customer sites.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Senior QA or Test Lead in enterprise or SaaS environments.
• Strong hands-on experience with Playwright (preferred) or similar UI automation frameworks (Selenium, Cypress).
• Solid understanding of integration and API testing, regression strategy, and CI/CD integration (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions).
• Practical coding experience writing automated tests in JavaScript/TypeScript or Microsoft-aligned languages (.NET/C#).
• Experience defining QA strategy, test plans, acceptance criteria, and using metrics to measure outcomes.
• Ability to lead a small team, mentor others, and take ownership for delivery quality.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and non-technical teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on prevention through automation.

Desirable Experience

• Testing dealer management systems or automotive retail software.
• Familiarity with service scheduling, parts inventory, warranty workflows and aftersales processes.
• Experience integrating Playwright or similar tools into Microsoft tech stacks and cloud CI pipelines.
• Previous experience mentoring or managing a small QA team.

About Us

This is a rare opportunity to shape the QA function in a fast-growing, innovative automotive software company. You\’ll work with modern tools and approaches, have a direct impact on release quality, and play a pivotal role in helping us deliver outstanding products to automotive retailers and OEMs across the globe. With a culture that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and technical excellence, Pinewood.AI is the place to make your mark.

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Bonus scheme
• Share scheme
• Hybrid working
• 25 days holiday plus all UK bank holidays
• Life assurance
• Ongoing training & professional development
• Free onsite gym (Birmingham)
• Regular social events
• Employee recognition and awards