Automation and Non Functional Test Lead in Nottingham

About The Role

Contract type: Permanent. Hours: Full‑time, 35 hours. Location: Head Office, Nottingham (Hybrid working, minimum 2 days per week).

We’re looking for an experienced Automation & Non‑Functional Test Lead to define and drive our organisation‑wide testing strategy. In this role, you’ll lead the adoption of intelligent quality engineering practices, including advanced automation frameworks and AI‑driven testing tools. A major focus will be designing, implementing, and optimising CI/CD pipelines from the ground up, ensuring automation is embedded throughout build, deployment, and release processes. You’ll work collaboratively with Test Leads, Engineering, Architecture, Delivery teams, and third‑party partners to ensure our products and platforms are robust, secure, scalable, and high performing through effective automated and non‑functional testing.

Here’s a taste of what you will be doing as an Automation & Non‑Functional Test Lead at Nottingham Building Society:

• Test Strategy & Framework Leadership: Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of automation frameworks and non‑functional testing strategies.
• Automation Tooling Ownership: Own and evolve the organisation’s automation tooling approach, including Leapwork and emerging AI‑enabled platforms.
• CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Support the creation and optimisation of CI/CD pipelines from scratch, embedding automated tests into continuous delivery cycles.
• Automated Test Execution: Plan, prepare, and run automated test suites across system, integration, regression, and smoke phases.
• Performance & Resilience Testing: Define, plan, and deliver load, stress, scalability, resilience, and reliability testing.
• Security & Vulnerability Collaboration: Partner with Information Security to ensure appropriate security and vulnerability testing is performed.
• Tooling, Environments & Data Governance: Oversee tooling selection, configuration, and optimisation, ensuring test environments, test data, and performance conditions are fit for purpose.
• Leadership, Coaching & Reporting: Provide technical leadership and coaching to QA teams and suppliers, delivering clear reporting, dashboards, and insights aligned with business and regulatory priorities.

About you:

• Automation & AI‑Driven Testing Expertise: Skilled in automation tooling (including no‑code tools like Leapwork) with strong knowledge of AI‑enabled testing capabilities such as self‑healing, autonomous test maintenance, and intelligent test generation.
• CI/CD & Engineering Capability: Able to build, configure, and optimise CI/CD pipelines from scratch using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar, embedding continuous testing throughout.
• Non‑Functional Testing Specialism: Deep understanding of performance, load, stress, resilience, scalability, and availability testing, plus hands‑on experience with tools like JMeter, Gatling, or LoadRunner.
• Cloud & Modern Architecture Knowledge: Strong familiarity with Azure, Kubernetes, microservices, and containerised environments, enabling effective testing of distributed systems.
• Framework Design & Technical Leadership: Experienced in designing scalable automation frameworks, reusable libraries, and providing technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to engineers and QA teams.
• Analytical, Diagnostic & Communication Skills: Excellent ability to interpret performance results, diagnose bottlenecks, and clearly communicate technical insights to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Proven Delivery Experience: Demonstrated leadership across large, complex change initiatives, including automation, non‑functional testing, AI‑assisted tooling adoption, and Agile delivery across cross‑functional teams and suppliers.
• Collaborative, Innovative & Resilient Mindset: Works effectively with diverse teams, brings curiosity and innovation, takes ownership, manages competing priorities, and maintains strong attention to detail and quality.

Reward & Benefits:

• Competitive Package: Fair salary benchmarked against market data, annual discretionary bonus, and 29 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Health & Wellbeing: Access to Medicash healthcare, mental health first aiders, and a suite of wellbeing resources to support you inside and outside of work.
• Work‑Life Balance: 35‑hour working week for full‑time roles, with flexibility to help you perform at your best.
• Career Growth: Ongoing personal and professional development, we’ll support your ambitions and help you grow your potential.
• Inclusive Culture: Be part of a friendly, values‑led team that genuinely cares about doing the right thing for colleagues and customers.
• Giving Back: Use two paid volunteering days each year to support causes close to your heart, through our Samuel Fox Foundation.
• Sustainability Focus: Join a business committed to reducing its carbon footprint and making a positive impact on the environment.
• Free access to Octopus Money: Financial coaching & tools that help you plan, manage, and make the most of your money.

Embracing Diversity Together:

We proudly embrace and celebrate diversity as a fundamental cornerstone of our values. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is not just essential for our success but is also a reflection of the vibrant communities we serve. Our commitment to diversity extends beyond our internal culture to the way we approach advertising and engage with our customers. Our commitment means actively working to eliminate barriers and biases that may hinder equal opportunities within our organisation. We strive to ensure that all individuals, regardless of background, have an equal chance to thrive and advance in their careers. We acknowledge that diversity is not just a goal to be achieved but a continuous journey toward creating an environment that embraces differences and promotes equal opportunities for all. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture that encourages collaboration, creativity, and a sense of belonging for every member of our community.