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- Tasks: Lead the design of automated testing solutions and mentor QA engineers.
- Company: Join a purpose-driven organisation focused on people-powered transformation.
- Benefits: Enjoy 30 days holiday, volunteer days, and a personal development budget.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping quality standards and driving innovation.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in automation frameworks and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We are looking for a Lead QA Engineer to join our Engineering capability as a technical authority responsible for architecting, evolving, implementing and governing our strategic automated testing solutions. You will lead the design of complex automation frameworks and define the overarching quality roadmap to ensure high-confidence delivery across diverse client engagements. This role involves mentoring other QA engineers, negotiating quality benchmarks with senior stakeholders, and driving the development of internal automation IP to scale best practices across the entire engineering practice.
Responsibilities
- Owns the end-to-end testing strategy and lifecycle for major projects, devising new techniques while managing the primary technical relationship with the stakeholders.
- Maintains a hands-on approach, taking primary responsibility for building foundational framework components and resolving technical blockers that require expert intervention.
- Implements automated test solutions setting the "Gold Standard" for clean, performant, and maintainable code.
- Provides expert direction on framework design and test planning, defining firm-wide best practices and automation standards.
- Consults with stakeholders to determine which non-functional quality characteristics add value, leading the overarching strategy to ensure performance, security, and reliability are accounted for.
- Resolves systemic architectural blockers and process inefficiencies by translating complex, conflicting requirements into strategic solutions.
- Negotiates testing priorities, timelines, and regression risks with senior technical and non-technical stakeholders across organizations.
- Governs quality by peer-reviewing QA engineers to ensure architectural integrity and business value in all test approaches.
- Drives practice-wide improvement by researching and implementing emerging tools and automation frameworks.
- Mentors the QA Engineer cohort to cultivate the consultancy’s next generation of technical leaders.
- Provides the final expert recommendation on release readiness based on broad, data-driven risk analysis.
- Continuously maintain and update skills and knowledge to stay current within your relevant field of expertise.
About You
Professional knowledge and experience
- Proven expertise in architecting and implementing scalable automation frameworks from the ground up utilizing industry-standard tools like Playwright, Selenium, or Cypress while strategically selecting the most appropriate architectural patterns (e.g., POM, Data-Driven, or Hybrid) to meet complex, long-term client requirements.
- Advanced knowledge of the end-to-end testing ecosystem, including web, API, and mobile tools, with the ability to evaluate and onboard new technologies for different client contexts.
- Strategic experience in designing the integration of automated testing into global CI/CD pipelines to enable a seamless "Continuous Testing" culture.
- Capacity to lead technical discovery and scoping for new projects, including the ability to provide high-level effort estimations and articulate the strategic value of automation solutions to diverse stakeholders.
- Advanced SQL and scripting skills (UNIX/Shell/PowerShell) used to architect complex test data management solutions and backend validation processes.
- Demonstrated expertise in combining advanced technical execution with strategic oversight, successfully driving firm-wide quality standards while providing cross-project mentorship and guidance.
- Previous experience in a consultancy or central government environment is highly advantageous.
- Proven ability to operate across diverse programming languages and technical stacks, with the capacity to evaluate and implement emerging technologies across different client environments.
- Experience with Ruby and using Ruby-based automation frameworks, including Capybara, to design and maintain robust end-to-end test suites.
- Proven track record of shaping or leading internal Communities of Practice or Centres of Excellence to drive high-standard testing methodologies across an organisation.
- Prior experience in Non-Functional Testing (NFT).
- Previous experience in managing or formally leading a multi-person test team.
Technical skills
- Expertise in defining and enforcing firm-wide standards for clean, maintainable, and reusable code across multiple teams or projects.
- Ability to architect modular test frameworks that balance immediate delivery needs with long-term technical debt management.
- High-level proficiency in conducting architectural code reviews, focusing on performance, security, and systemic reliability.
- Expertise in creating reusable automation IP (libraries, templates, or plugins) that increases the firm’s delivery speed across new and existing accounts.
- Expertise in orchestrating and monitoring automation within a CI/CD context to provide high-level quality reporting to stakeholders.
- Proficiency in API testing and the integration of automated security or performance checks into the API layer.
Behaviours
- Analytical Thinking & Problem-Solving: Applies high-level critical thinking to evaluate systemic quality issues and technical debt across the organisation, identifying the most effective automation strategies to maximise long-term ROI.
- Strategic Communication: Transforms complex technical risks and quality metrics into clear, actionable business insights for senior stakeholders and clients to influence delivery timelines and product roadmaps.
- Adaptability & Risk Management: Proactively identifies and mitigates high-impact, cross-project risks, ensuring the testing strategy remains resilient in the face of shifting business priorities or organisational changes.
Strengths, drivers and traits
- Strategic Growth Driver: Passionate about evolving the consultancy’s automation IP and setting the "Gold Standard" for technical excellence across the entire engineering practice.
- Quality Governance Authority: Driven by the responsibility of defining organisational quality benchmarks and ensuring testing strategies align with high-level business value.
- Influential Technical Advisor: Composed under pressure, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and translate complex technical risks into clear, actionable insights for senior stakeholders.
PACT values
- Purpose: The beating heart of our organisation—the impact we make on people, places, and the planet.
- Accountability: As we apply flexibility, pace and growth through our self-organisation, we are accountable to all of our stakeholders.
- Craft: Craft highlights our dedication to bringing precision, problem-solving, and creativity to our work, both with our clients and internally.
- Togetherness: Togetherness is how we work—it captures the energy, fun, and user-centred approach that we embrace.
About Us
People-Powered Transformation We're a purpose driven organisation, supporting organisations to build a better future for people, places and the planet. Combining vast experience in the public, private and third sectors and expertise in human-centred design, data, experience and technology, we’re creating sustainable solutions ready for an ever-evolving world. At the heart of TPXimpact, we’re collaborative and empathetic. We’re a team of passionate people who care deeply about the work we do and the impact we have in the world. We know that change happens through people, with people and for people. That’s why we believe in people-powered transformation. Working in close collaboration with our clients, we seek to understand their unique challenges, questioning assumptions and building in their teams the capabilities and confidence to continue learning, iterating and adapting.
Benefits Include
- 30 days holiday + bank holidays
- 2 volunteer days for causes that you are passionate about
- Maternity/paternity - 6 months Maternity Leave, 3 months Paternity Leave
- Life assurance
- Employer pension contribution of 5%
- Health cash plan
- Personal learning and development budget
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Green incentive programmes including Electric Vehicle Leasing and the Cycle to Work Scheme
Lead QA Engineer employer: TPXimpact | B Corp™
Contact Detail:
TPXimpact | B Corp™ Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead QA Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in the role you want. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your automation frameworks and testing strategies. This is your chance to demonstrate your expertise and make a lasting impression on potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common QA scenarios and technical questions. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it’s time to shine!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search. Let’s get you that Lead QA Engineer role!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead QA Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Lead QA Engineer role. Highlight your experience with automation frameworks and any relevant tools like Playwright or Selenium. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves mentoring and leading a team, don’t forget to mention any previous leadership experiences. Share examples of how you've guided others in their careers or resolved complex technical issues.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read through your achievements and skills. We appreciate clarity!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy!
How to prepare for a job interview at TPXimpact | B Corp™
✨Know Your Automation Frameworks
Make sure you’re well-versed in the automation frameworks mentioned in the job description, like Playwright, Selenium, and Cypress. Be ready to discuss your experience with these tools and how you've architected scalable solutions in the past.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare to talk about how you’ve integrated automated testing into CI/CD pipelines. Highlight specific examples where your strategic decisions led to improved quality or efficiency, and be ready to discuss the long-term benefits of your approaches.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
Since this role involves mentoring other QA engineers, think of instances where you’ve successfully led a team or project. Share how you’ve cultivated a high-performance culture and helped others grow in their roles.
✨Communicate Clearly with Stakeholders
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. You’ll need to negotiate testing priorities and timelines with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, so being able to bridge that gap is crucial.