Quality Assurance Lead

We're partnering with a specialist organisation in the international education and skills recognition sector to appoint a QA Lead Engineer to shape and lead their testing capability.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys hands‐on testing, wants to introduce and grow automation, and is excited by the idea of improving quality across a meaningful, mission‐driven digital portfolio used by learners, institutions and governments globally.

As QA Lead Engineer, you will:

• Lead hands‐on manual testing across multiple web and digital platforms (functional, regression, integration, accessibility).
• Own test planning, test cases and test scripts, managing everything through Azure DevOps.
• Introduce and evolve automated testing (e.g. Selenium, Cypress, Playwright) where it adds value.
• Help define and embed modern QA processes and best practice across a collaborative development team.
• Mentor and support a Senior Assurance Engineer, helping them to grow and develop.
• Work closely with Developers, Product Owners, BAs and Project Managers to ensure quality is built in from the start.
• Report on test progress, risks and issues to IT leadership, with clear, evidence‐based recommendations.

What we're looking for

You don't need to tick every box, but you'll likely have:

• Solid background in manual testing and test case design.
• Experience creating and maintaining test plans, scripts and regression packs.
• Exposure to, or experience with, test automation tools such as Selenium, Cypress or Playwright.
• Good understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and modern QA / test methodologies.
• Experience using Azure DevOps for work management and/or test management.
• Some experience leading, coaching or mentoring other testers or engineers.
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach – comfortable working with technical and non‐technical stakeholders.
• Typically 5+ years' experience in a QA / Test role.

Nice to have:

• Experience maturing QA processes in a growing or evolving organisation.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated tests.
• ISTQB or similar testing certification.