Project QA Lead

Role: Project QA Lead - Central Government Project (Inside IR35)

Location: Remote with up to 2 days per week in Telford Start Date: ASAP Rate: inside IR35

We are looking for a hands-on QA leader with proven experience in building, scaling, and maturing internal test teams. You will be responsible for establishing a robust quality function from the ground up-embedding best practices, growing capability, mentoring team members, and aligning test strategy with government delivery standards. Experience of leading test transformation initiatives or standing up QA functions in complex programme environments is essential.

• Full ownership of quality assurance and test strategy execution across the project lifecycle, ensuring alignment with central government standards and delivery frameworks.

• Lead end-to-end testing activities, from planning through to post-deployment validation, including proactive collaboration with developers to resolve defects in lower environments.

• Drive and oversee automated and manual testing practices, with responsibility for automation strategies covering unit, integration, system, and non-functional testing (NFT).

• Design and implement a scalable QA operating model and team structure, including onboarding, mentoring, and performance management of internal QA staff.

• Direct testing across multiple streams including Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and Business Acceptance Testing (BAT).

• Own and maintain stakeholder engagement across development, architecture, business analysis and operations teams.

• Ensure all testing outputs are compliant with traceability, auditability, and documentation standards relevant to central government environments.

• Oversee integration of testing within CI/CD pipelines, ensuring alignment with agile DevOps practices.

• Hands-on knowledge of modern test automation frameworks and tools including Playwright and Selenium.

• Demonstrated experience in building, scaling, and leading internal QA/test teams, particularly in a complex, multi-supplier or government environment.

• Track record of delivering test leadership within UK Central Government or public sector organisations.

• Deep experience of end-to-end testing in regulated environments under Inside IR35 conditions.

• Strong understanding of test strategy, stakeholder engagement, and quality governance in agile and DevOps contexts.

• Familiarity with government digital service standards and assurance frameworks.

• Ownership mindset - able to independently lead, drive, and take accountability for the QA function.

• Excellent communicator and stakeholder manager - confident working with senior business and technical stakeholders.

• Team builder and mentor - passionate about developing talent, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Quality-first approach - with strong attention to detail and a structured, auditable delivery style.