Lead Mobile QA

Waracle; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital consultancy in the UK is seeking a skilled Lead Automation QA to provide expert leadership in mobile application testing. This short-term contract role involves building automation frameworks, integrating quality gates into CI/CD pipelines, and defining comprehensive test strategies. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in test automation and client relationship management. This position offers a hybrid work model and engagement with ambitious clients.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead or Senior QA Engineer in a digital consultancy.
• Deep understanding of mobile applications testing nuances.
• Advanced skills in automation frameworks setup from scratch.

Responsibilities

• Build cross-platform mobile automation frameworks.
• Integrate automated quality gates into CI/CD pipelines.
• Define strategies balancing functional requirements and risk management.

Skills

Test automation strategy

Mobile application testing

Building automation frameworks

API testing with Postman

CI/CD integration with Azure DevOps

Defining test strategies

Client relationship management

Tools

Maestro

Playwright

Postman

Git

Microsoft Azure

SQL

Job description

Waracle is a world‑class digital technology consultancy and home to a diverse, smart, curious and ambitious community of specialists in technology‑driven transformation.

We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We help our clients to innovate and create intelligent digital products and services. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business‑critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design and delivery to operations.

We are seeking an exceptional contract Lead Automation QA with strong mobile experience to provide expert technical leadership and drive high‑standard quality outcomes.

This role is available on a short term contract basis (Inside IR35) and based hybrid from any Waracle office (Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London).

This is a pivotal engagement for a highly experienced professional who embodies technical mastery and strategic thinking. As a Lead, you will be responsible for defining strategic automation approaches, advising on framework selection, and ensuring the delivery of robust, scalable quality standards throughout the duration of the contract.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Build and maintain robust, cross‑platform mobile automation frameworks from scratch.
• Integrate automated quality gates into CI/CD pipelines to ensure rapid, reliable builds and high code standards.
• Define a comprehensive strategy balancing functional requirements with performance, accessibility, and proactive risk management.
• Perform API testing and direct data validation to ensure seamless flow between mobile applications and cloud infrastructure.
• Work within multidisciplinary teams to streamline the development lifecycle and align on project‑specific quality standards.
• Generate audit‑ready test evidence and detailed reports to communicate quality metrics and project status to stakeholders.
• Act as the primary point of contact for quality, providing expert guidance to stakeholders on technical trade‑offs.
• Establish best practices for defect management and lead triage efforts to resolve blockers and meet delivery timelines.
• Oversee the master test suite, ensuring comprehensive manual coverage for individual tickets and maintaining end‑to‑end accuracy.

What you’ll bring:

• Proven track record as a Lead or Senior QA Engineer, ideally within a digital consultancy, with a demonstrated mastery in test automation strategy, setup, and oversight.
• Deep experience testing mobile applications including an understanding of widget‑based architectures and cross‑platform quality nuances.
• Advanced skills in building and extending automation frameworks from scratch using Maestro and/or Playwright.
• Professional experience with Postman for API testing.
• Proficiency with Git and experience defining and integrating automated quality gates into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions).
• Ability to define comprehensive test strategies that balance speed, quality, and risk while managing client expectations around scope and priorities.
• Experience owning key client relationships, advising stakeholders proactively, and managing tensions constructively to build trusted partnerships.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and SQL for managing and validating back‑end data is highly beneficial.

The recruitment process you can expect for this role is an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, notice period and benefits (the important stuff!).

After that, you'll be invited to a two‑stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.