Lead QA Automation Engineer

GCS; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS is seeking a Lead Engineer - QA Automation in London to guide QA strategy across in-house and supplier-delivered apps. You will set testing standards, drive automation, and ensure alignment with security, regulatory, and business requirements while championing modern engineering practices.

You will lead a team of QA engineers, embed Shift Left principles, govern testing across multiple levels, integrate automation with CI/CD, and report quality metrics to stakeholders.

Qualifications

• ISTQB certification or equivalent testing qualification.
• Degree in IT, Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Proven experience leading QA and testing functions within complex enterprise environments.
• Experience governing quality across supplier-led or outsourced delivery models.
• Strong experience designing and delivering enterprise-wide test strategies and plans.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the QA and testing strategy across in-house and supplier-led delivery.
• Establish standards and governance for unit, integration, system, UAT, regression, performance, and automation testing.
• Lead and mentor QA engineers, supporting test planning, estimation, prioritisation, and delivery.
• Embed Shift Left testing practices to improve quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Review test cases, test coverage, automation scripts, and quality metrics.
• Validate supplier testing deliverables, identify quality risks, and drive remediation activities.
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of automated testing frameworks.
• Ensure automation is scalable, maintainable, and integrated within CI/CD pipelines.
• Own defect management processes, quality reporting, and release readiness assessments.
• Support test environment management and test data strategy.
• Communicate quality status, risks, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement across testing practices, tools, processes, and supplier engagement.

Skills

QA leadership

Test strategy

Automation testing

Stakeholder management

CI/CD awareness

DevOps practices

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/Engineering/CS

Tools

Selenium

Cypress

Playwright

SpecFlow

Postman

REST API Testing

C#

Job description

Lead Engineer - QA Automation

Location: London; Hybrid Working (Minimum 2 days per week in office)

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Lead Engineer - QA Automation to drive quality assurance and testing excellence across a portfolio of internally developed and supplier-delivered applications.

This is a leadership role responsible for defining QA strategy, establishing testing standards, governing quality outcomes, and championing automation across the software delivery lifecycle. You will act as the technical authority for testing, ensuring solutions meet functional, security, regulatory, and business requirements while supporting the adoption of modern engineering and DevOps practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the QA and testing strategy across in-house and supplier-led delivery.
• Establish standards and governance for unit, integration, system, UAT, regression, performance, and automation testing.
• Lead and mentor QA engineers, supporting test planning, estimation, prioritisation, and delivery.
• Embed Shift Left testing practices to improve quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Review test cases, test coverage, automation scripts, and quality metrics.
• Validate supplier testing deliverables, identify quality risks, and drive remediation activities.
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of automated testing frameworks.
• Ensure automation is scalable, maintainable, and integrated within CI/CD pipelines.
• Own defect management processes, quality reporting, and release readiness assessments.
• Support test environment management and test data strategy.
• Communicate quality status, risks, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement across testing practices, tools, processes, and supplier engagement.

Required Skills & Experience

• ISTQB certification or equivalent testing qualification.
• Degree in IT, Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Proven experience leading QA and testing functions within complex enterprise environments.
• Experience governing quality across supplier-led or outsourced delivery models.
• Strong experience designing and delivering enterprise-wide test strategies and plans.

Extensive knowledge of:

• Functional Testing
• Integration Testing
• Regression Testing
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
• Performance Testing
• Test Automation

Hands-on experience with automation frameworks and tools including:

• Selenium
• Cypress
• Playwright
• SpecFlow (BDD)
• Postman
• REST API Testing
• C#
• Strong understanding of integration testing and data-driven testing methodologies.

• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Proven experience delivering across the full software development lifecycle.
• Strong Agile delivery experience, ideally within Scrum and/or Kanban environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.

What We're Looking For

• A passionate advocate of quality engineering and automation.
• Comfortable challenging teams and suppliers using metrics, data, and evidence-based decision making.
• Capable of balancing delivery pace with quality and risk management.
• Experienced in developing QA capability through coaching and mentoring.
• A strong collaborator with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Why Join Us?

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and lead the QA Automation function within a modern engineering environment, driving quality standards, automation adoption, and continuous improvement across enterprise-scale technology delivery.