Lead QA Engineer

Waracle; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Home office budget

Udemy Business

Learning budget

Cycle to Work

Gym discounts

Enhanced parental leave

Spirit of Waracle

Job summary

Waracle in London is seeking a Lead QA Engineer to guide quality across multiple squads, shaping test strategies, defining automation architectures and championing observability.

This hybrid role based at our London office 2 days a week invites hands-on leadership, mentoring engineers, and partnering with senior stakeholders to drive forward-thinking testing practices, including AI-assisted testing.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multi-squad QA workstreams.
• Hands-on API test automation with PyTest, Postman CLI or REST frameworks.
• Familiar with validating API Gateways (Azure APIM, OAuth 2.0/JWT).
• Experience embedding DevSecOps and security quality gates.
• Knowledge of service virtualization and synthetic test data management.
• Strong cloud and CI/CD experience (Azure DevOps, Azure Key Vault).

Responsibilities

• Define test strategies across squads.
• Lead automation architecture and quality gates in CI/CD.
• Champion NFRs and observability.
• Mentor engineers and manage stakeholders.
• Drive innovation in testing practices.

Skills

Strategic leadership

API test automation

CI/CD familiarity

Observability

Stakeholder management

DevSecOps

Cloud environments

Service virtualization

Synthetic test data

Azure DevOps

Tools

PyTest

Postman CLI

RESTful testing

WireMock

Azure DevOps

Azure Key Vault

Azure APIM

Job description

Waracle is looking for a Lead QA Engineer for an exciting new role joining our 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.

This is a Hybrid role working from our London office 2 days a week.

Are you passionate about guiding quality, fostering collaborative tech environments, and shaping how engineering teams succeed together? As a Lead QA at Waracle, you will play a pivotal leadership role, shaping test strategies across multiple squads, establishing automation architectures, and championing observability and non-functional requirements. Operating at a strategic level, you’ll mentor engineers, build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, and influence the adoption of forward-thinking testing practices (such as AI-assisted testing) across our entire QA practice.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Squad Leadership & Strategy: Partnering with cross-functional squads to establish overarching test strategies, facilitate risk workshops, and ensure consistency across platforms.
• Quality & Automation Architecture: Defining squad-level automation approaches and embedding robust quality gates within CI/CD pipelines to elevate software standards.
• NFR & Observability Championing: Defining comprehensive strategies for performance, security, and accessibility, ensuring systems are inherently testable and debuggable in production.
• Delivery & Team Wellbeing: Leading QA workstreams with accountability for quality outcomes, metrics, and supporting the ongoing growth and wellbeing of your team.
• Strategic & Commercial Influence: Applying commercial awareness to prioritise testing efforts, advising stakeholders on trade-offs, and driving continuous innovation through emerging practices.

What you’ll bring

• Proven strategic leadership experience guiding multi-squad QA workstreams or cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on experience with API test automation using tools such as PyTest, Postman CLI, or RESTful API testing frameworks.
• Practical familiarity with validating API Gateways (e.g., Azure APIM policy validation, rate limiting, and OAuth 2.0 / Entra ID JWT authentication).
• Experience embedding DevSecOps and security quality gates.
• Exposure to service virtualisation (e.g., WireMock or policy stubs) and synthetic test data management to ensure privacy and decouple dependencies.
• Strong familiarity with cloud environments and CI/CD tools, specifically Azure DevOps and Azure Key Vault.
• Expertise in setting automation architectural patterns, defining enterprise-grade observability, and balancing technical quality with business value.
• Excellent stakeholder management, empathy, and collaborative communication skills.

What to expect from our hiring process

• First Hello: An informal chat with your dedicated Talent Attraction Partner to talk about Waracle, what you want out of your next move, salary, benefits, and office hybrid working model.
• Craft Showcase: A chance to demonstrate your real-world expertise. This will be a focused take-home task (capped at 2-3 hours to respect your time)
• Talking Impact: A collaborative deep dive into how you solve problems, work with others, and raise the bar, guided by our core values and competency framework.

Your Talent Attraction Partner will be in your corner through every step right up to your Welcome Ritual on day one

We believe in supporting our team, inside and outside of work. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Rest & Recharge: You'll receive 27 days of annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays, totaling 35 days of holiday to unwind and pursue your passions.
• Financial Future & Security: Plan for retirement with our company-matched 5% pension contribution. For added peace of mind, we also offer a Death in Service benefit, providing 2 x your annual salary for your loved ones.
• Health & Wellness: Our Medicash Health Cash Plans help cover everyday healthcare costs, complemented by an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support, and Group Sickness Cover for peace of mind.
• Flexible Working: We champion hybrid working, providing a home office setup budget to ensure you're comfortable and productive wherever you are.
• Learning & Development: Invest in yourself with access to Udemy Business and a dedicated learning and development budget for continuous growth.
• Lifestyle Perks: Make the most of our Cycle to Work Scheme, and enjoy exclusive gym and retail discounts.
• Family First: Our enhanced parental leave policies include support for fertility journeys, recognising diverse family needs.
• Community & Connection: We foster a vibrant culture with regular fun meet‑ups and lunch on us in the office once a month. You'll also have the opportunity to make a local impact through Spirit of Waracle, our initiative for getting involved in charitable causes locally, building strong team bonds and giving back.

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.