Lead Quality Engineer - Automation & AI

Hastings Insurance Services Limited; Bexhill-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent insurance company located in Bexhill-on-Sea seeks an experienced senior QA leader to drive technological transformation and improve the quality and efficiency of delivery through modern testing techniques and automation. This role involves leading a high-performing QA function, ensuring effective testing strategies, and collaborating closely with engineers and teams. The position offers a competitive salary, hybrid working, and comprehensive benefits including a car allowance, private medical insurance, and annual leave options.

Benefits

Competitive salary

£5k car allowance

Private medical insurance

Matched pension contributions up to 10%

27 days of annual leave

Qualifications

• Strong experience leading QA or test engineering teams in complex, data-driven environments.
• Hands-on capability to write, read, and review code.
• Experience applying AI-assisted testing tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end QA strategy and execution across all underwriting lines of business.
• Design and implement the QA strategy with a focus on improving quality and pace.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership in reviewing test strategies and automation design.

Skills

Leadership skills

Python proficiency

Test automation

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving skills

Agile methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Git/GitHub

Azure DevOps

Selenium

pytest

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a senior, hands-on QA leader to drive technological transformation of testing across our pricing platforms. This role is responsible for improving quality, pace, and confidence of delivery through modern testing techniques, automation, and AI-enabled approaches, while leading and developing a high-performing QA function. The role operates across our in-house rating engine and Azure/GitHub-based engineering landscape. Working closely with pricing engineers, ML engineers, and underwriting teams, you will modernise how testing is designed, executed, and governed, reducing duplication of effort and materially lowering post-live issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end QA strategy and execution across all underwriting lines of business, ensuring testing supports high-quality delivery at pace.
• Design, implement, and continuously evolve the QA strategy covering pre-live testing, post-release monitoring, and live issue investigation, with a focus on improving quality, pace, and confidence of delivery.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership in reviewing test strategies, automation design, and investigation of complex or high-impact defects, including interrogation of rating behaviour and data inputs.
• Lead the strategic and practical use of test automation, ensuring automation is targeted, maintainable, and focused on the highest-risk areas.
• Drive improvements in automation and tooling to reduce manual effort and strengthen preventative quality controls, applying AI-assisted techniques where they provide clear, measurable benefit.
• Work closely with pricing engineers and ML teams to apply AI-assisted testing techniques where they add value, ensuring solutions are governed and suitable for a regulated environment.
• Own post-release quality activities, including monitoring, alerting, and validation of controls, ensuring issues are detected early and feedback loops are effective.
• Improve the efficiency, stability, and reliability of QA test environments to enable comprehensive data testing with minimal environment-related failures.
• Support incident RCA activity by providing testing insight, evidence, and analysis, and ensure learnings are embedded into improved testing practices.
• Line-manage QA Leads and the Automation Manager, providing clear direction, prioritisation, coaching, and performance support.
• Ensure QA activities are focused on preventing customer harm and supporting compliance with regulatory and internal governance requirements.
• Maintain strong communication and organisational discipline to manage multiple initiatives and report progress, risks, and outcomes clearly and consistently.
• Develop and maintain QA documentation, standards, and artefacts to ensure testing practices are consistent, auditable, and aligned with internal and regulatory requirements.
• Define and track quality metrics such as defect trends, test effectiveness, automation coverage, and release readiness to support data-driven decisions.
• Support recruitment and development of QA talent through active hiring involvement, regular one-to-one engagement, mentoring, and creating an environment where team members can perform and grow.

Qualifications

• Bachelor\'s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong experience leading QA or test engineering teams in complex, data-driven or regulated technology environments.
• Hands-on technical capability, with the ability to write, read, and review code and actively contribute to test design and automation decisions.
• Strong proficiency in Python, including writing and reviewing automated tests and debugging failures in complex rules-based or decisioning systems.
• Proven experience designing and maintaining test automation, including API and integration testing using frameworks such as pytest, with working knowledge of UI tools such as Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress where appropriate.
• Experience applying AI-assisted testing tools to improve coverage, efficiency, or defect detection, with clear understanding of governance and control requirements.
• Practical experience working with Git/GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, and Azure-based engineering environments.
• Strong understanding of modern testing practices, including risk-based testing, shift-left quality, and end-to-end assurance.
• Experience working with test environments and test data, including validation of complex inputs and outputs using SQL and data comparison techniques.
• Familiarity with test management and defect tracking tools such as Azure DevOps and producing clear, meaningful quality metrics.
• Excellent leadership skills, with experience managing senior QA roles and automation specialists.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the ability to balance technical, commercial, and governance considerations.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex pricing and engineering challenges and deliver robust solutions.
• Strong communication skills, able to clearly explain technical quality risks and solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments and collaborating closely with engineering, data, and ML teams.

Company and Benefits

At Hastings Direct, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all. We are a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our careers site.

Benefits include a competitive salary plus a £5k car allowance, flexible hybrid working, annual performance bonus eligibility, private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, matched pension contributions up to 10%, and wellbeing and financial planning programmes. We offer 27 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one week's leave, among other wellbeing and lifestyle benefits.

Join us and you\'ll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs: colleagues, customers, company, and community. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues and customers, delivering value to the business while supporting sustainable growth and community impact.