QA & Automation Test Lead

Ronald James Ltd.; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ronald James Ltd is recruiting an experienced QA & Automation Team Lead to spearhead the transition from manual testing to an automation-first approach within our financial services technology division.

You will lead a team of QA Engineers, shape testing frameworks, embed quality into development workflows and drive continuous improvement across Agile and CI/CD pipelines while remaining hands-on with automation.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a QA team and transforming QA functions.
• Successful track record transitioning organisations from manual to automated testing.
• Designing and maintaining automated test frameworks and standards.
• Experience defining QA strategies for complex software products.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of QA Engineers, with regular performance reviews.
• Own and evolve the QA strategy, testing standards, and release criteria.
• Define testing strategies covering functional, API, integration, end-to-end and non-functional testing.
• Embed quality into Agile development and CI/CD pipelines; stay hands-on with automation.
• Develop quality metrics and reporting; drive continuous improvement across QA practices.

Skills

QA leadership

Automation strategy

CI/CD

Agile / Scrum

Mentoring

Test automation debugging

Hands-on automation

Tools

Playwright

Selenium

Cypress

Job description

Our client is a well-established business operating within the financial services sector, providing innovative technology solutions to support complex financial operations.

They are committed to delivering high-quality software and continuously investing in automation, modern engineering practices and product innovation.

The Opportunity

They are looking for an experienced QA & Automation Team Lead to lead their Quality Assurance function and drive the evolution from predominantly manual testing to a modern, automation-first approach.

This is a hands-on leadership role, ideal for someone who has successfully transformed QA teams, implemented automation strategies and enjoys improving software quality through scalable processes and technology.

You'll lead a team of QA Engineers while remaining technically involved, helping shape testing frameworks, embedding quality into development workflows and championing continuous improvement across the engineering function.

What They're Looking For

• Leading the transition from manual testing to automated testing.
• Managing and mentoring QA Engineers.
• Defining QA strategy, automation frameworks and testing standards.
• Embedding quality into Agile development and CI/CD pipelines.
• Remaining hands-on with automation, debugging and technical problem solving.
• Driving continuous improvement across software quality processes.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of QA Engineers.
• Conduct regular one-to-ones, performance reviews and development planning.
• Allocate work, prioritise testing activities and ensure effective team delivery.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable and high-performing QA culture.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and capability development.

QA Strategy & Quality Ownership

• Own and evolve the overall QA strategy.
• Define testing standards, release criteria and quality processes.
• Ensure appropriate test coverage across new features and regression testing.
• Review requirements early to identify quality risks and improve testability.
• Act as the key quality representative across Engineering and Product teams.

Test Automation & Delivery

• Lead the design and implementation of automated testing frameworks.
• Define testing strategies covering functional, integration, API, end-to-end and non-functional testing.
• Improve regression coverage and maintainability of automation suites.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Support hands-on testing activities where required.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop quality metrics and meaningful QA reporting.
• Monitor defect trends, release quality and testing effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to improve tooling, processes and delivery practices.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the QA function.

AI & Innovation

• Explore practical applications of AI within software testing.
• Evaluate tools that improve automation, productivity and test coverage.
• Encourage experimentation with AI-assisted testing approaches.
• Stay up to date with emerging QA technologies and industry trends.

Collaboration

• Work closely with Product Managers, Software Engineers, Business Analysts and stakeholders.
• Promote a quality-first culture throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Communicate testing progress, quality risks and release readiness effectively.
• Support User Acceptance Testing where appropriate.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience leading a QA team.
• Demonstrated success transitioning organisations from manual to automated testing.
• Strong experience designing and maintaining automated test frameworks.
• Experience defining QA strategies for complex software products.
• Strong understanding of Agile development methodologies.
• Experience with API, integration, regression and end-to-end testing.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance quality, delivery timelines and commercial priorities.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within financial services, fintech or another regulated industry.
• Knowledge of trading systems, electronic markets or complex financial platforms.
• Experience with Playwright, Cypress, Selenium or similar automation tools.
• Exposure to AI-assisted software testing solutions.
• Performance, resilience or security testing experience.
• Previous experience within a scaling technology business.