Quality Engineering Manager

JD Williams; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fashion retailer in Manchester is seeking a Quality Engineering Manager to lead the Testing Centre of Excellence. The ideal candidate will define comprehensive QA strategies, manage a diverse team of testers, and drive automation initiatives. This role offers a hybrid working environment and extensive benefits, including a competitive bonus scheme and enhanced leave options.

Benefits

Hybrid working

24 days holiday (+ 8 bank holidays)

Annual bonus scheme

Enhanced maternity and adoption leave

Company pension with up to 8% contribution

Mental Health support

Colleague discount across all brands

Onsite café with subsidised rates

Life Assurance

Paid volunteer time

Qualifications

• Proven experience defining and executing QA strategies that blend manual and automated testing.
• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining automated tests.
• Experience with performance and load tests using JMeter.
• Strong manual testing background and ability to guide exploratory testing.
• Experience setting up test data strategies.
• Deep integration of test suites into CI/CD pipelines.
• Leads by example with code, test design, and reviews.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Testing Centre of Excellence to drive best practices in testing.
• Define and maintain the overall test strategy.
• Manage a team of manual test analysts and automation testers.
• Ensure high standards of testing across all squads.
• Collaborate with Technical Leads and Product Owners.
• Identify and drive opportunities for test automation.
• Assess new and emerging technologies.

Skills

QA strategy definition

Automated functional/E2E tests using TypeScript and Jest

Performance and load testing with JMeter

Manual testing skills

Test data strategies

CI/CD pipeline integration

Mentoring testers and developers

Job description

We’re looking for a Quality Engineering Manager to join our Fintech team here at N Brown.

What will you do as a Quality Engineering Manager at N Brown?

• Lead the Testing Centre of Excellence to drive best practices, consistent standards, and strategic direction for all aspects of testing—both manual and automated—across all squads.
• Define and maintain the overall test strategy, ensuring that quality is embedded throughout the software delivery lifecycle and that no gaps exist in test coverage or approach across the platform.
• Line manages a team of manual test analysts and automation testers who are embedded within agile delivery squads, supporting their career development, coaching, and technical growth.
• While squad leads are responsible for day-to-day work allocation, you’re accountable for ensuring that testing is carried out to a consistently high standard, aligned to the organisation’s testing strategy, tooling, and processes.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Leads, Product Owners, and QA team members to ensure that testing practices support reliable, secure, and scalable delivery.
• Identifying and driving opportunities for test automation, continuous testing, and quality improvements, working hands-on where needed to implement tools, frameworks, or improvements that uplift testing capability across squads.
• Identifying and assessing new and emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques.

What skills and experience will you have?

• Proven experience defining and executing QA strategies that blend manual and automated testing; able to lead testing initiatives end-to-end across the SDLC.
• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining automated functional/E2E tests using TypeScript and Jest, with a focus on stability and maintainability.
• Experience designing and executing performance and load tests using tools like JMeter, with a deep understanding of interpreting metrics and tuning systems.
• Strong manual testing background with a knack for identifying edge cases, usability issues, and high-risk areas; able to guide exploratory testing efforts when automation is insufficient.
• Experience setting up test data strategies, using fixtures/factories, and implementing mocks/stubs for services, APIs, and external dependencies to support reliable automation.
• Deep integration of test suites into CI/CD pipelines, enabling early feedback and fail-fast workflows; collaborates with developers to promote testability and quality from the start.
• Leads by example with code, test design, and reviews; mentors' testers and developers in quality practices and fosters a culture of shared responsibility for quality.

What’s in it for you?

• Hybrid working
• 24 days holiday (+ 8 bank holidays)
• Annual bonus scheme
• Enhanced maternity and adoption leave
• Company pension with up to 8% N Brown contribution
• Mental Health support both internally and externally, including access to our wellbeing champions and counselling services
• A range of financial wellbeing support
• Colleague discount across all N Brown brands
• Onsite café with subsidised rates and local restaurant discounts!
• Life Assurance and Private Medical Insurance
• Paid volunteer time – all our colleagues can take a full day paid to volunteer for a charity of their choice

N Brown – who we are and why work for us?

At N Brown, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment that values equality for all. Our vision is that by ‘championing inclusion, we’ll become the most loved and trusted fashion retailer’. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are, therefore, at the heart of our culture.

We’re a forward-thinking digital retailer with a financial services proposition to be proud of. We’re customer-obsessed, serving them through three core brands: JD Williams, Simply Be, and Jacamo. We’re experienced, with over 160 years of trading under our belt. We’re inclusive, as we believe in fashion without boundaries; and we’re sustainable, striving to make as little impact on the planet as possible.

In May 2024 we were delighted to be named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. We work hard to create a happy and inclusive culture for everyone and we’re so proud to have made this list - as voted for by our very own colleagues!

Ways of Working

We offer hybrid working which varies across the business depending on the role you’re in. Our Head Office is located in the Northern Quarter in Manchester City Centre. So if you are travelling by train, tram or bus we’re perfectly located, plus we’re surrounded by cool cafes, trendy bars and the best places to eat!

Our working hours are 36.17 per week and our core working hours are between 10am - 4pm. Given we don’t have strict working hours you can find the working pattern that’s right for you.

Our promise to you:

We’re an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Please know your application is being reviewed by a real human being, not AI. We value your interest in joining us and appreciate you taking the time to submit your application.

What happens when you apply to a role at N Brown?

As soon as we receive your application, we’ll send you an email to let you know. We always aim to come back to you as soon as possible with an update and we really appreciate you taking the time to apply for a role with us. Good luck!