Senior Test & Quality Lead – Automation & QE Strategy

Halfords; Redditch; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Annual discretionary bonus

Pension

Life assurance

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Enhanced family leave

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Halfords is seeking a Test & Quality Lead to build a modern testing capability within our Redditch-based technology function. You will set the strategy, standards and tooling to underpin large-scale programmes and embed quality across the delivery lifecycle.

You’ll lead governance, drive test automation, collaborate with our outsourced testing partner and champion modern Quality Engineering practices to boost delivery speed and reduce risk across our technology portfolio.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale testing, QA or Quality Engineering functions.
• Experience managing third‑party suppliers or outsourced testing partners.
• Expertise in test strategy, governance, quality management and release assurance.
• Experience implementing test automation within Agile/DevOps environments.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to influence across technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Hybrid working with 3 days per week in Redditch.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the Technology-wide Test and Quality Engineering strategy.
• Establish testing standards, governance, quality gates and best practices across projects, programmes and platforms.
• Lead the transformation towards greater automation, AI-enabled testing and modern Quality Engineering practices.
• Manage and oversee outsourced testing teams and partners, ensuring quality, performance and value delivery.
• Assess the testing landscape across applications and platforms, identifying opportunities for improvement and standardisation.
• Provide independent quality assurance and risk assessment for major technology releases and programmes.
• Deliver meaningful reporting and insight on quality, testing effectiveness, automation coverage and delivery risk.

Skills

Leadership

Test strategy

Governance

Quality engineering

Automation

DevOps

Stakeholder management

Quality assurance

Job description

Halfords is seeking a Test & Quality Lead to build a modern testing capability within our Redditch-based technology function. You will set the strategy, standards and tooling to underpin large-scale programmes and embed quality across the delivery lifecycle.

You’ll lead governance, drive test automation, collaborate with our outsourced testing partner and champion modern Quality Engineering practices to boost delivery speed and reduce risk across our technology portfolio.