QA & Test Lead

Job description

We’re hiring a QA & Test Lead

This one’s for someone who genuinely cares about software quality not just ticking test cases, but shaping how quality is built into a product from day one. The role is Hybrid based in Wakefield (WF4) so you must be able to travel to site 3-days a week.

This is a hands-on QA leadership role. You’ll own the testing strategy end-to-end: exploratory testing, automation (UI + API), release confidence, and setting the standard for how quality shows up across the business.

What you’ll be doing:

• Designing and executing robust test plans for new features
• Building and maintaining automated test suites
• Getting stuck into exploratory testing to uncover edge cases
• Defining quality gates and release criteria
• Tracking quality metrics and test coverage
• Working side-by-side with engineers to reproduce, fix, and verify bugs
• Championing best-practice testing across the team

Why this role stands out:

• You’ll define the QA strategy and standards from scratch
• Direct influence on product quality and releases
• Close collaboration with engineering and founders
• A clear path to Head of QA / Quality Engineering

What we’re looking for:

• 3+ years in QA / software testing
• Strong automation experience (Playwright, Cypress, or similar)
• API testing experience (Postman / REST)
• CI/CD and test integration knowledge
• SQL for data validation
• A methodical, detail-driven testing mindset

Your growth in the first 6–12 months:

• Build out the automation framework
• Embed QA into CI/CD pipelines
• Own quality gates and release confidence
• Grow into Head of QA as the team scales
• Shape the long-term quality culture and hiring standards

Bonus points if you’ve:

• Worked with TypeScript / JavaScript
• Done performance or load testing
• Built B2B SaaS products
• Thrived in early-stage or fast-growth environments

£40k - £50k plus package

If this sounds like you or someone you know who lives and breathes quality get in touch!

No sponsorship offered for this position.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Wakefield

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

05-03-2026

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English