Head of QA & Automation

Head of QA & Test Automation

Location: Central London (2 days per week)

Up to £105,000 + Bonus

We’re partnering with a well‑established, consumer‑focused organisation that delivers digital products used by millions of customers worldwide. As they continue to enhance and modernise their technology landscape, they’re looking for a Head of QA & Test Automation to help elevate their engineering standards and strengthen their approach to quality.

This is a senior strategic position where you’ll shape the future of how the organisation delivers reliable, seamless consumer experiences.

The Role

You’ll lead the development of a forward‑thinking quality strategy that supports a wide range of consumer‑facing digital products. The role involves strengthening automation practices, improving quality engineering maturity, and building a collaborative, high‑performing QA function.

You’ll influence product and technical decisions, guiding the organisation toward a more scalable, automation‑first way of working.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the QA and Test Automation strategy across multiple consumer product teams.
• Grow and mentor a diverse team of SDETs and QA professionals.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and delivery stakeholders to ensure quality is built in from the earliest stages.
• Develop and improve automation frameworks across UI, API, and end‑to‑end layers.
• Establish clear quality metrics to support confident, data‑driven release decisions.
• Encourage best practice sharing and continuous improvement across engineering teams.
• Support a culture that moves from manual gatekeeping to modern, enablement‑driven quality practices.

We’re keen to speak to leaders who bring:

• Significant experience in QA and automation, ideally at a senior or head‑of‑function level.
• Hands‑on experience with tools such as Playwright, Cypress, and API/contract testing frameworks.
• Comfort coding in TypeScript or a similar language.
• A track record of designing scalable automation approaches within complex delivery environments.
• Experience developing inclusive, performance‑driven engineering teams.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence technical and non‑technical audiences.

You’ll Thrive Here If You Are:

• A supportive coach who enjoys developing people.
• A collaborative leader who values diverse viewpoints and open discussion.
• Calm and decisive when dealing with complexity.
• Passionate about improving engineering practices and championing automation.
• Committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful team environment.

What’s on Offer:

• Salary up to £105,000 + Bonus
• Central London Office - 2 days per week onsite
• The ability to work remotely anywhere in the world for extended periods each year
• Strong training, mentorship, and career‑development pathways
• An inclusive environment that values wellbeing, learning, and collaboration

If you’re a quality engineering leader excited by the idea of shaping strategy, scaling automation, and improving experiences for millions of consumers, we’d love to hear from you.

**Unfortunately, due to high volume of applications, not all submissions will receive feedback