Head of Quality Assurance | £120,000 (Flex) + Bonus
Location: Hybrid (2 Days / Per Week - Basildon)
About the Role:
We have partnered with a Global Financial Services company, who are are seeking an experienced Head of QA to take ownership of quality assurance strategy and implementation across a complex, enterprise-level environment. This is a pivotal role in driving alignment of testing standards, tools, and frameworks across multiple squads, regions, and global pipelines. With significant engagement at the senior stakeholder level, this position offers the chance to influence and lead transformative QA practices across the organisation.
Currently, development squads operate independently, resulting in divergent tools, inconsistent standards, and reliance on end-to-end testing teams to rectify issues. As the Head QA , you will address these challenges by unifying strategies, driving a shift-left approach, and ensuring scalable, robust testing solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and implement a unified testing strategy across squads, aligning regional and global standards.
- Lead discussions with senior stakeholders, ensuring QA practices meet enterprise-level requirements.
- Introduce and standardise tools and frameworks, such as Selenium, Cypress, and Cucumber, while building future capabilities in service virtualisation tools like Parasoft.
- Address technical debt within testing pipelines and implement scalable solutions to enhance efficiency.
- Establish a shift-left approach, embedding testing early in the development lifecycle and increasing developer ownership of test coverage.
- Build and lead a small QA team (3–4 individuals initially) and drive their development within the organisation.
- Collaborate closely with Test Excellence Directors, Principal Engineers, and global teams to ensure strategic alignment.
Key Skills and Experience:
- Proven experience in leading QA practices within complex, enterprise-level environments.
- Strong technical expertise with automation tools such as Selenium, Cypress, and Cucumber.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (preferably GCP) and understanding of global pipelines and their local impacts.
- Demonstrated ability to align divergent tools, standards, and practices across regions.
- Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders such as CTOs and VPs.
- Hands-on experience in implementing shift-left strategies and addressing technical debt in QA pipelines.
- Experience building and leading high-performing QA teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
Interested?
If you’re a strategic thinker and technical expert passionate about leading transformative QA initiatives, we’d love to hear from you!
Head of Quality Assurance | £120,000 (Flex) + Bonus
