Lead QA Engineer

Waracle are looking for a Lead QA Engineer for an exciting new role joining our world-class digital technology consultancy and home to a diverse, smart, curious and ambitious community of specialists in technology-driven transformation.

We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We help our clients to innovate and create intelligent digital products and services. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business-critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design and delivery to operations.

This is a hybrid role working from any Waracle office at least 2 days per week (Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh or London).

This role is available on a
Permanent
basis or
Fixed Term Contract
for 12 months.

The Lead QA is pivotal role for a highly experienced and influential QA professional who embodies technical mastery, strategic thinking, and a passion for elevating quality. As a Lead, you will be accountable for project-level outcomes and will empower your team to succeed by enabling best practices across the entire software development process.

You will be a cornerstone of our project teams and a leader within our QA practice. Beyond hands-on testing, you'll be a key contributor to our QA practice, coaching peers, defining strategic approaches, and championing a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

What you'll do:

• Shape and execute comprehensive test strategies across squads, ensuring robust coverage and shaping clarity on priorities.
• Facilitate risk workshops, manage dependencies, and apply expert knowledge of SDLC and Agile principles to coach peers and influence the team's direction.
• Define the automation strategy for your squad, optimising for speed and reliability, including creating or extending automation frameworks for web and mobile (iOS/Android) and defining quality gates within CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead and evolve best practices in defect management and actively participate in or lead triage efforts and enforce traceability standards. Proactively anticipate and resolve blockers, ensuring clarity of expectations within and outside the team.
• Mentor peers and junior engineers, providing coaching on best practices and creating a safe space for collaboration and continuous learning.
• Drive collaboration with clients and delivery teams, delegating effectively to empower others and ensure shared understanding and accountability.
• Proactively suggest and integrate new testing tools with a keen eye on emerging trends.
• Develop a deep understanding of project domains and exhibit evangelist qualities by speaking at industry events

Requirements

• Extensive experience as a QA Engineer, with a proven track record in a lead or senior capacity, ideally within a digital consultancy.
• Advanced automation skills with Playwright and a proven ability to define squad-level automation strategy.
• Strong experience with C# programming.
• Comprehensive expertise in QA best practices, standards, and methodologies (SDLC, Agile).
• Proven technical mastery in functional, non-functional, and white-box testing.
• Proficiency with Git and experience defining and integrating quality gates into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions) is essential.
• Exceptional leadership and mentorship abilities, with a track record of delegating effectively, holding teams accountable, and creating an inclusive environment for growth.
• Strategic mindset demonstrated through defining test strategies that balance speed, quality, and risk, while managing client expectations around scope and priorities.
• Experience owning key client relationships, advising stakeholders proactively, and managing tensions constructively to build trusted partnerships.

The recruitment process you can expect for this role is an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, notice period and benefits (the important stuff). After that, you'll be invited to a two-stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.

Our Benefits

We believe in supporting our team, inside and outside of work. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Rest & Recharge: You'll receive 27 days of annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays, totaling 35 days of holiday to unwind and pursue your passions.
• Financial Future & Security: Plan for retirement with our company-matched 5% pension contribution. For added peace of mind, we also offer a Death in Service benefit, providing 2 x your annual salary for your loved ones.
• Health & Wellness: Our Medicash Health Cash Plans help cover everyday healthcare costs, complemented by an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support, and Group Sickness Cover for peace of mind.
• Flexible Working: We champion hybrid working, providing a home office setup budget to ensure you're comfortable and productive wherever you are.
• Learning & Development: Invest in yourself with access to Udemy Business and a dedicated learning and development budget for continuous growth.
• Lifestyle Perks: Make the most of our Cycle to Work Scheme, and enjoy exclusive gym and retail discounts.
• Family First: Our enhanced parental leave policies include support for fertility journeys, recognising diverse family needs.
• Community & Connection: We foster a vibrant culture with regular fun meet-ups and lunch on us in the office once a month. You'll also have the opportunity to make a local impact through Spirit of Waracle, our initiative for getting involved in charitable causes locally, building strong team bonds and giving back.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.