QA Lead / Test Lead - Perm

QA Lead / Test Lead

Salary: £55,000-£65,000 per annum Location: Central Birmingham (Office-Based, Full-Time) Job Type: Permanent

About the Role

An established and growing technology business is looking for a hands-on QA Lead / Test Lead to establish and develop its testing function from the ground up. The development team works across C#/.NET, AngularJS, Angular, MS SQL Server and .NET MAUI mobile applications. Testing is currently carried out primarily by developers through unit testing and ad hoc checks, creating an opportunity for an experienced QA professional to introduce a structured, consistent and scalable approach to software quality. Initially, you will be the organisation's first dedicated tester, taking ownership of defining testing standards, implementing processes and carrying out hands-on testing across the product portfolio. As the business grows, you will have the opportunity to develop the testing function, introduce automation and AI-assisted testing practices, and build a team around the processes you establish. This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys combining practical testing with strategic input, influencing development practices and making a tangible difference to product quality. You will work closely with developers and technology leadership to identify defects, assess quality risks and ensure issues are clearly documented, prioritised and retested once resolved. The environment is pragmatic and fast-moving, with requirements and scope sometimes evolving during development. You will need to be comfortable adapting your testing approach as projects progress, rather than relying on fully documented specifications before testing can begin.

Key Responsibilities

Establish and Develop the Testing Function

Assess existing development and testing practices, identifying quality risks and opportunities for improvement.

Develop and implement a practical test strategy covering test planning, test case design, functional testing, regression testing and release sign-off.

Establish repeatable testing processes that complement existing developer-led unit testing.

Identify and introduce appropriate tools for test management, defect tracking and future automation.

Define testing standards that can be adopted consistently across the development team.

Hands-On Testing and Quality Assurance

Plan and execute functional, regression, integration and user acceptance testing across web and mobile applications.

Test applications developed using C#/.NET, AngularJS, Angular, SQL Server and .NET MAUI.

Engage with development work early, developing and adapting test plans as requirements and scope become clearer.

Identify defects, assess their impact and provide clear, actionable feedback to developers.

Conduct retesting and regression testing to verify fixes and ensure changes have not introduced further issues.

Defect Management and Reporting

Document defects in GitHub Issues or an equivalent tracking system, providing clear reproduction steps, relevant environments and supporting evidence.

Prioritise defects according to severity, business impact and release risk.

Track defects through to resolution, ensuring developers retain responsibility for investigation and fixes.

Maintain visibility of outstanding issues and communicate quality risks to relevant stakeholders.

Identify recurring defect patterns and highlight areas where development practices could be improved.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management

Build strong working relationships with developers and technology leadership to promote a quality-first culture.

Challenge existing practices constructively and encourage the adoption of consistent testing standards.

Communicate testing outcomes, risks and release readiness clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Provide insight into recurring issues and opportunities to improve software quality at source.

Automation, AI and Future Growth

Identify opportunities to introduce automated testing using tools such as Selenium, Playwright or Cypress.

Evaluate AI-assisted testing approaches, including test case generation, test data creation and defect analysis.

Assess where automation and AI can deliver genuine value, recommending solutions based on practical outcomes.

Establish meaningful quality metrics, including defect trends, production issues and testing effectiveness.

Advise technology leadership on the future structure, resourcing and development of the QA function.

Progress towards building and leading a dedicated testing team as the organisation expands.

Essential Experience

Proven experience in a QA Lead, Test Lead, Senior QA Engineer or similar role, combining hands-on testing with responsibility for improving testing practices.

Experience developing or implementing test strategies, standards, processes or testing tools.

Strong hands-on manual testing experience, with a track record of identifying and documenting meaningful software defects.

Experience testing web applications, ideally alongside mobile applications.

Technical understanding of C#/.NET applications, Angular or AngularJS front ends, SQL Server and associated application environments.

Experience working directly with developers to communicate defects, manage quality risks and encourage improved testing practices.

Ability to work independently and establish a testing function without an existing QA team.

A pragmatic approach to testing, balancing thoroughness with delivery deadlines and evolving requirements.

Strong analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.

Desirable Experience

Experience establishing a QA or testing function from scratch.

Experience introducing test automation into a predominantly manual testing environment.

Familiarity with Selenium, Playwright, Cypress or comparable automation frameworks.

Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.

Exposure to AI-assisted testing tools and an understanding of their practical benefits and limitations.

Familiarity with GitHub Issues or comparable defect-tracking platforms.

ISTQB certification or an equivalent recognised testing qualification.

Experience building, mentoring or managing a QA team.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first few months, you will have established a clear and repeatable testing process that supports development and release activities. You will help reduce the number of defects reaching production, improve the visibility and management of software issues, and provide developers with actionable feedback that enables them to resolve problems efficiently. You will become a trusted point of contact for quality assurance, with developers engaging proactively on testing requirements and release risks. Over time, you will introduce appropriate automation and AI-assisted practices, demonstrate measurable improvements in software quality and establish a clear plan for growing the testing function.

About You

You are a self-starter who enjoys building something from the ground up. You are equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves to test applications as you are advising on strategy, introducing processes and influencing how a development team approaches quality. You understand that effective testing is about more than documentation and formal procedures. You know how to identify genuine risks, adapt to changing requirements and introduce processes that developers will actually use. You are confident working independently, comfortable challenging established practices constructively and motivated by the opportunity to shape a testing function that can grow alongside the business. If you are looking for an opportunity to take ownership of QA, influence engineering standards and build a testing function with long-term potential, this role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact