Lead QA Automation Engineer

You will take ownership of QA across a complex portfolio of digital products, platforms and integrations. This is a hands-on role combining test strategy, automation excellence, supplier governance and team development. You'll be responsible for ensuring robust, secure and compliant solutions are delivered, whilst embedding modern QA practices and driving continuous improvement across the technology function. Client Details Our client is a large, social housing organisation undergoing an ambitious digital transformation programme. With a significant investment in technology, data and customer-facing services, they are modernising their platforms, applications and integration landscape to deliver better outcomes for the communities they serve. They offer a collaborative culture where innovation, quality and continuous improvement are genuinely valued. Description Define and own the organisation's QA and testing strategy across both internal and third-party delivery teams. Establish testing standards covering unit, integration, system, UAT, regression and performance testing. Lead the implementation and ongoing optimisation of automated testing practices. Build, mentor and develop QA capability within internal engineering teams. Drive a "shift-left" approach to quality, ensuring testing is embedded throughout the delivery lifecycle. Review test coverage, automation frameworks, defect management processes and quality metrics. Provide assurance over supplier-delivered testing and challenge quality outcomes where necessary. Ensure automated testing is maintainable, scalable and integrated within CI/CD pipelines. Support release readiness, environment management and test data strategies. Communicate quality risks, metrics and insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Promote continuous improvement across testing, automation and engineering practices. Profile You will be an experienced QA leader with strong technical expertise and a passion for modern testing practices. You'll bring: Significant experience leading QA and Testing functions within complex technology environments. Proven experience developing enterprise-wide test strategies and quality frameworks. Strong knowledge of automated testing tools and frameworks including Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, SpecFlow, Postman and API testing tools. Experience working across CRM platforms, integrations and large-scale business applications. Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps principles and Agile delivery methodologies. Experience managing quality across third-party suppliers and delivery partners. Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills. ISTQB certification or equivalent testing qualification. A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to coach and develop teams. Job Offer 6month contract Up to £550 per day outside IR35 2 days per week in the office (London)