This role is responsible for defining quality standards, managing QA processes, and ensuring software releases meet functional, performance, and reliability expectations for a client-server architecture that uses a frontend desktop application and MS SQL backend, with REST API. The Quality Manager partners closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to embed quality into every stage of development. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES Quality Strategy & Leadership Define and own the overall software quality strategy and roadmap Lead and mentor QA engineers and test specialists Promote a culture of quality, continuous improvement, and accountability Collaborate with engineering and product leadership to align quality goals with business objectives Software Quality Assurance Establish and maintain QA processes to ISO 9001/27001, standards, and best practices Ensure test planning, execution, and reporting across multiple teams Oversee functional, regression, integration, system, and user acceptance testing Define release quality gates and go/no-go criteria Test Automation & Tooling Drive adoption and improvement of test automation frameworks Ensure appropriate coverage across integration, end-to-end, API, UI (including accessibility compliance assessment and reporting to WCAG, 508, and EU), performance, and security testing Select and manage QA tools and platforms Balance automated and exploratory testing approaches Establish design for testability development approach Metrics & Continuous Improvement Define and track quality metrics (defect leakage, test coverage, release stability, MTTR) Analyze trends and root causes of defects Lead post-release reviews and process improvements Use data to drive decisions and demonstrate quality impact Improve first-time test pass rate Report on manual and automated test coverage Collaboration & Delivery Work closely with developers to shift quality left in the SDLC Partner with DevOps and release teams to integrate testing into MS DevOps CI/CD pipelines Support agile practices including Kanban, sprint planning, backlog refinement, and retrospectives Act as the quality advocate in cross-functional discussions Own quality portion of release documentation KEY SKILLS Strong leadership and coaching skills Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities Clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders Ability to balance quality, speed, and delivery pressure Attention to detail with a systems-thinking mindset RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience) 5 years of experience in software QA or quality engineering 2 years in a QA or quality leadership role Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile/Scrum, and CI/CD practices Experience with manual and automated testing methodologies PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE Experience with modern test automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, SmartBear TestComplete, FlaUI, REST API testing tools, pentest tools, threat modelling, etc) Knowledge of performance, reliability, and security testing Familiarity with MS DevOps Test Plans test management module QA certifications (ISTQB, CSTE, or similar) OTHER The role is based in Cheltenham but may involve travel to other Pennant offices in UK and abroad. At all times, the job holder is required to represent the Company in a favourable light and to comply with all relevant Group policies and procedures and the Company’s Core Values.