🚀 Lead Test Engineer | Fully Remote (UK)
I’m working with a UK‑based digital healthcare platform who are making a foundational hire into their engineering team. They are looking for a Lead Test Engineer to own and evolve their automated testing capability.
This is not a process‑heavy test management role. It is a hands‑on, technical leadership position with real ownership and influence.
🧩 The Context
* Small but growing tech team of around 15 to 20 engineers
* Historically manual‑heavy QA, now shifting towards automation‑led quality
* A solid Playwright automation framework already in place
* Need a permanent senior engineer to shape the long‑term testing strategy
🎯 The Role
You will take ownership of automated testing and help define how quality is delivered across the platform.
* Own and evolve a Playwright‑based automation suite
* Expand coverage across critical user journeys and high‑risk areas
* Improve test reliability, speed, and diagnostics
* Shape testing approaches for APIs, services, and integrations, not just UI
* Embed testing into CI/CD pipelines
* Work closely with developers to ensure testability is built in from the start
* Mentor and coach a small team of manual QA engineers
* No formal line management responsibilities
The emphasis is on pragmatism. Deciding what not to test is as important as deciding what to test, particularly in a regulated environment where speed and confidence must be balanced.
✅ What They’re Looking For
Must haves
* Strong, hands‑on Playwright experience
* Experience owning or shaping automation frameworks
* Experience testing APIs, services, or integrations
* CI/CD experience and understanding of quality gates
* Excellent communication and collaboration skills
Nice to haves
* .NET based systems
* Azure or Azure DevOps
* Serverless or microservices environments
* Experience in regulated sectors such as healthcare or finance
đź’· Package & Setup
* Salary around ÂŁ65k with some flexibility for standout profiles
* Fully remote within the UK
* Small team, high impact, and plenty of autonomy