Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
Genomics England partners with the NHS to provide whole genome sequencing diagnostics and equips researchers to discover causes of disease and develop new treatments.
We are accelerating genomic healthcare by working with patients, doctors, scientists and industry partners to improve genomic testing and enable research that leads to more effective medicines.
Job Description
Are you a highly proven QA leader with deep Java expertise? You’ll lead the transformation of QA practices, set direction, raise the bar in automation, performance, and security testing, and mentor teams across the organisation.
Everyday responsibilities include:
* Act as a cross‑tribe source of expertise in automation, performance, resilience, and security testing
* Design, build, and maintain robust test frameworks with a strong emphasis on Java and Playwright
* Guide squads in embedding automated, performance, and security testing into CI/CD pipelines
* Mentor QA engineers and developers, raising skills and confidence across teams
* Produce clear, practical documentation and “golden paths” that help squads adopt best practice
* Lead initiatives to improve test tooling, documentation, and knowledge sharing
* Collaborate with engineering leadership to embed test practices into CI/CD pipelines and shift testing left
* Define, track, and report on testing effectiveness metrics
* Stay current with new tools and techniques, bringing fresh thinking into our QA strategy
Essential skills and experience
* Strong hands‑on programming with Java and Playwright
* Experience designing and maintaining automation frameworks (e.g. Selenium WebDriver, JUnit, TestNG, REST‑assured)
* Proven track record in performance testing (e.g. JMeter, Locust)
* Confident with security testing tools (e.g. OWASP Zap, Snyk)
* Experience embedding QA into CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitLab, Jenkins)
* Experience designing and implementing scalable test automation strategies across multiple projects
* AWS/cloud‑based testing experience (Terraform, containers, serverless, monitoring)
* Experience mentoring, coaching, and leading on QA strategy
Nice to have
* Contract or mock API testing (e.g. PACT, WireMock)
* Accessibility testing tools (e.g. Axe‑core)
* Knowledge of data privacy, compliance, and auditability in testing
* Familiarity with bioinformatics, scientific, or healthcare data
Qualifications
Only relevant work experience at this Lead QA level – no particular qualifications are required.
Additional information
Salary From: £58,500
Benefits include generous holiday, flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, double‑match pension, learning budgets, employee recognition, subsidised gym membership, and a free Headspace account.
Blended working model
Most people are expected to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month, but flexibility is offered where possible. Some roles may require full‑time on‑site attendance.
Background checks
All successful candidates will undergo a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service check. Applicants must disclose any convictions at the time of application.
Seniority level
Mid‑Senior level
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Information Technology
Industries
Biotechnology Research and Technology, Information and Media
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