Job Title: Lead Automation Tester / Test Lead
Location: Taunton, UK (Hybrid – 1 to 2 Days travel a week)
Job Type: Contract – Outside IR35
Clearance Required: Active SC Clearance
Must have Skills: Playwright, C#
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced Lead Automation Tester / Test Lead to drive a modern, outcome‑focused quality engineering strategy within Azure‑hosted enterprise systems in a secure, regulated UK environment.
The Role
This is not a “test everything” role. We’re seeking a pragmatic quality leader who understands how smart automation:
* Accelerates business value
You will define and lead automation and quality strategies aligned to modern engineering practices and DORA metrics, ensuring quality enables—rather than slows—delivery.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead a risk‑based automation strategy across functional, integration, and performance testing
* Align quality practices to DORA metrics (Lead Time, Deployment Frequency, Change Failure Rate, MTTR)
* Design scalable automation frameworks using Playwright and K6
* Embed fast, reliable automation into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines
* Promote test pyramid best practices and avoid brittle UI automation
* Define meaningful quality metrics beyond code coverage
* Drive continuous improvement through data‑driven quality insights
Required Experience
* Proven experience leading automation strategy in enterprise environments
* Strong knowledge of modern test automation principles (CI‑first, test pyramid, contract testing)
* Hands‑on experience with Playwright and K6
* Clear understanding of DORA metrics
* Experience working in secure or regulated environments
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