Job Description
Job Title: Lead QA Engineer (Manual)
Location: Remote [UK], hours support [2 PM BST to 11 PM BST
Duration: Fulltime
Department: Quality Engineering / Product Engineering
✨ Role Overview
We are seeking a seasoned Hands-On Lead QA Engineer to drive the overall quality strategy for our products. In this hands-on leadership role, you will partner closely with Tech Project Managers, Engineering, Dev, and Product teams to translate requirements into robust test strategies, plans, and execution. You’ll own quality metrics, coach a high-performing QA team, and champion a culture of continuous improvement and transparent reporting. This position requires a balanced contribution across leadership and hands-on execution. Approximately 50% of the role involves leading activities such as planning, coordination, stakeholder communication, quality strategy alignment, and mentoring team members. The remaining 50% involves active participation in test design, execution, defect management, and overall hands-on quality engineering alongside the team.
🎯 Key Responsibilities
* Quality Strategy & Planning
* Collaborate with Product Owners & Tech PMs to understand project goals, scope, and acceptance criteria.
* Define comprehensive test strategies (functional, integration, system, regression, security, usability).
* Develop detailed test plans, test cases, and test data aligned with project timelines and risk profiles.
* Hands-On Test Execution
* Lead and participate in testing activities (manual & automated) across web and backend services.
* Collaborate with the test automation team to promote shift-left practices and CI/CD integration.
* Validate defect fixes, perform root-cause analysis, and ensure high-quality releases.
* Active participation in the In Sprint testing activities including test execution for the testing request.
* Team Leadership & Mentorship
* Assign, review, and prioritize tasks for QA engineers; remove blockers and ensure on-time delivery.
* Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and accountability through code/test reviews and coaching.
* Define career development goals; conduct regular feedback and performance evaluations.
* Progress Tracking & Reporting
* Maintain daily, weekly, monthly metrics (test coverage, defect density, velocity, automation rate).
* Build and maintain QA dashboards in tools like Jira, TestRail, or equivalent.
* Present concise status reports and data-driven insights to stakeholders, highlighting risks & mitigation plans.
* Stakeholder & Cross-Team Collaboration
* Act as the primary QA point of contact for Tech PMs, Engineering Leads, and Product Owners.
* Participate in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and release readiness reviews.
* Advocate for high product quality and user experience throughout the SDLC.
* Process Improvement
* Evaluate and refine QA processes (test pyramid, risk-based testing, automation strategy).
* Introduce best practices, emerging tools, and methodologies to boost efficiency and coverage.
* Lead retrospectives to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement.