Senior QA Engineer
London – Hybrid (Mon/Tues/Thurs in office)
£50,000–£70,000 + Benefits
We’re working with a fast‑growing technology organisation in London that is hiring its first Senior QA Engineer. This is a high‑impact opportunity where you’ll take full ownership of quality across a complex, data‑driven web platform. You’ll combine hands‑on testing with strategic input, defining the QA function as the business scales.
The Opportunity
* Full ownership of QA across the entire product
* Highly influential role as the first dedicated QA hire
* Work closely with engineering leadership to shape how software is built and released
* Initial workload is a 50/50 split between manual and automation, with automation increasing over time
* Improve reliability, reduce production issues, and elevate engineering best practice
What You’ll Be Doing
* Define and implement an end‑to‑end QA strategy
* Lead testing across a complex web platform, covering UI, API, integrations, and data‑driven features
* Build, maintain and evolve automated tests using Playwright and Cucumber
* Carry out manual functional, regression and exploratory testing
* Ensure automated tests integrate cleanly with CI/CD pipelines
* Partner with engineers and product teams to clarify requirements and acceptance criteria
* Act as a quality advocate, improving testing culture across the team
* Introduce new tools and approaches where appropriate
* Support reduction of the existing bug backlog and technical debt
What We’re Looking For
* Strong experience as a QA / Test Engineer focused on web‑based products
* Proven ability to shape or build QA processes and strategy
* Solid technical experience with:
* Playwright for automation
* Cucumber/Gherkin or similar BDD frameworks
* End‑to‑end testing of complex workflows
* API testing (e.g., Postman, REST‑assured)
* Comfortable performing both manual and automated testing
* Able to articulate how you’ve improved quality, reliability, and process in previous roles
* Strong communication skills and confidence in championing quality
Nice to Have:
* Experience as the first or only QA in a team
* Background testing analytics, BI tools, or data‑heavy systems
* Experience reducing large bug or technical‑debt backlogs
* Familiarity with agile, iterative delivery environments
Why This Role?
* Impact: Define what “good” looks like for QA
* Ownership: Autonomy to shape tooling, processes and strategy
* Growth: Opportunity to influence engineering practices and help scale a QA function over time
* Environment: Modern tech, collaborative team, and a product relied on by well‑known clients
Work Setup & Benefits
* Hybrid working: 3 days in office (Mon/Tues/Thurs)
* Flexible hours with core time of 10am–5pm
* Additional remote‑working allowance
* Regular socials and a supportive, collaborative team culture
* Extra annual leave benefits and wellbeing perks