QA Manager

The QA Manager is responsible for leading the quality assurance function across development teams, ensuring that all products and services meet the highest standards of reliability, performance, and compliance. This role combines previous hands-on QA expertise with people management, guiding a team of QA engineers to deliver consistent, scalable testing practices.

Reporting Lines and Key Relationships: 

Reports to: Head of Software Engineering 

Line management responsibility: QA Engineers / Test Analysts 

Works closely with: Development teams (Java/Azure), Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Operations

Working location: 

The role is based in the Milton Keynes office. It is expected that the role holder will attend the office 3 days a week in line with company policy. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Leadership & Management
  • Line-manage QA engineers, providing coaching, mentoring, and career development.
  • Build and maintain a high-performing QA team culture.
  • Allocate QA resources effectively across projects and teams.

• Quality Assurance Practices
  • Define and enforce QA standards, processes, and best practices.
  • Oversee test planning, execution, and reporting across multiple projects.
  • Ensure coverage across functional, regression, integration, performance, and security testing.
  • Champion automation strategies to improve efficiency and reliability.

• Collaboration & Delivery
  • Partner with Product Owners and Scrum Masters to embed QA into agile delivery.
  • Work closely with developers to ensure testability and quality are built into solutions.
  • Promote continuous improvement in testing approaches and tools.
  • Provide clear reporting on quality metrics, risks, and readiness for release.

• Governance & Compliance
  • Ensure QA practices align with regulatory and industry standards relevant to the betting industry.
  • Maintain audit-friendly documentation of test plans, results, and defect management.

Measures of Success: 

• Health and performance of supported teams.
• Predictable and transparent delivery outcomes.
• Evidence of continuous improvement in team practices.
• Positive team engagement and collaboration.

Additional Responsibilities: 

• Day-to-day participation of Scrum and SAFe ceremonies.
• Coaching approaches and methods used by QA Engineers.
• Recommendations on QA practices, quality metrics, and process improvements.
• Help refine Test Plans and Test Suites
• Monitor and track key defects (blockers, security issues)
• Make sure teams are considering NFRs
• Advocate and champion Quality Assurance across the wider department
• Escalation of systemic impediments to senior leadership.

Skills and Experience: 

• Proven experience in QA roles, with strong knowledge of testing methodologies and tools.
• Experience managing QA teams or resources in previous roles.
• Hands-on expertise in test automation frameworks and tools (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, JUnit).
• Experience of raising automation levels to the levels required for CICD
• Familiarity with Java-based applications and Azure cloud environments.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to balance strategic oversight with hands-on involvement when needed.

Preference will be shown to candidates who can evidence a transition from manual to automated testing. In addition a “Shift-Left” advocate would be highly desirable.