Overview
We are looking for an experienced and immediately available QA Lead / Quality Engineering Manager to support delivery across large-scale programmes. This role is a hands-on subject matter expert, focused on embedding quality into delivery, providing guidance to teams, and ensuring strong QA practices are applied consistently.
You will work within an established QA leadership structure (including Senior QA Managers and Head of QA), bringing practical programme delivery experience, particularly from consulting or contractor environments, where you've successfully stepped into delivery at pace and made an immediate impact.
This role requires someone highly organised, comfortable operating independently, and a strong communicator who can engage confidently with stakeholders across delivery, engineering, and business teams.
Quality Engineering Delivery
- Support the delivery of QA and QE activities across large programmes or value streams
- Contribute to test strategy, planning, estimation, and execution, aligned to programme timelines and priorities
- Ensure quality risks, issues, and dependencies are clearly identified and communicated
Programme-Focused Planning
- Apply strong planning and organisational skills to coordinate QA activities across multiple workstreams
- Work closely with delivery teams to ensure QA is embedded into sprint and programme-level planning
- Bring structure and clarity to teams, particularly when joining in-flight programmes
Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a key point of contact for QA within delivery teams and stakeholder groups
- Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating risks into clear business language
- Build strong working relationships across product, engineering, and delivery teams
SME Guidance & Coaching
- Provide hands-on QA expertise and pragmatic guidance to delivery teams
- Support and mentor engineers and QA analysts, helping them adopt appropriate testing approaches and best practices
- Encourage a quality-first mindset without direct line management responsibility
Consulting Approach to Delivery
- Leverage prior consulting or contractor experience to quickly understand environments, assess gaps, and add value
- Be comfortable working with minimal supervision, taking ownership and driving outcomes independently
- Help stabilise, improve, or accelerate delivery in complex programme environments
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve QA processes, tooling, and ways of working
- Support efforts to increase QA maturity and embed best practices across teams
- Promote collaboration and continuous improvement within delivery squads
What You'll Bring
Experience
- Proven experience working as a QA Lead or QE Manager within large programme environments
- Background in consulting and/or contractor roles, with a track record of hitting the ground running
- Experience joining in-flight delivery programmes and contributing quickly with minimal onboarding
- Availability to start immediately or at short notice
Core Skills
- Strong planning and coordination skills, with the ability to manage QA activities across complex delivery landscapes
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management, with confidence engaging across all levels
- Ability to clearly articulate quality risks, trade-offs, and impacts to both technical and business audiences
- Pragmatic approach to QA and test management, adapting to the delivery context
Ways of Working
- Self-sufficient and proactive, comfortable working with minimal direction
- Collaborative mindset, with the ability to integrate into existing teams and build trust quickly
- Willing to challenge constructively and drive improvements where needed
- Focused on delivery outcomes, quality, and continuous improvement
This role is ideal for a hands-on QA professional who enjoys working in complex environments, thrives on getting up to speed quickly, and can add immediate value through strong delivery, planning, and communication skills-without the need for large team management responsibilities.
