QA Test Lead

Company Description

Shawbrook is a specialist bank driven by a purpose to power up ingenuity to create opportunity, every single day.             

We offer a diverse range of savings and loan products. From personal and business savings accounts and loans for weddings and new cars, to complex financial credit facilities for businesses requiring significant investment and mortgages for landlords with multiple properties – no two customers are ever the same.     

We give our customers the best-of-both worlds; uniquely combining strong digital capabilities with human expertise and ingenuity to deliver the best outcomes. We rise to the challenge of a complex case or unconventional circumstances, and we love to make things happen. By being creative, practical, and personal, we know we can always find the right solution for our customers.

If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, contribute new ideas and believe anything is possible, you’re our kind of person

Work with us because you:

• Want to be part of a bank built for the dynamics of the modern world
• Relish a challenge and enjoy a fast-paced, innovative, and hardworking culture
• Enjoy finding new and better ways to solve complexity and make things happen
• Want to belong to a diverse culture that stands shoulder to shoulder with minority and underrepresented groups
• Care about society and the environment and want to be part of a business that cares too
• Want to continue to grow professionally and be the best version of yourself

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Lead QA Engineer with a strong background in automated testing to join our team as we evolve our in-house software and system testing capability.

At Shawbrook, we are in the very early stages of adopting an SDET model for parts of our software testing function. We are looking for an individual who will bring their knowledge and experience into play as we define and implement this approach across our Product portfolio.

With a strong general background in software testing within agile delivery teams, you will be able to design, build, and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases, and test scripts for both automated and manual testing scenarios and develop and use MI to drive the test approach and focus for the Products you are supporting.

As a Test Lead, you will be a manage a team of test engineers, acting as a motivational and inspirational leader of people. You should still be close to the code, and happy to write tests as well as being able to lay out skeletons for your team.

This role joins us at a pivotal early stage of our automation journey and provides a great opportunity to feedback on current processes and evolve them to better suit the changing needs of the team and business. This is an exciting and transformative time for Shawbrook and this role will play a crucial part in driving high quality, reliable software releases across our financial applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction and engineering leadership for a team of Test Engineers
• Contribute to the improvement of testing processes and methodologies, advocating for best practices and continuous improvement.
• Assist with the development and implementation of a new test automation approach and framework .
• Assist in task planning, estimation, scheduling, and staffing
• Participate in understanding business requirements during agile ceremonies including backlog refinement sessions.
• Ensure tests are created which enable us to deliver solutions of high quality, bearing in mind non-functional requirements around performance and security.
• Participate in the recruitment process for QA Engineers and Senior QA Engineers.
• Work with senior management to define testing requirements and take the lead on operational and technical projects.
• Take responsibility for documenting details of tests and test results to support the change control process.
• Work to establish a culture of continuous improvement in the team, by consistent application of lessons learned techniques.

Qualifications

• Software Testing-  experience in both manual and automated software testing at a senior level, with a particular focus on designing testing approaches for web applications in Azure hosted, microservices architectures.
• Automation Frameworks- experience in test automation frameworks, tooling and technologies in Azure (preferred) and AWS (beneficial) environments to cover all aspects of software testing (UI, APIs, integration etc.)
• Leadership Skills- a motivational leader of people with the ability to mentor and guide junior test engineers, delegate tasks and give feedback to team members in a constructive manner.
• Process Improvement- the ability to feedback on current processes and evolve them to better suit the changing needs of the team and business.
• Agile Delivery- experience working in delivery teams to ensure that QA plays its part in delivering a project to a timeline.
• ISTQB Foundation certification would be beneficial
• Proficiency in test management and defect tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Xray)

Additional Information

Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:

• Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity, Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
• Free access to Headspace, a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
• Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
• EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns, mental wellbeing and more general queries around family, work, housing and health
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on gym membership
• Contributory pension scheme & death in service

Your Lifestyle - It’s important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when you’re enjoying your leisure time.

• Minimum of 25 days holiday per year
• Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
• Discounts on gym membership nationwide
• Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
• Community support and charitable giving

Your Contribution - We’re focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.

• Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
• Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done

Please note, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.