Lead Quality Engineer - Automation & AI

September 28, 2026

Hybrid

Lead

Bexhill, Leicester, London, United Kingdom

Worth knowing

Mandatory office attendance
English is required

Description

Hastings Direct, a UK digital insurance provider serving over four million customers, is hiring a senior hands-on QA leader to drive the technological transformation of testing across its pricing platforms. The role owns QA strategy, automation and AI-enabled testing across an in-house rating engine and an Azure/GitHub engineering landscape, working closely with pricing engineers, ML engineers and underwriting teams. It combines hands-on technical involvement with people leadership of the QA function and strategic ownership of testing capability, tooling and environments. The position is hybrid across Bexhill, Leicester and London.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end QA strategy and execution across all underwriting lines of business
Design, implement, and continuously evolve the QA strategy covering pre-live testing, post-release monitoring, and live issue investigation
Provide hands-on technical leadership in reviewing test strategies and automation design and investigating complex or high-impact defects
Lead the strategic and practical use of test automation focused on the highest-risk areas
Drive improvements in automation and tooling to reduce manual effort and strengthen preventative quality controls
Work closely with pricing engineers and ML teams to apply AI-assisted testing techniques
Own post-release quality activities, including monitoring, alerting, and validation of controls
Improve the efficiency, stability, and reliability of QA test environments
Support incident RCA activity with testing insight, evidence, and analysis
Line-manage QA Leads and the Automation Manager
Ensure QA activities prevent customer harm and support compliance with regulatory and internal governance requirements
Maintain communication and organisational discipline to report progress, risks, and outcomes
Develop and maintain QA documentation, standards, and artefacts
Define and track quality metrics such as defect trends, test effectiveness, automation coverage, and release readiness
Support recruitment and development of QA talent through hiring involvement, one-to-one engagement, and mentoring

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Strong experience leading QA or test engineering teams in complex, data-driven or regulated technology environments
Hands-on technical capability to write, read and review code and contribute to test design and automation decisions
Strong proficiency in Python, including writing and reviewing automated tests and debugging failures in complex rules-based systems
Experience designing and maintaining test automation, including API and integration testing using frameworks such as pytest
Working knowledge of UI tools such as Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress
Experience applying AI-assisted testing tools to improve coverage, efficiency, or defect detection
Understanding of governance and control requirements for testing in a regulated environment
Practical experience with Git/GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, and Azure-based engineering environments
Strong understanding of modern testing practices, including risk-based testing, shift-left quality, and end-to-end assurance
Experience with test environments and test data, including validation of complex inputs and outputs using SQL
Familiarity with test management and defect tracking tools such as Azure DevOps and producing quality metrics
Excellent leadership skills, with experience managing senior QA roles and automation specialists
Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills
Excellent problem-solving skills for complex pricing and engineering challenges
Strong communication skills to explain technical quality risks to technical and non-technical stakeholders
Experience working in Agile delivery environments and collaborating with engineering, data, and ML teams

Conditions

Location Bexhill/Leicester/London with a championed flexible hybrid working approach
Competitive salary plus £5k car allowance
Competitive annual 4Cs performance bonus scheme
Private medical insurance (PMI) for Band 4 colleagues
Life assurance cover of 4x salary and income protection at no extra cost
Matched pension contributions up to 10%
27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one week
Mental wellbeing programme with thrive app, 24/7 colleague assistance, and in-house mental health first aiders
Discounts, cashback, free mortgage advice and financial wellbeing support
Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted health assessments and dental plans
Disability Confident employer offering adjustments throughout the recruitment journey

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