Automation Test Lead - Systems & Integration

We are seeking an experienced System Automation Test Lead to lead the testing function across a major UK Government digital transformation programme. You will be responsible for defining testing strategy, overseeing delivery, and ensuring high-quality software is released consistently and efficiently.

You will lead and mentor multidisciplinary testing and automation teams, champion automation-first and quality-driven practices, and coordinate testing across multiple systems, suppliers, and stakeholders in a complex delivery environment., * Lead the end-to-end testing life cycle including planning, estimation, execution, and reporting

• Define and maintain test strategies, frameworks, and quality standards across the programme
• Oversee design and maintenance of automated test suites using JUnit, Cucumber, and Selenium
• Coordinate system, integration, regression, and end-to-end testing across microservice and distributed architectures
• Ensure strong Back End validation and data integrity checks using PostgreSQL
• Oversee service virtualisation and integration isolation using WireMock
• Lead performance and load testing using JMeter and communicate results effectively
• Manage test resources, priorities, risks, and dependencies across multiple workstreams
• Facilitate workshops, defect triage sessions, show-and-tells, and stakeholder reviews
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring to testers and automation engineers
• Ensure defects, risks, and issues are clearly communicated and driven to resolution
• Drive continuous improvement in testing processes, tooling, and delivery practices

• Extensive experience leading testing teams in complex, multi-system environments
• Strong hands-on background with JUnit, Cucumber, and Selenium WebDriver
• Deep understanding of Spring applications, microservices, and distributed architectures
• Strong proficiency with PostgreSQL (advanced querying and validation)
• Experience using WireMock for mocking and stubbing services
• Strong expertise with JMeter for performance and load testing
• Proven ability to define test strategies and coordinate cross-team delivery
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and modern engineering practices
• Experience with Git, Jira, Confluence, and similar tools
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience delivering testing within government or consultancy environments
• Exposure to Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Understanding of BDD/TDD and quality-driven engineering
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Grafana, Prometheus, ELK)
• Experience with contract testing, API testing frameworks, and service-level validation
• Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple teams and workstreams
• Passion for coaching and building high-performing teams