Head of QA and Automation Architecture

Location: Based in Dublin | Hybrid Working Model (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday in-office)
Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

Job Purpose

The Head of QA and Automation Architecture will play a pivotal role in leading and shaping the quality assurance function and test automation strategy at our software company. Based in Dublin and reporting directly to the CTO, this senior position requires a visionary leader with deep technical expertise in both manual and automated testing, capable of driving the implementation of robust quality standards and test automation frameworks across a diverse product portfolio. The role will oversee the entire QA team, guide the development and continuous improvement of automation practices, and ensure our solutions meet the highest standards demanded by our customers in the financial services sector.

Key responsibilities

- Provide leadership, direction, and mentoring to the QA Function, including Automation Architecture and Performance Testing. Champion a culture of excellence and continuous improvement in quality assurance.
- Architect, guide, and oversee the development and execution of comprehensive automated test suites and frameworks for both front-end and back-end systems, ensuring high coverage and efficiency.
- Design, own, and drive the overall QA strategy, setting clear priorities and roadmaps in alignment with business objectives and in consultation with the CTO and other stakeholders.
- Lead the recruitment, retention, growth, and management of the QA teams. Identify training needs and foster professional development.
- Collaborate closely with DevOps, IT, Product, and Development teams to develop and enhance CI/CD pipelines, automate test environment creation, and support Agile delivery.
- Ensure all new customer and roadmap features are fully quality and performance tested, meeting the exacting standards of industry compliance and security.
- Review and maintain existing manual and automated regression suites, ensuring optimal test coverage, effectiveness, and efficiency.
- Monitor, analyse, and report on key QA metrics, KPIs, and team performance. Use data-driven insights to drive quality improvements.
- Advocate for and implement best practices in software testing and automation, including tooling assessments and process enhancements.
- Maintain clear and effective communication channels with Product Management, Development, Customer Services, and other business units to ensure business priorities are translated into QA deliverables.
- Participate in and contribute to Agile ceremonies and champion the transition to an increasingly Agile environment.
- Ensure test environments and test data are robust, secure, and fit for purpose across all products and releases.
- Support the diagnosis, prioritisation, and resolution of issues by liaising with support and development teams.
- Any other related tasks as required by the CTO.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required:

- Honours Degree or Diploma in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
- Proven leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior QA management or architect-level role, preferably within the software fintech sector.
- Extensive experience architecting, creating, and maintaining automation frameworks and test suites for large-scale web, mobile, and back-office systems.
- Experience managing and mentoring QA and Test Automation teams, including establishing and tracking KPIs, metrics, and quality standards to deliver the standards expected of a high-performing team.
- Strong hands-on experience with automation and performance testing tools such as Selenium Webdriver, Selenium Grid, TestNG, Appium, JMeter, RestAssured etc
- Familiarity with cloud-based test orchestration tools (e.g., BrowserStack, Sauce Labs)
- Experience with visual regression testing tools such as Percy, to ensure UI consistency across platforms
- Deep knowledge of CI/CD pipeline tools (e.g., Jenkins), test case management tools (X-Ray), and version control systems (e.g., Git).
- Solid experience testing APIs, microservices, and complex distributed systems, including performance and security aspects.
- Extensive experience with Agile/Scrum environments and modern software development processes.
- Strong understanding of XML, SQL Scripting, Oracle, database technologies, and application ecosystems (REST API’s, SDK’s, JSON, etc).
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- High level of attention to detail, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and a passion for quality and innovation.
- Ability to work across multiple product areas demonstrating strong customer orientation and a passion for continuous learning and innovation
- Self-motivated, proactive, and capable of working independently as well as collaboratively across distributed teams while open to input from colleagues and peers at all levels
- Demonstrates flexibility, enthusiasm, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Preferred

- Experience with highly regulated environments such as banking or fintech.
- Direct experience with payment schemes or card processing solutions.
- Knowledge of environment configuration in Windows and Unix systems.
- Understanding of mobile development processes, security mandates, and distributed/cloud architectures (Azure preferred).
- Experience with TDD/BDD methodologies and frameworks such as Cucumber.
- Experience with Docker containers for environment setup, test automation, and CI/CD integration.

Success in This Role Will Look Like:

- QA Strategy A comprehensive review of existing practices and frameworks resulting in a clearly documented QA Strategy and plan for the next 3-5 years.
- Documentation and onboarding resources for QA tools are published and maintained, enabling new developers to self-serve and become productive within 1 month of joining.
- Code Coverage : At least 75% of code is fully tested by automation tests.
- Clearly published Goals and Monthly Metrics for each product area
- Fully automated regression testing across all product areas
- Reduced Manual Testing / Regression effort, resulting in faster releases
- In conjunction with DevOps put in place fully Automated QA Test environment build and deployment to increase efficiency
- Training and development plan in place for all QA Staff

- Ensure team full compliance with ISO27001 Practices and process and participate in successful ISO audits as required.
- Collaboration and feedback loops with development, QA, and IT teams result in a consistent developer experience and measurable improvements in release confidence and velocity.

Equal Opportunity Statement:
CR2 HPS Group is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

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