Quality Engineering Lead

Envitia is a UK-based software and services company that helps organisations unlock the full value of their data to make better, faster decisions. With over 30 years of experience, we specialise in delivering innovative software products, solutions, and consultancy services that transform complex data challenges into actionable insights. Our mission is to empower customers across defence, government, and national security sectors to harness the power of data — from geospatial intelligence to advanced analytics and AI integration. We are proud to be a trusted partner to UK defence and government organisations, delivering technology that drives smarter, data-driven outcomes. We’re also delighted to have been named one of The Sunday Times Top 100 Medium-Sized Companies — a recognition of our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and creating an outstanding workplace where people can thrive. The Role As our Quality Engineering Lead, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and embedding quality engineering excellence across Envitia's engineering function. This is a unique opportunity to influence how quality is delivered across a growing organisation, establishing scalable practices, standards and approaches that enable teams to build secure, reliable and high-performing software solutions with confidence. Working closely with multidisciplinary Agile teams, you will champion a quality-first mindset throughout the software development lifecycle, helping to define and evolve the processes, frameworks and controls that underpin successful delivery. You'll collaborate with engineers, DevOps specialists, business analysts, product stakeholders and customers to ensure quality is built in from the start, supporting the delivery of mission-critical applications and digital services used in complex and highly secure environments. Alongside driving strategic improvements in quality maturity, you will remain hands-on, leading validation and verification activities, shaping effective test strategies and supporting release assurance activities. You will act as a mentor and trusted advisor to delivery teams, promoting modern quality engineering principles such as shift-left testing, automation, continuous improvement and preventative quality practices. As Envitia continues to grow, this role offers the opportunity to help define and build our future quality engineering capability. You'll have the chance to influence team structures, ways of working and long-term capability development, with scope to support the recruitment, leadership and development of a dedicated quality engineering team as business demand evolves. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced quality engineering professional who enjoys combining technical leadership, strategic influence and hands-on delivery to make a lasting impact across an organisation. Responsibilities Lead the adoption of a proactive, quality-first approach across Engineering, embedding consistent testing standards and shift-left practices across teamsCoach teams in the effective application of quality processes, adapting the approach to different products and delivery contextsImplement effective test strategies, plans and coverage aligned to delivery objectivesTranslate requirements and user stories into clear, executable test cases and scriptsDevelop and maintain automated test suites using tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright or equivalentEmbed automated testing within CI/CD pipelines to support DevSecOps deliverySupport functional, integration, regression, system and acceptance testing activitiesIdentify, manage and track defects through to resolution, working closely with development teamsProvide clear test reporting, quality metrics and evidence to support release decisionsContribute to environment readiness, test data management and controlled release processesCollaborate within Agile teams, supporting sprint planning, refinement, reviews and retrospectives Skills & Experience Required Essential: Demonstrable experience defining, scaling and continuously improving quality engineering processes, standards and governance across multiple engineering teamsStrong background in software testing, test automation and quality engineering within Agile delivery environmentsExperience designing and executing functional, integration, regression, system and acceptance testing, including defect investigationHands-on experience with test automation tools (e.g. Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, JUnit, pytest, Cucumber or similar), including API and UI testingExperience building and maintaining automated test frameworks, reusable test assets and managing test dataFamiliarity with integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines, alongside awareness of quality gates, release assurance and modern development practices Desirable: Experience working with customers in the UK defence or central government sectors.Experienced with implementing effective shift-left strategies within complex software engineering projectsExperience testing modern applications and services, including APIs, Java/JavaScript-based systems and cloud or containerised environmentsAwareness of non-functional testing approaches, including performance, resilience, accessibility and security testingExperience producing test evidence and assurance artefacts suitable for controlled or regulated environments Security Clearance Requirements Due to the nature of our work, the successful candidate must be eligible to obtain and maintain SC security clearance. Location This role offers flexible and remote working, with travel to our Horsham office approximately two days per month and occasional travel to customer sites across the UK as required. What it's like to work at Envitia At Envitia, we believe that our greatest asset is our people. We’re committed to fostering a work environment where every employee feels valued, supported, and motivated to excel. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to enhance both your professional and personal wellbeing, including: Annual Leave: 25 days plus your birthday off, with the ability to buy or sell up to five additional daysPrivate Healthcare: Comprehensive coverage with additional options for family membersTraining & Skills Development: Ongoing learning opportunities to help you advance your careerFitness Reimbursement: Support for gym memberships or fitness-related expensesLife Assurance: Extensive life insurance coverage for peace of mindPension Contribution: Competitive options to help you plan for a secure financial futurePerkbox Subscription: Discounts on a wide range of products and servicesFlexible Work Arrangements: Designed to support work-life balance and personal commitmentsInternal Reward Schemes: Recognition initiatives to celebrate your contributions and achievementsCommunity Engagement & Volunteering: Opportunities to support meaningful causes through company-sponsored programs Inclusion at Envitia At Envitia, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life. We believe that our strength lies in our differences, and we are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered. We encourage applications from people of all abilities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, and religions. We strive to support a culture of inclusion, accessibility, and work-life balance. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know.