QA Lead

About MA 

MA is a pioneering technology company delivering high-performance solutions across industries including automotive, public transport, and motorsport. With a legacy rooted in Formula 1 engineering excellence, we apply advanced expertise to solve complex challenges in mission-critical systems where precision and reliability are paramount. 

Join Us as a QA Lead – Driving Quality Through Strategy and Leadership 

We are seeking an experienced QA Lead to shape and lead our quality assurance function within a dynamic engineering environment. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on technical contribution. You will be instrumental in building and structuring a high-performing QA team, defining clear roles and responsibilities, and fostering collaboration across onshore and offshore teams.

You will own the test strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives, CI/CD pipelines, and release schedules, while driving governance and best practices across complex hardware, software, and cloud-integrated systems. 

As a senior member of the QA Engineering team, you will report to the Associate Director, Products, Programmes and Engineering and work closely with multi-disciplinary portfolio teams. While your core responsibilities include team leadership, resource planning, and stakeholder engagement, you will also remain deeply hands-on—supporting critical testing activities, troubleshooting complex issues, and upholding quality standards. 

The role is within our Connected Intelligence business unit, which develops and operates vertically integrated end-to-end connectivity and analytics products and services for Transportation, Vehicle, and IoT markets. We operate worldwide. 

Key Responsibilities 

Leadership & Team Structure 

• Define and implement the QA team structure to support Continuous Integration (CI) and delivery goals. 

• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines for onshore and offshore QA teams. 

• Recruit, onboard, and develop QA talent, ensuring skill alignment with automation, performance, and functional testing needs. 

• Foster a culture of quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement across distributed teams. 

• Set measurable objectives for team performance and provide regular feedback and coaching. 

Strategic Planning & Test Governance 

• Own the test strategy for complex systems integrating hardware, software, and cloud platforms. 

• Align QA processes with organisational objectives, CI/CD pipelines, and release schedules. 

• Define governance for test planning, execution, and reporting to ensure traceability and compliance. 

• Drive risk-based prioritisation and ensure robust coverage across functional and non-functional requirements. 

Offshore Team Management 

• Plan and manage offshore QA resources to optimise cost, quality, and delivery timelines. 

• Coordinate work allocation, communication, and progress tracking between onshore and offshore teams. 

• Implement tools and processes for seamless collaboration across time zones. 

• Ensure offshore teams have access to environments, data, and documentation for effective execution. 

Quality Assurance & Hands-On Contribution 

• When required, contribute hands-on to test design, automation scripting, and execution. 

• Validate embedded software and real-time systems for high-performance applications. 

• Support troubleshooting and root cause analysis for critical defects or environment issues. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Represent QA in sprint planning, backlog refinement, and release readiness meetings. 

• Collaborate with Engineering Manager, Release Manager, Product Owners, Developers, and DevOps to clarify requirements and resolve blockers. 

• Communicate progress, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders at all levels. 

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience 

• Team Management and Experience mentoring QA Engineers.  

• Experience in a commercial software testing environment.  

• Experience creating and implementing test strategies tailored to project goals, timelines, and risk profiles. 

• Strong understanding of test levels/types and risk mitigation strategies.  

• Experience reviewing project requirements for scope, coverage, and testability.  

• Experience with backend testing.  

• Experience using test management tools (e.g. qTest).  

• Strong Windows and Linux (SSH) skills.  

• Familiarity with networking concepts (Wi-Fi, POE, Ethernet).  

• Familiarity with mobile communication technologies (3G, 4G, 5G, LTE).  

• Experience with cloud platforms and containerisation technologies.  

• Experience with Jira, AWS, and configuration management tools (e.g. Git).  

• Practical experience creating automated tests and understanding their pros/cons.  

• Experience working in Agile teams.  

• Experience with performance and load testing tools.  

• Knowledge of database testing and API testing methodologies.  

• Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing concepts. 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities. 

• Strong attention to detail and a systematic approach to testing. 

• Effective communication skills for documentation and cross-team collaboration. 

• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments. 

• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends. 

• ISTQB Foundation or higher certification. 

Desirable Knowledge, Skills & Experience 

• Knowledge of continuous delivery pipelines and tools (e.g. Jenkins). 

• Understanding of Mobile app and Captive portal testing and automation. 

• Understanding of embedded systems and real-time software testing. 

• Python 3 experience, including writing tests. 

• Experience with Robot Framework. 

• Writing and analysing SQL queries. 

• Familiarity with tools such as RabbitMQ, Icinga, and Influx. 

What we can offer you 

In return for everything you bring to the table, we can ensure an exciting, challenging role in a dynamic business surrounded by some of the best people in their respective fields.

At Motion Applied we firmly believe it’s the relationships and friendships we create while working that make us special. We’re also aware that the world is changing and we are part of that change. We all want and need different things from our work and home lives, so, if you have commitments outside of work, we’re open to talking through flexible working options that work for you and us.

• Annual leave (25 days + bank holidays, pro-rated for part time colleagues).
• Enhanced Company Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave and pay.
• Flexible working policies, including Hybrid Working.
• Life assurance to the value of 4 times base salary
• Opportunity to join the Motion Applied Pension Plan
• Company funded individual private healthcare with the opportunity to extend to partner or spouse and/or dependents at a discounted rate.
• Electric car scheme – opportunity to drive a brand-new car in a more affordable way through this salary sacrifice scheme. Employees are eligible to join the scheme after successful competition of their probationary period.

Who we are

Motion Applied are a medium-sized tech firm spun out of McLaren Group. We’re looking for people who will thrive in a non-hierarchical, growth-orientated company, self-starters who are flexible and somewhat entrepreneurial in their approach.

Our values

OWNERSHIP

OPENNESS

BRAVERY

INGENUITY

HUMILITY

Motion Applied are committed to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) and promote DEI in all we do. Motion Applied are also members of the UK Government Disability Confident Scheme.