QA Lead

We’re on the lookout for an experienced Lead QA Analyst to take the reins on QA delivery across across a mix of client projects and internal product development. You’ll be hands-on with planning and execution, working closely with our QA Manager, Production, and Engineering to uphold quality throughout development - all within a highly collaborative, creative, and technically ambitious environment.

This is a 12-month contract role. While we’d love to find someone who can join us on-site at our St Albans studio, we’re equally open to remote applicants if the right person comes along.  There may also be potential for conversion to a permanent role down the line, depending on future growth and team needs.

Contract dates: c. 16 June 2025 - c. 16 June 2026

• Plans, strategises, and manages the execution of QA activities for assigned projects across all current and future platforms.
• Owns all QA activities for their assigned projects, including overseeing the preparation of Feature/Area Test Plans, User stories, Test Cases, and hands-on testing.
• Directs testing efforts, test case construction, and test suite runs of the QA team, while also participating in those activities when needed.
• Works closely with Production, other QA Leadership, Testers, Engineers, and other internal groups to identify and communicate risks, plan testing strategies, define per-project quality bars, set testing priorities, and ensure deliverables meet the Magnopus quality standard.
• Reports progress throughout the testing lifecycle and provides regular, actionable feedback to stakeholders including Production and Development teams.
• Manages day-to-day activities of QA Analysts (internal and external) and ensures that QA output meets department, project, and company standards.
• Delegates tasks effectively, supporting the team’s progress and ensuring the best use of test hours within the project budget.
• Defines, documents, and communicates goals, values, and processes to the project team.
• Identifies risk areas during production and supports test planning early in the development cycle.
• Creates, maintains, and executes detailed test plans; regresses fixed defects and validates bug resolutions.
• Provides overall quality feedback, user improvement suggestions, and end-of-project reporting.
• Proactively ensures adherence to QA policies and processes, helping to maintain state-of-the-art QA practices across the department.
• Participates in evaluating and developing tools and systems to support efficient QA operations.
• Facilitates communication and collaboration between the QA department and other disciplines.
• Participates in recruiting and onboarding QA Testers for the project; supports coaching and mentoring on best practices.
• Fosters a learning and continuous improvement culture within the QA team and the wider studio.

• Proven experience testing entertainment or Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) software.
• Hands-on experience with Jira and Test Management Systems, or equivalent bug tracking and test case management tools.
• Familiarity with a range of testing approaches including user path, exploratory, and destructive testing.
• Skilled in defect tracking, reporting, and lifecycle management.
• Solid experience with Atlassian tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly document testing procedures and results.
• Methodical, analytical, and detail-oriented.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Demonstrable experience leading QA efforts on cross-disciplinary development teams.
• Experience creating test plans, designing and executing tests, and analysing key QA metrics (e.g., KPIs) over the course of a project.
• Working knowledge of development tools and game engines (e.g., Unity or Unreal Engine).
• Experience planning and executing performance and stress testing.
• Skilled in documenting processes for users and maintainers.
• Experience with games testing, preferably with TestKits for major platforms (PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox).

• Familiarity with QA approaches in both product-focused and R&D-style development.
• Prior involvement in QA tool or pipeline development is a plus.