Quality Assurance Lead

This is a new leadership role at NedGraphics, created to give our Quality Assurance (QA) function dedicated ownership at a senior level. You will lead a team of 5 QA engineers and take full responsibility for quality across our product portfolio, working closely with VP Engineering and the wider R&D team. AI tooling is increasing the pace and output of our engineering teams. This is an exciting moment to be leading QA: the opportunity is to build a modern, high-performing quality function that keeps pace with accelerating software delivery, expands automation coverage, and raises the bar on what good looks like. This role is fully remote and open to candidates in the EU and UK. Key Responsibilities Leadership and Strategy Design and own the QA strategy across the NedGraphics and Optitex product portfolios, bringing a clear point of view on what good looks like based on prior experience building QA functions elsewhere Lead a strategic transformation of the QA function: moving it from its current state to a modern, automation-first, AI-enabled operation, with a credible roadmap and milestones Build a quality-focused culture within the team and across the wider engineering organisation Establish clear standards, processes, and quality gates for product releases, informed by best practices from previous roles Work closely with engineering leads and Product Managers to integrate QA throughout the development lifecycle Set a clear direction for the team and develop individuals to reach their potential Act as a hands-on people leader: manage performance, run 1:1s, and support career development for a team of 5 Automation and Tooling Expand automation coverage significantly across the product suite Set the automation roadmap and direct the existing automation engineer Identify and introduce AI-assisted testing tools to improve speed and coverage Progressively reduce reliance on manual regression testing Hands-on Testing Contribute directly to test design, execution, and defect analysis on complex features Stay close to the product portfolio to provide well-informed quality judgment Set the standard for how good testing is done Skills, Knowledge and Expertise Essential Proven experience leading or managing a QA team, ideally having built or significantly transformed a QA function from the ground up Demonstrated experience building or executing QA strategy, not just following one: you know what good looks like and can point to a track record of setting the direction yourself Hands-on background in software testing; this is a player-coach role Solid experience testing native desktop applications Working knowledge of at least one test automation framework for UI desktop applications (e.g. WinAppDriver, Appium, Squish by Qt Group, or equivalent) Proficient in Python and shell scripting for building and maintaining test automation Ability to integrate the automation framework into a wider AI agentic-based build flow, spanning tools such as Azure DevOps, Cursor, and Claude cloud agents Strong communication skills with the ability to influence engineers, PMs, and senior stakeholders A track record of improving QA processes and delivering measurable results Experience working effectively across multiple time zones with a globally distributed team, including asynchronous collaboration and flexible scheduling Prior experience leading a team, with a clear approach to setting direction, delegating, and developing people Desirable Experience with AI-assisted testing tools or a genuine interest in adopting them Background in software product companies, ideally with desktop application portfolios Exposure to agile or scrum delivery environments Experience growing an automation capability from the ground up Familiarity with Azure DevOps for work item tracking, test plans, and pipeline integration Benefits A new, senior role with real scope to shape how quality is done at NedGraphics Close collaboration with VP Engineering and a technically strong R&D team A team of 5 QA engineers to lead and develop Competitive salary plus 5% discretionary bonus Flexible working arrangements across EU/UK