Test & Quality Lead

About us

Halfords is on a journey - building the future of motoring and cycling and looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. We’re a place for cocreators: people who want to make a real impact, take ownership and be part of something that’s still evolving.

Technology at Halfords is at a turning point. We’re modernising our foundations, sharpening our delivery, and ensuring every technology decision is connected to real commercial and customer outcomes.

We're looking for people who act as trusted advisors to the business, take end-to-end accountability for outcomes, and can balance pace with long-term architectural integrity. Innovation here means practical, scalable solutions, not ideas that stay on whiteboards.

Halfords operates a hybrid working policy – this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.

About the role

As Test & Quality Lead, you'll have the chance to build a modern testing capability from the ground up, establishing the strategy, standards and tooling that will underpin some of the largest technology programmes across the organisation.

Working across a diverse technology landscape, you'll be responsible for embedding quality throughout the delivery lifecycle. You'll develop a clear test strategy, establish governance and quality standards, and ensure testing is viewed as an enabler of delivery rather than simply a checkpoint at the end of a project.

A key focus of the role will be modernising our approach to testing and quality assurance. You'll work closely with our outsourced testing partner, driving performance, improving automation and introducing modern Quality Engineering practices that increase confidence, improve delivery speed and reduce operational risk. This is a highly visible position where you'll become the recognised authority for testing and quality across Halfords, influencing stakeholders at every level and playing a key role in our long-term technology transformation.

Key responsibilities

• Define and implement the Technology-wide Test and Quality Engineering strategy
• Establish testing standards, governance, quality gates and best practices across projects, programmes and platforms
• Lead the transformation towards greater automation, AI-enabled testing and modern Quality Engineering practices
• Manage and oversee outsourced testing teams and partners, ensuring quality, performance and value delivery
• Assess the testing landscape across applications and platforms, identifying opportunities for improvement and standardisation
• Provide independent quality assurance and risk assessment for major technology releases and programmes
• Deliver meaningful reporting and insight on quality, testing effectiveness, automation coverage and delivery risk
  
  

About you

• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale testing, quality assurance or Quality Engineering functions
• Strong experience managing third-party suppliers or outsourced testing partners within a complex technology environment
• Expertise in test strategy, governance, quality management and release assurance
• Experience implementing test automation and embedding quality controls within Agile and DevOps delivery models
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build credibility across both technical and non-technical audiences
• Comfortable operating across multiple technology platforms and business domains, balancing risk, quality, delivery speed and commercial considerations
• Passionate about modern testing approaches, automation, AI and continuous improvement
  
  

Reward & benefits

• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, car allowance, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• We offer hybrid working with a blend of working in our Support Centre and from home.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family.

Note: Halfords operates a hybrid working policy – this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.