Security Cleared Automation Tester

Lead Automation Tester (SC Cleared) - Contract Outside IR35 Location: Somerset, England (1-2 days onsite per week) Rate: £Depending on Experience (Outside IR35) Contract Length: 6 months + Start Date: ASAP Clearance: Active SC Clearance (ESSENTIAL) The OpportunityWe''re looking for an experienced Lead Automation Tester / Test Lead to drive a modern, outcome-focused quality engineering strategy within Azure-hosted enterprise systems in a secure, regulated UK environment. Key ResponsibilitiesLead a risk-based automation strategy across functional, integration, and performance testingAlign quality practices to DORA metrics (Lead Time, Deployment Frequency, Change Failure Rate, MTTR)Design scalable automation frameworks using Playwright and K6Embed fast, reliable automation into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelinesPromote test pyramid best practices and minimise brittle UI automationDefine meaningful quality metrics beyond code coverageDrive continuous improvement through data-driven insights Required ExperienceProven experience leading automation strategy in enterprise environmentsStrong knowledge of modern test automation principles (CI-first, test pyramid, contract testing)Hands-on experience with Playwright and K6Strong experience with Azure DevOps CI/CDClear understanding of DORA metricsExperience working in secure or regulated environmentsActive SC Clearance (mandatory) Why Join?High-impact role on critical enterprise platformsOpportunity to shape quality strategy and delivery ..... full job details .....