Head of QA

The Role 

Xapien is a revolutionary and fast-growing startup, and we are looking for passionate engineers who thrive in dynamic, innovative environments. We need a Head of Test to not only lead and mentor our current QA team, but also build a testing team that will grow to at least five members by 2025. This hire is crucial in driving the implementation of test automation, ensuring our platform is scalable and delivering high-quality results.

The Head of QA will manage automated testing, oversee content processing, and formalise QA processes to ensure a robust and scalable platform. They will define workflows for bug resolution, collaborating with support and engineering teams, with expertise in Python, Typescript, or similar languages playing a key role in the automation strategy. By implementing a structured testing approach, the role enhances product reliability, improves customer satisfaction, and supports growth in Xapien’s fast-paced startup environment.

Core responsibilities

• Develop QA Strategy: Establish and implement comprehensive testing strategies, both automated and manual.
• Automation Leadership: Build and maintain automated test suites for regression and performance testing.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor QA team members, guiding daily operations and technical growth.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Partner with product, development, and support teams to integrate quality from the start.
• Bug Tracking and Quality Reporting: Report key quality metrics such as test coverage and defect rates.
• Process Improvement: Update QA tools and methods for better efficiency.

Ways of working and best practices

We work in an agile environment in order to achieve maximum productivity and the team is always encouraged to share their own ideas! You‘ll be working cross-functionally with the wider Software Engineering and Research team to lead the continued success of our product. We have a complex codebase, so it is everyone‘s responsibility to contribute with their own ideas to how we overcome challenges during the build process.

• Playwright or similar automation frameworks - The Head of QA  will be using Playwright to implement End-to-End Testing, Cross-Browser Testing, API Testing, Visual Testing, and CI/CD integration. You will be able to guide a team through the implementation of Parallel and Headless Execution, Reporting and Debugging, and Test Automation Efficiency.
• Programming Language (Python or Typescript) - You will have experience with a programming language, such as Python or Typescript, to write automation, API, Frontend, and End-to-End Tests, to ensure our codebase and product is robust and scalable. Whilst this is a Leadership role, you will remain hands-on with the code, stepping in where an expert opinion is needed. You will manage testing frameworks, guide automation strategy, and build and manage automation strategy.
• QA Team leading skills - You will have experience leading/managing small QA functions and implementing best-practices across teams. You will be setting up and growing a QA function. As we grow, you’ll use your experience to build established testing pipelines, and build clear processes for bugs that are identified, shared, and solved.
• Communication and collaboration - You will have experience working in an agile environment and working with cross-functional teams. The Head of Test will work with Product Managers, Backend and Frontend Engineers of all levels, DevOps Engineers, and Customer Support, to ensure our product is a success and the code remains strong.

• Equity in the business in the form of shares – You will own a meaningful part of the business through our employee shares & equity programme💰
• Unlimited Paid Time Off for you to take time to recharge. 🏖️
• A professional development fund of £1,000 per year – we invest in our people and always encourage growth! 🎓
• Private health and Life insurance ❤️‍🩹
• High-spec MacBook 💻
• Regular team lunches and social events, from go-karting to mini golf to karaoke to rounders in the park 🎉
• X day – one whole company day off every February so we can all switch off Slack and reset 📴
• Flexible working + flexible hours (2 days per week in our WeWork in Moorgate) 🏠

Salary: £80,000 - £100,000 per year + bonus

**Please note, we cannot offer sponsorship to applicants (or transfer existing visas) at present**

Our Values 

• Take ownership – We keep our organisation simple, valuing people over policies. We encourage ownership and decision-making.
• Better together – We care about each other and go out of our way to help colleagues succeed. We value relationships and take a genuine interest.
• Transparent – Our business is creating transparency in business relationships; so internally we are ‘default share’, even when it feels uncomfortable.
• Glass-half-full – This is about being real but still choosing to be optimistic. We celebrate wins and encourage each other to build forward.
• Be pioneers – We are leaders not followers – bold, ambitious and can-do. We don’t start with what’s possible, we start with what we want to achieve, then ask ‘what has to be true’?
• Move fast – This is our moment to make our mark on the world. So we work to ambitious deadlines, launch fast and iterate, always streamline, and remain decisive amid huge uncertainty.
• Value learning – We are all learning, always. We take time to explain, even if it’s quicker to do it ourselves.
• Always decent – We are polite, thankful and straightforward. Everyone is down-to-earth, informal and approachable.
• A players – Working here should be stretching and exhilarating. We only hire, and keep, the best, enquiring people that will keep us on our toes.