Quality Assurance - Contractor

Hybrid - Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, London
Software Delivery – Quality Assurance /
Contract - Contingent Day Rate /
Hybrid

Ready to keep quality at the heart of projects with impact?

Do you want to make a real impact by ensuring quality in services? Are you ready to grow your skills in a supportive, knowledge-sharing community where you can achieve your potential?

We’re a growing tech consultancy that creates user-centred solutions with purpose for our clients in government, healthcare and purpose-driven businesses. As a Quality Assurance consultant, you’ll ensure that quality assurance is considered from the start through testing, questioning and improving. You’ll apply your adaptability and communication skills across a variety of projects, working with a vibrant QA community that champions learning and knowledge sharing.

 

The role 

You'll work on public and private sector projects. You’ll likely be working as a lead software quality engineer on internal and client-facing projects, contributing to the leadership of teams. 

Leading by example and promoting the Opencast approach, you’ll support colleagues to develop knowledge and work through challenges in all testing types. You’ll decide the best thing for your team to be working on. You'll collaborate with team members, clients and users to ensure that high quality is maintained and best practices are followed throughout the project. You'll adapt to different tools and technologies, advising on the best ones to use. 

You'll ensure that work is carried out in accordance with Opencast's quality, environmental, and information security policies and procedures, as well as applicable customer policies, standards, and procedures while working on client. 

Contractors at Opencast follow the same principles as permanent consultants. The roles are varied, technical, and never confined to any one provider or solution.

 

Requirements

Due to the nature of this role, applicants must either currently hold active Security Check (SC) Clearance or be eligible to obtain it.

Eligibility typically requires UK citizenship and continuous residence in the UK for the past five years, with no single absence exceeding 28 consecutive days. As a result, we are unable to progress applications from candidates who do not meet these requirements.

 

Technical Skills 

To succeed in this role, you must have experience working as a lead software tester on multiple complex projects and have a good understanding of what it means to be a senior consultant. 

In your CV and at interview, you’ll need to show experience of: 

  • your working area and how you apply this to your role  

  • functional and non-functional automation testing

  • using tools like Playwright, Typescript and Gatling

  • carrying out accessibility testing against WCAG 2.2 standards using tools like JAWS and/or Dragon

  • creating test documentation 

  • resolving complex issues and presenting to stakeholders 

  • creating tasks from high-level requirements      

  • defect triage

  • active SC clearance due to the nature of client work

 

You’ll need a good understanding of: 

  • basic principles of programming paradigms, such as object-orientated programming and procedural programming 

  • the concepts and benefits of OAT testing

 

Essential skills: 

As well as QA skills, there are essential core skills you’ll need to be a great consultant.  

In the interview, we will assess how you have: 

  • strong attention to detail and high-quality outcomes 

  • a methodical approach to resolving complex problems 

  • respectfully challenged decisions or solutions communicated with technical and non-technical people 

  • been proactive and taken the initiative in seeking solutions to mitigate risk   

  • raised risks and issues through the correct tools

  • built relationships and resolved conflicts 

  • led project meetings and contributed to workshops and events

 

Other experience 

Some areas of experience are not essential but relevant to the role: 

  • UK government service standards 

  • agile methodology

 

Salary

Up to £500 per day (working inside IR35)

 

Where you’ll work 

This role requires regular on-site attendance across our HQ, hub offices, client sites and home. Applicants must be able to commute to offices and client sites as part of their normal working arrangements, as travel is essential to fulfilling the responsibilities of the role.

 

We include you 

We welcome candidates from all identities, attributes, ways of thinking and backgrounds to thrive in a career at Opencast. Our aim is for the diversity of our people to be reflected in the solutions we deliver, to help create a fairer society for all.   

 

Interview 

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. We’re happy to make adjustments to support your needs.

 

Want to know more?  

Visit our website or email [email protected]

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.