QA Engineer Team Lead (2-Year Fixed-Term Contract - Maternity Cover)

About us

Food waste is a $1 trillion problem – costing the world over 1% of global GDP. We’re dead set on solving the problem and looking for people to help us achieve our mission. We, at Winnow, believe that food is far too valuable to waste, and that technology can transform the way we produce food. Our team is made of people who all share a passion for food and technology.

Winnow was founded in London in 2013 to help the hospitality industry prevent food waste through internet of things tools in the kitchen. We have worked with hundreds of sites and are operating in over 70 countries around the world supported by our offices in London, Dubai, Singapore, Romania and Chicago. We are a rapidly growing company with a strong base of clients who are rolling out our system globally. We have blue-chip customers including Accor Hotels, IKEA, IHG, Marriott, Compass Group and many others.

Winnow’s clients on average reduce waste by over 50% by value and sustain savings. Winnow has now worked with hundreds of sites to reduce food waste, including hotels, universities and schools, staff restaurants, event/hospitality kitchens, buffets, pubs, and high street restaurants. Where the system is permanently adopted, pre-consumer waste value is reduced by 50% - 70% with no detrimental impact to the perceived quality or value of the offer to their customers. This represents a typical improvement of food cost savings of 3% to 8%, commonly a 40%+ increase in profitability for operations.

As the global leader in addressing food waste, we are committed to continue pushing the envelope on what technology can do to solve this problem. Winnow Vision, our new artificial intelligence-based technology, is trained to automatically track all food waste thrown away. It has won awards at the World Economic Forum and has received tremendous enthusiasm from our clients and the industry. You can read more about it on our website and this article in Forbes.

Other recent accolades saw Winnow awarded a winner of Impact 50's most impactful companies to work for. You can read more about it here. Similarly, Winnow has been included in the Top 30 Best Small and Medium companies to work for in 2023 by undelucram.ro.

We are passionate about living our values and place them at the centre of everything we do. We are excited about like minded talent who share these values, joining us in our mission:

Equal parts head and heart. We’re both passionate and measured. We carefully balance the need for quick solutions and pragmatism with the ability to step back, take in the bigger picture and build for the long term.

Bravely honest. With each other, that means we’re a transparent organisation where healthy, respectful debate is encouraged. With our customers, we challenge them if we don’t think they’re achieving their goals, whether they be environmental or financial.

People of action. Done is better than perfect, and we learn by boldly doing then rapidly improving. We’re breaking new ground, so we know things might go wrong. But we judge ourselves and each other on our reaction and our resilience.

Bound by food. We’re a diverse bunch, but our belief in the value of food is the common thread in everything we do. With each other, we celebrate through our love and respect for food. With our customers, it means we work hard to develop creative tools to make it easy for chefs to value food.

Hungry and humble. Our product is revolutionary, our people are impressive, and we’re hungry for change. But, we’re just the catalyst for a bigger movement. We stay humble regardless of our success, and make chefs the heroes in this journey.

People and planet positive. We’re caretakers of the planet, helping to preserve and support it for now and the future. Our work already minimises the impact that the hospitality industry has on the planet, and we’re also committed to actively reducing our own footprint while doing so. We’re leaving the planet and its people better off than we found them.

This is an opportunity to join an exciting organisation and help us propel our growth at what are truly the most exciting and dynamic points in time in our business. You will work alongside a driven team who are motivated by building an exciting business and leaving the world a better place than we found it.

About the role
We are looking for a QA Team Lead to assess software quality through Manual and Automation testing across our suite of tools and services. At Winnow, we develop and maintain our own Web platforms and Android applications using a variety of technologies.

In this role, you will work cross-functionally with multiple teams to gain a deep understanding of their products and ensure the delivery of reliable, functional, and well-tested solutions. You will also lead and support a team of QA Engineers, providing guidance and mentorship. In addition to team leadership responsibilities, the QA Team Lead will be hands-on with both Manual and Automation testing, as needed. This role requires balancing technical testing tasks with leadership activities to ensure the overall quality of the products and the continuous development of the QA team.

This is a 2-year fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave, with the potential to transition into a permanent role, depending on business needs.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in Software Quality Assurance.
• Proven experience in both Manual and Automated testing.
• At least 2 years of experience leading and mentoring QA teams.
• Solid understanding of QA methodologies, tools, and processes, and ability to define and improve in-house testing procedures.
• Proven ability to estimate, prioritise, and manage testing activities across multiple teams and projects.
• Strong understanding of various testing techniques (Functional, Non-functional, Regression, Smoke, Exploratory, etc.) and the ability to identify the most effective techniques, datasets, and tools for each case.
• Extensive experience in writing and executing manual test cases for both web-based and mobile platforms.
• Experience working with Test Management tools, such as Test Rail.
• Proficiency in Jira or similar issue tracking tools; strong documentation skills for tracking, prioritising, and reporting defects.
• Ability to collaborate closely with developers to understand changes, design specific test plans/scripts, and ensure testability of code.
• Familiarity with SQL and working with databases (e.g. SQL, Redshift); ability to write and execute queries for data validation.
• Experience with API testing (e.g., Postman, REST-assured) and understanding of request/response structures.
• Working knowledge of automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Playwright, ideally in Java, and experience integrating automated tests in CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments, including sprint ceremonies and collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Strong attention to detail and organisation skills, with the ability to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to ensure that delivered features meet the Acceptance Criteria as defined by the Product Owner.
• Comfortable working at both the Functional and Non-functional testing levels (e.g., Performance, Usability, Security).
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with confidence in working with stakeholders at all levels.
• Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical capabilities.
• Approachable and able to interact with all levels of staff with confidence when working with, reporting to, and providing/receiving guidance from team members.
• As a QA Team Lead, you will be responsible for:
• Overseeing all testing activities and ensuring that defined QA processes and best practices are consistently followed throughout the development lifecycle. This includes reviewing test cases and providing actionable feedback.
• Providing constructive guidance and feedback to team members. This includes recognizing and celebrating achievements when expectations are met or exceeded, as well as offering support and direction when improvement is needed.
• Delegating tasks effectively, assigning appropriate resources, and maintaining clarity of ownership and accountability within the QA team.
• Setting quarterly objectives that align with the company's OKRs, project goals, and individual team members' development plans.
• Contributing to the hiring process, including participating in interviews, onboarding new team members, and assigning mentors to ensure a smooth ramp-up.
• Staying current with QA standards, tools, and industry best practices, and sharing relevant updates with the team to continuously improve testing strategies and ensure high-quality deliverables.

Technical Qualifications

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related subject (or equivalent experience).

Benefits

• Competitive base salary. 
• Meal tickets - 35 RON per working day.
• 2 Wellness hours per month plus a 274 RON gross monthly wellness allowance or the option to swap the wellness allowance for a 7Card subscription. 
• 25 days of paid vacation time in addition to national holidays, plus the option to buy a further 5 days annual leave. 
• Company part-funded private health insurance and eye care allowance.
• Life insurance (3 times base salary). 
• Company stock options package. 
• Eligible for discretionary annual bonus.
• Employee Assistance Programme - 24/7 helpline for your wellbeing.
• Learning and development allowance of 1,730 RON annually. 
• Hybrid way of working - we’re all in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Company provided breakfast & snacks on office days.
• Early Finish Fridays - log off at 3 PM on a Friday if you have completed your tasks by then
• Our own office space with a great working environment 
• You will love what you do – waking up every day solving one of the biggest social problems of our generation - food waste
• Committed team members with broad experience who share a common passion to build a world-class business.