QA jobs in United Kingdom
United Kingdom has 185 open QA roles across 14 of our 20 listed cities, and 26 are remote. A mid-level QA Automation Engineer earns a median of £56k gross a year. QA Automation Engineer is the most common opening.
A deep QA market centred on London, with strong hubs in Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge across fintech, gaming and public-sector software.
UK & Ireland · schematic, dot size follows open roles
Live QA roles in United Kingdom
185 roles from our listings, newest first. Pay is shown upfront. Mix: permanent 137, contract 38, flex 9, outsourced 1.
Automation Tester / QA Automation Engineer | Shape Quality. Drive Innovation.
Automation Framework Architect/ SDET
System Integration Test (SIT) Manager
Graduate Software Engineer, AI/ ML Test Systems 2027
QA Analyst
Staff Technical Writer
Role mix in United Kingdom
- QA Automation Engineer61 33%
- Manual QA Tester46 25%
- QA Lead / Manager27 15%
- SDET16 9%
- Business / Test Analyst12 6%
- AI / LLM Evaluation QA6 3%
What employers here hire for
Tools named most often: Jira, Playwright, Selenium.
Browse all 15 QA roles or jump to QA Automation Engineer, SDET and Manual QA Tester.
QA pay in United Kingdom
Gross annual pay in GBP, mid-level. Median is the modelled middle of the market. P10 to P90 is the usual spread: median x 0.82 to x 1.22.
| Role | P10 | Median | P90 | Senior median | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA Tester | £31k | £38k | £46k | £47k | Detail |
| QA Automation Engineer | £46k | £56k | £69k | £72k | Detail |
| SDET | £50k | £61k | £74k | £78k | Detail |
| Mobile QA Engineer | £40k | £49k | £60k | £64k | Detail |
| Performance Test Engineer | £56k | £68k | £83k | £90k | Detail |
| QA Lead / Manager | £42k | £51k | £62k | £65k | Detail |
Modelled from posted pay ranges and the national pay index (0.59 of the US level). Salary methodology and all countries.
Hiring QA in United Kingdom
Typical terms for a mid-level QA hire. They are ranges for orientation. Collective agreements and individual contracts change them.
Contract types
Notice period
Statutory minimum notice starts at one week after a month of service and rises with tenure. Contracts for QA roles typically specify one to three months.
Paid leave
Statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks including bank holidays. Many employers add days.
Working week
37.5 to 40 hours. The 48-hour weekly cap can be opted out of in writing.
Probation
Three to six months is typical.
Employer on-costs
Employer National Insurance and pension contributions typically add 15% to 25%.
Employer of record
An employer of record can hire here without a local entity, usually for a monthly fee on top of salary and on-costs.
Contractors
Off-payroll working rules (IR35) decide whether a contractor is taxed like an employee. Umbrella companies are common for short contracts.
Working language
English.
Typical values and ranges for orientation only. Not legal or tax advice. Confirm with local counsel or an employer of record before you hire. PassRidge does not provide legal advice.
Overlap with US and European teams
United Kingdom is on UTC+1 (BST). The strip shows a 09:00-17:00 day on United Kingdom's main clock against the same hours at four client hubs. Green is shared time.
Europe moves its clocks on 25 Oct 2026 and the US on 1 Nov 2026. For that week US East and London overlap 4 h on a 09:00-17:00 day, against 3 h today. United Kingdom also changes its clocks. With one flexible hour each side the overlap with US East is 5 h and with London 10 h.
Flex work in United Kingdom: open
Flex tasks are open to UK-based contractors and are paid in GBP or USD. Tasks run 3-4 hours a day. Rates start at $15/hour and are shown before you apply.
20 cities in United Kingdom
Tier A cities are established QA hubs. Tier B are growing. Tier C are emerging. Each page has local pay, jobs and time-zone overlap.
Nearby countries
QA jobs in United Kingdom: FAQ
How much does a QA engineer earn in United Kingdom?
A mid-level QA Automation Engineer in United Kingdom has a median gross salary of £56k a year, with a p10 to p90 band of £46k to £69k. A mid-level Manual QA Tester earns £38k. Senior automation engineers reach £72k.
How many QA jobs are open in United Kingdom?
PassRidge lists 185 open QA roles in United Kingdom today, 26 of them remote. London leads with 61 listings. The most common role is QA Automation Engineer.
What are the typical contract terms in United Kingdom?
Common arrangements are: Permanent employee; Fixed-term employee; Contractor (limited company or umbrella). Notice: Statutory minimum notice starts at one week after a month of service and rises with tenure. Contracts for QA roles typically specify one to three months. Paid leave: Statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks including bank holidays. Many employers add days. Typical on-costs: Employer National Insurance and pension contributions typically add 15% to 25%. This is general information, not legal advice.
What time-zone overlap does United Kingdom have with US and European clients?
On a 09:00-17:00 day, United Kingdom (UTC+1 (BST)) overlaps 3 h with US East, 0 h with US West, 8 h with London and 7 h with Central Europe. Overlap shifts by up to an hour when clocks change.
Can I do PassRidge Flex work from United Kingdom?
Flex tasks are open to UK-based contractors and are paid in GBP or USD. Flex tasks run 3-4 hours a day and rates are shown before you accept. Check your main employer's contract for side-work rules first.
Which cities in United Kingdom hire the most QA testers?
By open roles: London (61), Manchester (10), Edinburgh (3), Cambridge (11). We cover 20 cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Bristol, Leeds.