diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-test.yaml b/.github/workflows/deploy-test.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..39d2866d491
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-test.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+name: Build, Deploy and Test on kind
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - '*'
+
+env:
+  IMG: gitops-operator:test
+
+jobs:
+  deploy-test:
+    name: Build image, deploy to kind cluster and run tests
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version-file: 'go.mod'
+
+      - name: Create kind cluster
+        uses: helm/kind-action@v1
+        with:
+          cluster_name: gitops-test
+
+      - name: Build manager image
+        run: |
+          docker build -t ${{ env.IMG }} .
+
+      - name: Load image into kind
+        run: |
+          kind load docker-image ${{ env.IMG }} --name gitops-test
+
+      - name: Install CRDs
+        run: |
+          make install
+
+      - name: Deploy operator
+        run: |
+          make deploy IMG=${{ env.IMG }}
+
+      - name: Verify Controller Manager deployment is available
+        run: |
+          kubectl wait --for=condition=available --timeout=120s \
+            deployment/openshift-gitops-operator-controller-manager \
+            -n openshift-gitops-operator
+          kubectl get pods -n openshift-gitops-operator