OVERVIEW
Locations: Leeds/ Manchester/ Newcastle.
We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Test Engineer / Principal SDET to join a major digital trans-formation programme. You will play a key role in defining and embedding a scalable, automation-first test strategy across multiple delivery teams, supporting the transition from monolithic systems to modern microservices architecture.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role, where you will influence engineering practices, set standards, and actively contribute to automation frameworks and testing solutions.
What We’re Looking For:
* A hands-on technical leader who can set direction and deliver
* Someone comfortable working across multiple teams and scaling best practice
* A proactive problem-solver with a strong quality-first mindset
RESPONSIBILITIES
Test Strategy & Leadership
* Define and implement an end-to-end test strategy aligned to microservices architecture
* Establish standards, patterns, and best practices across multiple teams
* Assess current testing approaches and drive continuous improvement
* Embed testing strategy across teams, creating scalable frameworks and exemplars
Hands-on Engineering
* Design, build, and maintain automated test frameworks
* Work across different test levels: unit, integration, contract, system, and E2E
* Lead automation efforts in Java-based environments
* Support teams with implementation, not just direction
Collaboration & Governance
* Partner with engineering teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment
* Provide technical leadership and coaching to testers and developers
* Ensure testing practices are consistently applied across teams
* Maintain visibility of quality and delivery outcome.
SKILLS & QUAIFICATIONS
Technical Expertise
* Strong experience designing and implementing test strategies for microservices environments
* Hands-on automation experience using:
o Java, Selenium, Rest Assured
o API, contract, and integration testing
* Experience working with monolith and microservices systems
* Knowledge of:
o CI/CD pipelines
o Spring Boot-based applications
o Performance testing fundamentals
Modern Testing Practices
* Strong understanding of:
o Contract testing, API testing, and asynchronous messaging (e.g. Kafka)
o Non-functional testing (performance, accessibility)
Leadership
* Experience with non-relational databases (e.g. MongoDB)
* Automation-first mindset with ability to build reusable, maintainable frameworks.
* Experience operating at Lead / Principal level
* Ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority
* Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
Tools & Technologies
* Cloud: AWS
* Test Frameworks: Selenium, Serenity BDD, Playwright
* Contract Testing: Pactflow, Spring Cloud Contract
* Messaging: Kafka
* Databases: MongoDB
* CI/CD & DevOps: GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, Docker
* Performance Testing: Gatling, K6
* Observability: Grafana, Prometheus, Splunk
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