Principal QA Engineer / Quality Engineering Consultant
* 8 week initial contract
* Remote based with some ad hoc travel
* Outside IR35 via Limited company
Overview
Our client is seeking an experienced Principal QA Engineer / Quality Engineering Consultant to support a strategic review of Quality Assurance, software delivery, and engineering quality practices within a large-scale enterprise technology environment.
This engagement will assess the current QA operating model, testing maturity, automation capability, SDLC processes, governance structures, and engineering quality practices across multiple product and technology teams. The successful candidate will work closely with technical teams, delivery leadership, and stakeholders to identify opportunities for improvement and help define a practical future-state Quality Engineering approach aligned to organisational goals and delivery realities.
This role is suited to an experienced senior QA leader, Principal QA, Test Architect, Quality Engineering Lead, or QA transformation practitioner with broad experience across software delivery, automation, SDLC practices, and engineering quality improvement initiatives.
Principle QA Engineer - Key Responsibilities
Assessment & Discovery
* Conduct structured assessments across multiple engineering and product teams
* Review current QA processes, SDLC practices, testing approaches, automation maturity, tooling, and delivery workflows
* Assess how QA integrates into Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD delivery models
* Identify operational, organisational, and technical factors impacting software quality and delivery effectiveness
* Evaluate current regression, automation, test management, and release practices
Quality Engineering & SDLC Review
* Assess current-state testing maturity and automation capability across varied technology stacks and legacy platforms
* Review governance, accountability, and ownership models relating to quality and release management
* Evaluate feasibility and suitability of automation approaches within different teams and systems
* Analyse opportunities for improving shift-left testing, quality practices, and engineering collaboration
* Assess non-functional testing capability including performance, security, and resilience testing approaches
Strategic Recommendations
* Contribute to defining a practical future-state QA / Quality Engineering operating model
* Support development of recommendations relating to:
* QA governance
* Automation strategy
* SDLC process improvement
* CI/CD quality integration
* Engineering quality standards
* QA metrics and reporting
* Team structure and capability models
* Help define a prioritised roadmap for incremental QA and engineering maturity improvement
Stakeholder Engagement
* Facilitate workshops and discussions with QA, engineering, product, and delivery stakeholders
* Gather insights from technical and non-technical teams
* Present findings, observations, and recommendations clearly to leadership and delivery teams
* Build collaborative relationships across federated product and engineering environments
Required Experience
* Significant experience in QA, Quality Engineering, Test Architecture, or software delivery leadership roles
* Proven experience working across complex enterprise delivery environments
* Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile delivery, DevOps, and CI/CD practices
* Experience implementing or improving test automation strategies and engineering quality practices
* Experience influencing QA processes, delivery standards, and engineering ways of working
* Strong understanding of test automation, regression strategy, and quality governance
* Experience collaborating closely with software engineers, product teams, and delivery leadership
* Ability to assess both technical and organisational factors impacting software quality
Ideal Experience
We welcome candidates from senior QA leadership, Quality Engineering, Test Architecture, or QA transformation backgrounds, provided they have demonstrable experience influencing SDLC practices, engineering quality maturity, automation strategy, and enterprise QA approaches.
Experience in one or more of the following would be highly beneficial:
* QA maturity assessments
* Enterprise QA or Quality Engineering initiatives
* Test automation strategy and framework implementation
* DevOps and CI/CD integration
* Federated or multi-team delivery environments
* Regulated industries such as Energy, Utilities, Financial Services, or Government
* Large-scale legacy or enterprise technology landscapes
* Shift-left testing and continuous quality practices
* Governance and operating model improvement initiatives
Technical Understanding
Strong understanding of areas such as:
* UI, API, integration, and end-to-end testing
* Automation frameworks and tooling
* CI/CD pipelines and DevOps workflows
* Test management and defect management processes
* Cloud and enterprise application environments
* Performance and non-functional testing approaches
* Jira / Confluence / Azure DevOps / GitHub or equivalent tooling
Hands-on expertise in all technologies is not essential; however, the successful candidate should be capable of engaging credibly with engineering and QA teams across varying technical environments.