OVERVIEW
Locations: Birmingham/ 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 envi-ronments
- Hands-on automation experience using:
- Java, Selenium, Rest Assured
- API, contract, and integration testing
- Experience working with monolith and microservices systems
- Knowledge of:
- CI/CD pipelines
- Spring Boot-based applications
- Performance testing fundamentals
Modern Testing Practices
- Strong understanding of:
- Contract testing, API testing, and asynchronous messaging (e.g. Kafka)
- 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