Principal QA Engineer

🔒 Confidential Employer
Posted 3 May 2026
LOCATION
Liverpool
TYPE
Full-time
LEVEL
Director
CATEGORY
Technology
This employer holds a UK Home Office sponsor license — sponsorship for this specific role is at the employer’s discretion

SKILLS

Test-Driven Development (TDD, ATDD, BDD) Automation-first testing API testing (Postman, Swagger, SOAPUI, Karate) Programming language (e.g. Java, Python, JavaScript) Non-functional testing (performance, security) SDLC compliance and governance Exploratory testing Leadership and mentoring

FULL DESCRIPTION

Principal QA Engineer

[Employer hidden — view at passion-project.co.uk] Group is hiring a Principal QA Engineer to lead quality engineering in their technology team. This hybrid role based in Liverpool offers a competitive benefits package.

About us.

We are [Employer hidden] Group and we're here to help families get more out of life. We combine amazing brands and products with flexible payment options on Very.co.uk to help them say yes to the things they love.

About the role.

We're looking for an experienced Principal QA Engineer to join our technology team and help shape the future of quality engineering at [Employer hidden] Group. As a Principal QA Engineer, you'll lead the QA approach within an agile squad, ensuring that products meet the highest standards for quality, compliance, and customer experience.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead and develop the QA capability within your squad in line with [Employer hidden] Group's tech standards.
  • Ensure a Test-Driven approach is adopted for all work.
  • Drive an automation-first strategy for functional and non-functional testing.
  • Oversee preparation, documentation, and evidence capture for all QA activities.
  • Own the overall test plan and test approach, taking full accountability for its successful delivery.
  • Work closely with the offshore resource management team to coach and mentor team members, fostering growth and alignment with [Employer hidden] Group's standards and values.
  • Promote a value-add approach in all delivery activities.
  • Review lessons learned and share insights across squads and the QA community.
  • Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders to prevent defects and improve quality throughout the SDLC.

About you

You're a hands-on QA leader with a passion for quality and a proven track record in delivering robust, compliant, and high-performing solutions. You thrive in agile environments and enjoy influencing teams to adopt best practices in testing and automation.

What you'll bring:

  • 5+ years of QA and testing experience at both leadership and practitioner levels.
  • Proven expertise in software testing and modern QA methodologies.
  • Strong experience delivering within an SDLC framework, ensuring compliance with regulatory and governance standards.
  • Experience in any of Financial Services, Retail and Logistics would be beneficial
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a curious, collaborative mindset.
  • Experience leading and influencing teams in QA best practices.
  • Strong exploratory and technical testing skills.
  • Experience with Test-Driven approaches (ATDD, BDD, TDD).
  • Proficiency in at least one programming language for automation, with the ability to learn others.
  • Experience with API testing tools (Postman, Swagger, SOAPUI, Karate).
  • Strong knowledge of non-functional testing, particularly performance and security.

Some of our benefits

  • Flexible, hybrid working model
  • Inclusive culture and environment, check out our Glassdoor reviews
  • £1000 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
  • 30 days holiday + bank holidays
  • LinkedIn learning access
  • Bonus potential (performance and business-related)
  • Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk
  • Matched pension up to 6%
  • More benefits can be found on our career site

How to apply

Please note that the talent acquisition team are managing this vacancy directly, and if successful in securing this role, you will be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS, Right to Work checks and if a specific requirement of your role a DBS (criminal records) check. Should your application progress we require you to let the team know if there is anything you need to disclose in relation to any of these checks prior to them being undertaken, including any unspent criminal convictions.

Equal opportunities

We're an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Apply now:

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