Quality Engineer

Senior Quality Engineer - Contract

Location: Telford - minimum 2 days per month onsite, remaining time remote
Contract Length: 12 months
Rate: £460 per day
IR35: Inside IR35
Start Date: Must be available to start w/c 4 January 2027
Client: Central Government

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to join a major Central Government programme on an initial 12-month contract.

You will play a key role in shaping quality engineering practices across the team, designing and developing automated testing solutions while embedding modern approaches including TDD, BDD, shift-left testing and CI/CD.

This is a hands-on role requiring strong Java-based test automation experience, alongside the ability to work closely with developers, contribute through pair programming, and coach others on quality engineering best practice.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Remix React, JavaScript
• Backend: Java, Spring, .NET
• Data: MongoDB, Oracle
• Tools/Technologies: RabbitMQ, JSON

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement test automation solutions from scratch
• Design, develop and maintain automated end-to-end and system tests using Playwright with Java
• Develop and maintain automated test scripts in Java across UI, API and system-level testing
• Read, understand and interpret Java unit tests, including JUnit, to support test analysis and defect investigation
• Apply TDD and BDD methodologies alongside risk-based testing approaches
• Support CI/CD pipelines and embed shift-left quality practices
• Perform testing across multiple levels, including Unit, System, Integration and Non-Functional Testing
• Undertake test analysis and test design, translating requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria into effective automated scenarios and comprehensive test coverage
• Analyse business requirements and develop appropriate testing strategies
• Manage test data and associated testing collateral
• Participate directly in development activities through pair programming
• Coach team members on quality engineering principles and best practices

Essential Skills & Experience

We are looking for strong experience across:

• Selenium WebDriver, including designing, developing and maintaining automated test scripts in Java
• Strong Java test automation experience
• CI/CD pipelines
• Software testing and quality engineering
• Git / GitLab
• Test analysis and test design
• UI, API and system-level automated testing
• Strong communication and coaching skills
• Stakeholder management
• A quality-focused, shift-left mindset

Desirable Skills

Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:

• Playwright
• Gatling for performance testing
• OWASP ZAP for security testing
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• AWS
• Accessibility testing, including WCAG, WAVE and Axe